of them independently, Darwins contributions outweighed his by twenty to one because Darwin had the credit of twenty years of priority and work.The impact of the Origin Finally, by 1859 Darwin finished writing the book, and on November 24 the Origin was first published. The sales of the book exceeded everyones expectations (by 1876 16,000 copies were sold in England alone), and the books impact was felt almost immediately. Even those who most bitterly despised its content were quick to concede its importance. (Himmelfarb, 1959)Within the scientific community the book was creating a new paradigm that threatened to disrupt the existing status quo. The mood of the time is illustrated by August Weismann who states: Darwins book fell like a bolt from the blue; it was eagerly devoured, and while it excited in the minds of the younger students delight and enthusiasm, it aroused among the older naturalists anything from cool aversion to violent opposition. (Bowler, 1990)The young saw in Darwin an opportunity for a new and freer philosophical universe. However, the older more professional scientists objected to Darwins ideas on religious grounds. Before Darwin published the Origin, science and religion existed in harmony. There was an understanding on the part of religion that evolution was discredited by science. Now that men of science were finally favorites of the church (just two centuries ago scientists such as Galileo were unfavorably perceived by the church), it seemed foolish to give up this hard won peace for just another evolutionary hypothesis. (Vorzimmer, 1970)ConclusionDarwin left us a legacy, which is greater than just the sum of his scientific work. Not only did his theory of evolution illuminate our past, but also the present and the future are now possible to interpret in Darwinian terms. Probably more so than any other scientific theory, Darwins theory of evolution lends itself to various social interpretations known as social...
