Darwin and Natural Selection

Darwin offers two major arguments about why we should believe in natural selection. The first piece of evidence he offers is the noticeable change within domesticated animals when humans breed them. Darwin believes that we breed animals so to produce particular traits for a certain purposes. He even states “we cannot suppose that all the breeds were suddenly produces as perfect and as useful as we now see them; indeed, in several cases, we know that this has not been their history” (83). Darwin explains that we can see the adaptation overtime, although this change does not happen overnight. Later Darwin even alludes to the fact that when the climate and environment changes so do the traits that prevail within that environment. His example for this concept is about a wolf. If the wolf’s is used to capturing multiple different types of animals he has “craft trait, strength trait, and fleetness trait”, he can use all three. But if the environment changes making the deer population (fleeting animals) overabundant and the rest of the other animals scarce, the wolves with the best fleetness trait will prevail.
The next piece of evidence Darwin offers to explain natural selection is sexual selection. Not only does Darwin explain how females are more attracted to males that are the strongest and most advantageous. He even touches on social animals, including human beings. Darwin states “in social animals it will adapt the structure of each individual for the benefit of the community; if each in consequence profits by the selected change” (89). Darwin recognizes that sexual selection is less rigorous than natural selection, but it still is evidence that natural selection exists. Only the males, who reproduce, traits will be passed down. And if the males are more advantageous, the traits they pass down to their offspring will be advantageous as well. The traits of the males who do not mate will not survive.