Analyzing George Mivart's 'Genesis Of Species'
Jessica Niewohner
PHIL 160, Section AA
Professor Feintzeig Summary of Mivart’s ‘Genesis of Species’ In George Mivart’s ‘Genesis of Species’, Mivart thoroughly reviews Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Mivart concludes that Darwin’s theory of natural selection is flawed because it cannot account for all of the mechanics of inheritance, specifically the initial developments of useful characteristics. He disputes that natural selection can account for the passing of negative or unnecessary traits, or for individualized traits occurring in only one species. He also asks how certain developments could occur without saltations, an idea absent in Darwin’s theories, but prominent in many of his contemporaries’. To illustrate these issues with natural selection, Mivart uses giraffes, insects that mimic other things in nature, fish, kangaroos, and whales as examples, which I will summarize below. Mivart’s first example is the giraffe. Darwin’s theory of natural selection implies that in times of drought, giraffes with longer necks would be able to reach the leaves of trees and gain nutrients from them, and thus would be able to survive and pass this long-necked trait onto their offspring. Over many generations, giraffes would come to …show more content…
He spoke specifically about butterflies and stick bugs, asking how their specific and detailed traits could have been perfected over time when Darwin claims that much of natural selection is random. He also asks how higher life forms could have developed limbs if they were supposedly evolved from creatures without limbs. Some characteristics are so specific and finely tuned, it seems implausible to Mivert that they could have developed over time randomly and indefinitely. He asks the same thing about flatfishes, wondering how having eyes on the sides of their heads was beneficial to their survival, and what purpose is served by them moving to the side of the
PHIL 160, Section AA
Professor Feintzeig Summary of Mivart’s ‘Genesis of Species’ In George Mivart’s ‘Genesis of Species’, Mivart thoroughly reviews Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Mivart concludes that Darwin’s theory of natural selection is flawed because it cannot account for all of the mechanics of inheritance, specifically the initial developments of useful characteristics. He disputes that natural selection can account for the passing of negative or unnecessary traits, or for individualized traits occurring in only one species. He also asks how certain developments could occur without saltations, an idea absent in Darwin’s theories, but prominent in many of his contemporaries’. To illustrate these issues with natural selection, Mivart uses giraffes, insects that mimic other things in nature, fish, kangaroos, and whales as examples, which I will summarize below. Mivart’s first example is the giraffe. Darwin’s theory of natural selection implies that in times of drought, giraffes with longer necks would be able to reach the leaves of trees and gain nutrients from them, and thus would be able to survive and pass this long-necked trait onto their offspring. Over many generations, giraffes would come to …show more content…
He spoke specifically about butterflies and stick bugs, asking how their specific and detailed traits could have been perfected over time when Darwin claims that much of natural selection is random. He also asks how higher life forms could have developed limbs if they were supposedly evolved from creatures without limbs. Some characteristics are so specific and finely tuned, it seems implausible to Mivert that they could have developed over time randomly and indefinitely. He asks the same thing about flatfishes, wondering how having eyes on the sides of their heads was beneficial to their survival, and what purpose is served by them moving to the side of the