Different editions of On the Origin of Species, John Murray 1859out on this question by patiently accumulating and reflecting on all sorts of facts which
could possibly have a bearing on it. After five years work I allowed myself to speculate on
the subject, and drew up some short notes; these I enlarged in 1844 into an Essay of the
conclusions which then seemed probable; from that period to the present day I have steadily
pursued the same object. I hope that I may be excused for entering these personal details, as
I give them to show that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision.On the Origin of Species destroyed at one blow the recent tradition of the Church
of England which was Natural Theology. All the beautiful and ingenious contrivances
in nature which Natural Theology explained as the benevolent design of the Creator
could now be explained by the operation of natural selection. Although he was careful
not to mention it, Darwin’s theory meant that humans were part of the same tree of
life as all other organisms. The idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ as the mechanism for
the evolution of species now seems so obvious and simple. Why had nobody thought
of it before? But to the Church and general population of the day it was unthinkable
since they believed that all creatures were created by God in their present form and
that species were fixed.178 Where Australia Collides with Asia
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