Why Did Charles Darwin Cause Controversy?
Charles Darwin caused controversy because his work on “The Origin of the Species” challenged the beliefs of creationism. Darwin’s “The Origin of the Species” brought about skepticism all throughout the scientific world.
Darwin’s research downplayed creationism as he believed that pure evil and pure good were simply nonexistent. Since men were no more than evolved monkeys, a God or divine being was not part of the creation process. He also believed that people are merely servants to the environment and their community and were not the superior beings that so many believed them to be. He strongly thought that humans only created cultures and social systems to gain some control over the natural selection process.
Darwin’s thoughts on human life challenged people not only in the scientific world but in the church as well. According to Darwin and his theories, God and other divine beings did not exist as people believed. This caused scientists studying the field to reevaluate what they had learned. His works also caused plenty of moral dilemmas. His work on survival of the fittest claims that humans struggle for survival and that the world is sinister in nature. Humans constantly fight for resources, social status and other areas, and whichever human is successful is the most fit for the environment. This angered many religious leaders and scientists as it contradicted many of their beliefs.
