Anthropology - History of Evolutionary Theories

Each living thing represents the ideal form (“essence”) of that thing, which is unchanging. Neither the world nor its lifeforms undergo change.

The world is full of living things that are varying degrees away from God/perfection. The closer an organism to the top, the more advanced and nearer to perfection. Organisms near one another share attributes. The chain begins with God and descends through angels and humans to animals and finally, demons.

The universe is composed of an infinite series of forms, each of which shares attributes with its neighbours.

Asserts natural disasters are responsible for the disappearances of old species and the changing of the earth.

Unearthed fossils needed to be explained, as there was no relation to modern species; this undermined the chain of being, as if things are missing the world is no longer complete.

Natural forces in the present would have had the same effects on the landscape in the past; the earth always changes in the same way. Allowed for continued belief that these changes were orchestrated by God.

Asserted that organisms are gradually evolving into perfect forms, “transforming”. Based on the Laws of Use and Disuse and Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics, allowed that the world was constantly changing and conditions promote or discourage existing traits in organisms.

Lamarck’s law states that organs used more develop more and those which are unused will degenerate.

An organism experiencing modification (developing an organ based on environmental need) can transmit traits to its offspring.

• Essentialism

• The Great Chain of Being

• Catastrophism

• Uniformitarianism

• Transformational/Lamarckian Evolution

They all attempt to explain evolution within the bounds of Christian and biblical knowledge and teachings.