Darwinian

Darwinian is an adjective used to describe ideas, processes, or phenomena associated with Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution by natural selection. As a noun, a Darwinian can be a person who adheres to or advocates Darwin’s ideas.

In biology, Darwinian refers to the view that evolution occurs through natural selection acting on heritable variation. Individuals vary in traits, and those variations that enhance survival and reproductive success tend to become more common over generations. Over long timescales, this leads to adaptation and the diversification of life. Modern evolutionary biology acknowledges additional factors such as mutation, genetic drift, and gene flow, but these operate within a Darwinian framework of differential reproductive success.

The term is also used to distinguish Darwinian theory from other historical explanations of change, such as Lamarckian inheritance. It appears in discussions of fitness, adaptation, and the gradual accumulation of advantageous traits. In scientific discourse, phrases like “Darwinian evolution” or “Darwinian fitness” are common, though the underlying concepts have been refined by genetics and the modern synthesis.

Outside biology, the word is sometimes used in broader, more controversial contexts, such as Social Darwinism, which applies Darwinian ideas to societies or human affairs. This application is widely criticized for misusing biological concepts to justify social hierarchies. Overall, Darwinian remains a foundational term in evolutionary biology and the history of science.