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A Further Look At The 1858 Wallace-Darwin Mail Delivery Question, Charles H. Smith
A Further Look At The 1858 Wallace-Darwin Mail Delivery Question, Charles H. Smith
DLPS Faculty Publications
Recent investigations have led to a conclusion that Alfred Russel Wallace probably mailed his ‘Ternate’ paper on natural selection to Darwin a month later than some have thought, thus freeing Darwin from possible accusations of plagiarism. Further examination of the question suggests this conclusion is premature, as the evidence in favor of the later mailing date appears to be shakier than first thought.
Natural Selection: A Concept In Need Of Some Evolution?, Charles H. Smith
Natural Selection: A Concept In Need Of Some Evolution?, Charles H. Smith
DLPS Faculty Publications
In some respects natural selection is a quite simple theory, arrived at through the logical integration of three propositions (the presence of variation within natural populations, an absolutely limited resources base, and procreation capacities exceeding mere replacement numbers) whose individual truths can hardly be denied. Its relation to the larger subject of evolution, however, remains problematic. It is suggested here that a scaling-down of the meaning of natural selection to “the elimination of the unfit,” as originally intended by Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913), might ultimately prove a more effective means of relating it to larger-scale, longer-term, evolutionary processes.