Darwin-ness

In chapter IV, Darwin talks extensively of natural selection.  He starts out by presenting a series of questions that gets us to the topic of nature somewhat "self selecting" the beings that will live and reproduce and the beings that will not survive.  But his first good argument for natural selection comes when he describes a hypothetical climate change.  When a country of region experiences a difference in climate conditions, the plants and animals within that country are forced to change and adapt to the new climate conditions.  If they do not, then they will surely die and cease to exist.  If they do adapt, then they pass on their adaptions and continue to survive as individuals and as a species.  This is easy for me to see and understand.  Darwin posses a logical succession of thought about cause and effect: if condition a changes, then object a has to change with it.  If suddenly the air around us becomes fire, then we better be able to develop fire-proof skin, otherwise we're in trouble.

Darwin's next best argument is the idea that nothing in nature is exactly perfect.  He states that no country has "native inhabitants that are so perfectly adapted to each other and to the physical conditions" (88).  That is, no area has beings that are perfectly fit for that area's conditions.  There is room for change and adaption, which drives the idea of natural selection.  The beings that are best able to keep adapting and changing to the idea of perfection are the beings that will survive and live to reproduce.  This is also clear to understand.  Even in sports, those that are able to go with the flow and change to the conditions of the game will succeed and win.  The other ones will fail and lose.