Why Didn't Charles Darwin Call His Theory “The Theory of Evolution?

Abstract

Charles Darwin called his theory " Descent with Modifications", sometimes called “Natural Selection Theory”, but not the Theory of Evolution. Darwin did not consciously call his theory the Theory of Evolution, and rarely even used the word “evolution”. However, today, despite him, we call Darwin's theory the Theory of Evolution. This study seeks to understand why Darwin did not refer to his theory as the Theory of Evolution, and why we currently refer to Darwin's theory as the Theory of Evolution. In this context, firstly Darwin's own theory will be briefly given. Then, the term evolution and the changes in its meaning will be examined. Secondly, Herbert Spencer's thoughts on evolution will be focused on. Spencer employed the term "evolution" comprehensively, encompassing all organic transformation. He played a pivotal role in establishing "evolution" as the name for Darwin's theory.

Charles Darwin, kendi teorisini Evrim Teorisi degil “Degisiklerle Türeyis Teorisi” olarak, yer yer de “Dogal Seçilim Teorisi” olarak adlandirmistir. Darwin, bilinçli bir biçimde Evrim Teorisi dememis, hatta evrim kelimesini bile neredeyse kullanmamistir. Oysa biz bugün, Darwin’in teorisini, ona ragmen, Evrim Teorisi olarak adlandiriyoruz. Bu çalisma, Darwin’in kendi teorisini neden Evrim Teorisi olarak adlandirmadigini ve bizim bugün Darwin’in teorisini neden Evrim Teorisi olarak adlandirdigimizi konu edinir. Bu minvalde ilk olarak Darwin’in kendi teorisine kisaca yer verilecektir. Devaminda evrim terimi ve bu terimdeki anlam degisimleri incelenecektir. Ikinci olarak Herbert Spencer’in evrim düsüncesine odaklanilacaktir. Spencer, evrim terimini oldukça genis bir anlamda tüm organik degisimi kapsayan bir biçimde kullanmis ve evrimin Darwin’in teorisinin adi haline gelmesinde büyük bir rol oynamistir.