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person1830s-1882

Darwin

Summary

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was a British naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection in On the Origin of Species (1859), transforming biology and the human sciences permanently.

Core Contribution

Theory of evolution by natural selection—the foundational unifying theory of biology and one of the most consequential ideas in intellectual history.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • evolution
  • natural selection
  • biology
  • science

Notable Works & Achievements

On the Origin of Species

The Descent of Man

The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals

Historical Influences

Malthus Lyell Lamarck

Intellectual Lineage

Natural history tradition Malthus Lyell

Contemporaries & Peers

Alfred Russel Wallace T.H. Huxley

Minds Influenced

Biologypsychology social sciences philosophy

Intellectual Posterity

No conceptual posterity found.

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Darwin

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