The Origin of Species：By Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life

CHARLESROBERTDARWINwasbornin1809inShrewsbury,England,toawealthyintellectualfamily,hisgrandfatherbeingthefamousphysicianErasmusDarwin.AtCambridgeUniversityheformedafriendshipwithJ.S.Henslow,aprofessorofbotany,andthatassociation,alongwithhisenthusiasmforcollectingbeetles,ledto"aburningzeal,"ashewroteinhisAutobiography,forthenaturalsciences.WhenHenslowobtainedforhimthepostofnaturalistonH.M.S.Beagle,thecourseofhislifewasfixed.Thefive-year-longvoyagetotheSouthernHemispherebetween1831and1836wouldlaythefoundationforhisideasaboutevolutionandnaturalselection.UponhisreturnDarwinlivedinLondonbeforeretiringtohisresidenceatDown,asecludedvillageinKent.Forthenextfortyyearsheconductedhisresearchthereandwrotetheworksthatwouldchangehumanunderstandingforever.Knowingoftheresistancefromtheorthodoxscientificandreligiouscommunities,DarwinpublishedTheOriginofSpeciesin1859onlywhenanothernaturalist,AlfredRusselWallace,independentlyreachedthesameconclusions.HisotherworksincludeTheDescentofMan,andSelectioninRelationtoSex(1871)andRecollectionsofMyMindandCharacter,alsotitledAutobiography(1887).CharlesDarwin'sDiaryoftheVoyageoftheH.M.S.Beaglewaspublishedposthumouslyin1933.Darwindiedin1882;heisburiedinWestminsterAbbey.查理·达尔文(1809—1882年)，英国博物学家，进化论奠基者。22岁从剑桥大学毕业后．以博物学家的身份乘“贝格尔号”作历时五年的环旅行，并由此形成了生物进化的观点。l859年，达尔文发表划时代巨著——《物种起源》。震惊了科学界和整个世界。达尔文在该书中重点阐述并论证了高等生物是由低等生物逐渐演变而来的进化论思想，并提出了以自然选择、适者生存为基础的进化学说。进化论、能量守恒和转换定律、细胞学说，被恩格斯高度评价为“19世纪自然科学的三大发现”。