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  • Essay / The Evidence Behind Darwin's Claims: A Rhetoric of Search and Transformation

    The idea of ​​what constitutes legitimate scientific evidence is subjective and varies from circumstance to circumstance, but the compilation of various types of evidence to support a claim has long been an accepted, respected, and even encouraged way of providing accurate testimony. The concept of massive accumulation of hard evidence as a means of proving a point is explored repeatedly throughout Darwin's work On the Origin of Species, as Darwin advocates and defends his theory of evolution and the theme of natural selection. The way Darwin presents and re-presents his evidence functions as a way of making sense of his work by emphasizing the importance and relevance of his discovery. He accomplishes this task by extensively and consistently repeating his findings while attempting to gain his readers' trust using his collection of examples on various species and the changes he observed in their expressed characteristics over time. This method of explanation, in which new evidence is frequently provided, is, however, a necessary part of this specific scientific summary, not only as a method of justifying Darwin's argument and technical claims about his theory of natural selection, but also as a means of maintaining current information. on a constantly evolving subject. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay To begin with, Darwin was the first of his time to publish research on this particular subject of the evolution of species and for Because of this, he was unable to draw inspiration from the research of other scientists, making it important for Darwin to establish trust between himself and his readers. Not only that, but his research was almost entirely composed of observational rather than experimental studies, because evolution is extremely difficult to capture over the course of a lifetime, as it can take several generations of a species so that the new features become visible. Darwin recognizes that what he is trying to capture and understand is a world in motion and therefore his theories must be somewhat flawed, as he states: "This summary, which I now publish, must necessarily be imperfect . I cannot here give references and authorities for my various statements; and I must trust the reader to have some confidence in my accuracy. There is no doubt that errors have crept in, although I hope I have always been careful to rely only on good authorities” (Darwin, 2). Darwin recognizes that most of the evidence he can offer his readers is not hard evidence in the sense that it may be incorrect and does not provide direct proof of his findings about evolution. Because something can only be seen after several generations, it is impossible to obtain proof of evolution and natural selection through immediate observation. It is a process that requires patience and many years of research under close supervision. Darwin counters this by relaying as much information as possible about the subject of his discoveries. It makes sense and creates a compelling thesis by constructing a more or less indisputable compilation of facts surrounding the topic. Furthermore, Darwin asks his readers to believe his scientific claims based on good faith, but only through a sufficient presentation of evidence for his claims. he can really convince them. In order to validate his arguments, he recognizes that he must provideas much evidence as possible concerning the assertions for and against evolution, as he admits: "No one can feel more sensitive than I to the necessity of now publishing in detail all the facts, with the references, on which my conclusions were sound […] A fair result can only be obtained by fully stating and weighing the facts and arguments on both sides of every question” (Darwin, 2). Through this statement, Darwin is showing his recognition that blind assertions cannot serve as legitimate proof and that this alone would not be enough to convince any of his readers of the truth behind his discoveries. He strives to provide the reader with as much evidence as possible, as evidenced by his statement: “My work is now almost finished; but as it will take me two or three more years to complete it, and as my health is far from good, I have been invited to publish this summary” (Darwin, 1). This summary, however, is 490 pages long and contains many detailed examples of his discoveries and observations in addition to the analysis of said discoveries that led to Darwin's theories. Even as an incomplete version of its findings, On the Origin of Species makes a very compelling argument in the evidence it presents. Thus, Darwin's way of presenting and re-presenting his information gives meaning in the sense that it allows his discoveries to be considered both significant and precise and therefore to hold meaning to his readers and to convince them of the truth behind his discoveries. In addition to this, Darwin recognizes through his research that the evolution of species is something that is constantly occurring and that for this reason, regardless of the evidence he provides, Earth's organisms will always be in motion and that he must therefore be able to provide a large and continuing compilation of evidence for his theory. Darwin states: "Because of this struggle for life, any variation, however slight and whatever the cause, if it can be profitable in any degree to an individual of any species , in its infinitely complex relationships with other organic beings and with external nature, will tend towards the preservation of this individual and will generally be inherited by its offspring. The offspring will also have a better chance of surviving” (Darwin, 61 years old). Darwin here addresses the fact that advantageous traits, no matter how small, will help the species reach reproductive age and thus contribute to the transmission of said trait. This, however, implies that species change occurs gradually and continuously over time and that the evidence provided for such adaptations must also change and develop over time, signifying the importance of accumulating massive evidence . It should be noted that species change over time due to competition with each other and it is essential for the support of the theory of evolution that any adaptations are documented. As the world around the species changes in terms of climate, space, potential predators, and food availability, the ideal traits it can express also change, meaning it will never be able to achieve a state of perfection and therefore must face what Darwin calls struggle. for existence, as he states: “Nothing is easier than to admit in words the truth of the universal struggle for life, nor more difficult […] than to constantly keep this conclusion in mind” (Darwin, 62). It recognizes that living organisms are not immutable and are therefore subject to constant transformation. As the theory of evolution is based on constant change.