Charles Darwin in his book, On the Origin of Species, presents us with a theory of natural selection. This theory is his attempt to explain how the world and its species came to be as we know them today. Darwin writes that in a process of millions of years, under the influence of man and nature, species have been subject to continuous trial and error. It is through these trials that the natural world has developed beneficial anomalies that sometimes seem too important to be the result of chance. Darwin writes about how a species will adapt to its environment given enough time. When an animal acquires a genetic advantage over its competitors, whether they belong to the same species or to a completely different genus, the animal increases its chances of procreation or adaptation. When that animal exhibits this beneficial variance, the advantage becomes its own and, as such, the trait is then passed on to the animal's offspring. The theory of natural selection is not limited to the hereditary and beneficial variations of a species. It also largely depends on population growth and the death of a species. For a species to continue to exist, it must ensure certain things. It must first produce more offspring that survive. If this is not done, the species will obviously die out. It is also important that the species propagates at such a rate that it allows for variance, because it is the variance that will ultimately allow the animal to exist comfortably in its environment. In his studies, Darwin was led to understand that “…the species of the larger genera in each country would more often exhibit varieties than the species of the smaller genera”; » (p. 55). Thus, larger species would adapt while smaller ones would not. And to quote Darwin again, “…if a species is not modified and improved to a degree corresponding to that of its competitors, it will soon be exterminated. » (p. 102) Extinction, although a less pleasant concept than the idea of ​​adapting to one's environment, plays just as important a role in natural selection as anything else. As a species adaptation proves beneficial and that variation begins to spread, the original, less beneficial variant will disappear. It is the unchanged species that are in immediate conflict with the species undergoing natural adaptation that are likely to suffer... middle of paper ... it was one hundred percent. Sometimes his arguments fell a little flat and at other times he seemed a little trite, like he was challenging others to come up with a better answer. And in a way, I hope he was. In the meantime, though, I think he could have done a better job. I am an evolutionist. I have always been an evolutionist. I have known the premises of Darwin's theory of natural selection for years. And for years, I have believed in it blindly. After reading his book, I can still say that I believe in evolution and the work of Darwin. But if there was ever a doubt in my mind, it was only because Darwin expressed it. It is for this reason that I truly believe that Darwin was right in the highest sense of the word. If he had not been fair, which he might have been, he could have made a most convincing argument. But he asked all the questions of his theories and did his best to disprove them. And I think in his rebuttal he was indeed convincing. Work cited Darwin, C. On the origin of species. Harvard University Press. Cambridge. 2003.Viewed workDesmond, A. & Moore, J. Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist. WW Norton &. 1994