Science, Pleasure, and Passion
Darwin and His Passion to Study:
Love of Science: “Unbound-patience in long reflecting over any subject industry in observing and collecting facts and a fair share of invention as well-as-common sense.”
In his autobiography Darwin describes himself as a humble and normal boy, who wasn’t interested in studying. He liked exploring his surroundings and collecting beetles. His passion of collecting beetles led him to dissect the insects and study them. He had zeal for understanding what interested him. He believed everything in nature is a result of some fixed laws and he wanted to understand those laws.
He wanted to understand the beginning of all the things in nature and try to explain God’s role in the nature creation. He accompanied FitzRoy as a naturalist on a voyage to South America. During his time on the voyage he spent a great deal of his time at the Galapagos Islands and collected species. Studying his collections led him to develop his theory of evolution, which stated that species descended from each other with modification due to natural selection.
Darwin’s discovery of evolution is a great example of what science is and why would one want to pursue science. Darwin was astonished by studying the different species of insects difference. He was always eager to collect beetles, which led him to investigate their anatomy. He collected facts about the species by his collections and organized his facts into a general law of evolution. For Darwin science was a desire to understand or explain whatever he observed and group all facts under some general laws.
Darwin, C., & Barlow, N. (1993). The autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809-1882: With original omissions restored. New York: Norton.
Picture Retrieved October 27, 2016 from https://www.google.com/search?q=darwin+and+evolution&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwhIn_vvzPAhVGTCYKHfFRABgQ_AUICSgC&biw=1319&bih=595#imgrc=JNejml86MbrozM%3A
