English naturalist

Charles Robert Darwin is credited with popularizing the concept of organic evolution by means of natural selection. Though Darwin was not the first naturalist to propose a model of biological evolution, his introduction of the mechanism of the "survival of the fittest" and discussion of the evolution of humans, marked a revolution in both science and natural philosophy.

Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England and showed an early interest in the natural sciences, especially geology. His father, Robert Darwin, a wealthy physician, encouraged Charles to pursue studies in medicine at the University of Edinburg. Darwin soon tired of the subject, and his father sent him to Cambridge to prepare for a career in the clergy. At Cambridge, Darwin rekindled his passion for the natural sciences, often devoting more time to socializing with Cambridge scientists than to his clerical studies. With...