Darwin

10 Commentsby   |  03.21.11  |  Pre-Renaissance (Part I)

I think it is really interesting how much Darwin’s theory has influenced in psychology today.  Studying behavior is very prominent in our society today and that was directly influenced by Darwin.  He showed that studying behavior is just as important as studying the mind.  I also think that it is interesting that he greatly influenced a more “American” psychology.  His theory shows the importance of individual differences which is very prominent in American psychology.  We are a very individualistic society and I wonder if a lot of that mentality came from Darwin’s emphasis on individual differences.  As far as what I believe concerning his thoery, I believe that evolution occurs.  It would be silly to say that evolution does not happen.  However, the idea that I came from an ape is a little silly as well.  I do not like the idea that evolution has no purpose and that it just happens for no reason.  I think that if everyone believed that then a lot more people would be depressed in our world.

Comment

10 Comments

  1. Lawton Pybus
    2:55 pm, 03.21.11

    I’m not trying to start an argument, but why would you say that humanity evolving from an ape-like ancestor is silly, especially if you’re conceding that evolution happens? Are you suggesting that humans suddenly manifested in their present form? Personally, I don’t claim to know for certain how humanity came into being, but I don’t dismiss evolution as silly. The data certainly seems to suggest it… and I don’t think that discredits the Bible. But then again, I believe God is all-powerful, and could have done it any way he wished.

  2. Garrett Beach
    3:58 pm, 03.21.11

    I also have trouble believing that humans came from apes. I think that humans were made special to see over all other creatures. Maybe Adam and Eve and the first human beings didn’t look exactly as we do today because of evolution, but I think that we have always been human, and it bothers me, to some extent, how reductionistic evolutionary psychology can be.

  3. Taeyanna Pannell
    4:21 pm, 03.21.11

    I personally do not think we evolved from apes, but all I know is that we have evolved from the beginning until now. The skeletons that they find prove that we have evolved as human beings.

  4. Emily Pennington
    6:04 pm, 03.21.11

    I used to struggle with that idea a lot – what exactly did we evolve from – because I don’t believe humans evolved from bacteria. I think that’s just absurd, but I do believe that it’s very likely that Adam and Eve were a less developed human being, and that God created us so that we were able to evolve as we needed to, but when it was just Adam and Eve, it’s not like they needed huge brains and finely-tuned motor skills to sit around and name animals.

    • Derek Mar
      11:13 pm, 03.21.11

      I agree completely. I don’t think that humans evolved from apes, but are simply an alternative option. As far as what exactly we did evolve from, I have no answer. But I do believe that whatever/whoever we evolved from was a part of a divine plan.

  5. Katelyn Marlow
    8:46 pm, 03.21.11

    I personally believe that the theory of evolution is something that should definitely be taken as evident. There are so many things that prove this idea, from anomalies in the human body such as the appendix which serves now serves no purpose as opposed to earlier times when it most likely did. Even skeletons of animals over time, such as the horse, reveal evident change and adaptation. However, I agree that to think that people have in some way evolved from monkeys is absurd. I strongly believe in the creation story as told in the Bible. People were created as people. Yes, we have in small ways evolved in order to better adapt to our changing environments, but I believe that this process is perhaps one that was put in place by God himself. I could never fathom that life is just one big coincidence; it is far too planed and perfect.

  6. Brittany Rexroat
    10:21 pm, 03.21.11

    I think that it is possible that we evolved from apes maybe not necessarily within a physical aspect. However, I believe that our tendencies and actions that we have developed possibly came from apes. Seeing as how we are so similar to apes in many ways.

  7. Anna Brinkman
    10:40 pm, 03.21.11

    I’m glad that you wrote about Darwin’s influence on psychology, because I feel like his theory of evolution is such a big deal that it overshadows the rest of his achievements. It is interesting to see the competition and values we have that can be traced back to behavioral theories explained by him long ago. The similarities seem so simple that animals can do it and at the same time we form them into complex situations in other aspects of our lives.

  8. Tiffani Johnson
    10:47 pm, 03.21.11

    Evolution and Darwinism is a tricky topic and many people get everybody mixed up. Darwin “first” posed the idea of evolution but he is not the one who said we came from apes. I believe Darwin was speaking about micro-evolution as opposed to macro-evolution. Micro-evolution is a proven fact, species change over the years to adapt to survive in the changing world.

  9. Lacy Hanson
    11:11 pm, 03.21.11

    I completely agree with your thoughts. I think we have evolved as a species, but not from apes. Over time, we adapt to our surroundings…like new technology, etc. Because fifty years ago, cell phones weren’t even thought of. Now they’re a part of our daily lives. That is part of evolution.

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