CHAPTER I 



RISE OF THE THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION AND 

 ITS SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT 



Pre-Darwinian Evolutionists Causes which led to the speedy 

 triumph of the theory of Natural Selection Nature of the 

 opposition which Darwin had to overcome Post-Darwinian 

 biology Usually accepted classification of present-day 

 biologists as Neo-Lamarckians and Neo-Darwinians is 

 faulty Biologists fall into three classes rather than two 

 Neo-Lamarckism : its defects Wallaceism : its defects 

 Neo-Darwinisrn distinguished from Neo-Lamarckism and 

 Wallaceism Neo-Darwinism realises the strength and 

 weakness of the theory of Natural Selection, recognises the 

 complexity of the problems which biologists are endeavouring 

 to solve. 



DARWINISM and evolution are not 

 interchangeable terms. On this fact 

 it is impossible to lay too much 

 emphasis. Charles Darwin was not 

 the originator of the theory of evolution, nor 

 even the first to advocate it in modern times. 

 The idea that all existing things have been 

 produced by natural causes from some primordial 

 material is as old as Aristotle. It was lost 



