One point made by Darwin that I found particularly
interesting was the observation that populations tend to dramatically increase
with the absence of external factors that cause a struggle for existence.
“Lighten any check, mitigate the destruction ever so little, and the number of
the species will almost instantaneously increase to any amount,” (Darwin,
66-67). Darwin observes that the impact of the natural system of checks and
balances is so substantial that the alleviation of it will lead to a dramatic
bloom in population. This claim
certainly makes sense in theory. What is interesting is to see it replicated in
real life. One of the largest social and environmental problems that we are
dealing with today is overpopulation of the human race. This phenomenon aligns
precisely with Darwin’s theory. Due to a multitude of human benefactors, namely
health care and industrial development, we have significantly raised the
threshold for human survival. Not only can humans live longer, but we can also
support more people in terms of food manufacturing and urban living. The change
in lifestyle from one of survival to one of luxury allows humans to grow beyond
the limitations of nature. It appears that we have “beat the system” of natural
selection.
However,
two factors that Darwin pointed out as important checks of population growth
are surfacing as global issues- food and climate. The issue of food is one that
is well debated in our society today. It is not that we don’t have enough food-
large-scale corporations certainly take care of that- it is that we lack
appropriate means or intention of distribution. There are many, many people
that are starving in our world because of this. Improper distribution of food
is again becoming a significant limiting factor. Climate is another pressing
concern in the form of global warming. When Darwin speaks of climate, he is
mainly concerned with the way it impacts food supply. This is still an issue,
but in our case another of equal importance are the dangers that global warming
implies. Due to rising sea levels and intensified weather patterns, the certainty
of safety is diminishing. Ironically, both of these factors are human induced. It
is clear that our negative impact on the natural world is conversely causing a
struggle for human existence.
The human species is yet to take
this information into account in terms of family planning. As Darwin would
observe, the ratio of number of offspring to competitive external factors in
the human race has dramatically increased. Many species produce a large amount
of eggs or offspring due to the low chance of survival, such as fish or
turtles. At this point, human offspring survival is practically ensured. This
means that the amount of offspring created is directly proportional to the
population. Most people still exceed the amount of children that would solely
replace themselves- thus the steadily increasing global population. While this
issue gets into ethical territory in terms of how far one can impede on others
personal desires, it is clear that from an environmental and evolutionary
standpoint, we should begin to stabilize our reproduction rate in response to
overpopulation in order to minimize detrimental impact on both the environment
and ourselves as a species.
Ellie makes an excellent point on how Darwin is basically convinced that these changing factors (food and climate) can completely benefit or hinder population growth. He point out that everything is "bound[ed] together by a web of complex relations" (73). When one thing in nature is altered, other things consequently follow because everything is interconnected. There has to be an equilibrium or balance in the population of the several species and its varieties. So if something disturbs this delicate balance of these populations within nature, things become uncontrollable; possibly one species will be put into extinction and the another will triumph and succeed over even more species. This cause major imbalance in nature, and systems will be unable to function properly. Ellie analyzes this idea quite well throughout her blog post, and I find it very fascinating.
ReplyDeleteEleanor, I also really found it interesting how Darwin talked about the population and the checks to the population. One thing that I particularly tuned into was when Darwin referenced Malthus. He does this in his introduction saying, "In the next chapter the Struggle for Existence amongst all organic beings throughout the world, which inevitably follows from there high geometrical powers of increase, will be treated of. This is the doctrine of Malthus, applied to the whole animal and vegetable kingdoms"(5). I thought that this was really interesting to see that this whole idea Darwin had on the Struggle for Existence also exists in human terms that Malthus applies. Darwin later references Malthus again on page 63 essentially saying the same thing as before but illustrating it in greater detail.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate Eleanor’s observation of how Darwin’s observations on population growth apply to humans just as they apply to other species. As Eleanor points out, Darwin frequently discusses how any decrease in population checks leads to a rise in population, and this scenario has played out for humans in recent history. Another of Darwin’s observations on population which apply to humans is the role of infant mortality in maintaining a stable population. Normally, population is held in check by positive checks (death of individuals) or preventative checks (lowering the birth rate). However, because “every single organic being around us may be said to be striving to the utmost to increase in numbers” (Darwin, 66), preventative checks will rarely or never hold the population at a steady rate, and positive checks come into play. Darwin comments that “very young animals seem generally to suffer most” (Darwin, 67) in these circumstances. While this comment is made in reference to non-human species, like Darwin’s other comments on population it holds true for humans. Historically, when human populations are stable (both in their number and their resource consumption) high childhood mortality, including infanticide and abortion, have played a significant role in limiting population growth.
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