darwinism

Darwinism refers to the theory of evolution by natural selection associated with Charles Darwin, with later incorporation of Alfred Russel Wallace’s ideas. It holds that populations vary heritably, more individuals are produced than can survive, and those with traits better suited to their environments leave more offspring. Through differential reproduction, advantageous traits become more common over generations, leading to adaptation. Descent with modification posits that all living things are related and have diverged from common ancestors over time.

Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, presenting evidence from diverse fields such as paleontology, biogeography, and comparative anatomy. He proposed natural selection as the mechanism driving evolution. In modern biology, the term Darwinism has largely given way to evolutionary theory, especially the modern synthesis, which integrates Darwinian selection with Mendelian genetics. Mutations provide variation; recombination and genetic drift influence allele frequencies; natural selection acts on heritable traits, and reproductive isolation can produce new species.

Evidence for Darwinism includes intermediate fossils, homology, vestigial structures, biogeographic patterns, and, more recently, molecular phylogenetics. The term Darwinism may be used to describe historical ideas or the broader framework of evolution; however, contemporary science more often refers to evolutionary theory or Darwinian evolution. The phrase social Darwinism is a non-scientific application that misuses Darwin’s ideas to justify social or political policies.