Page 385 - In The Name Of Allah, The All-Merciful And Most Merciful

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)

tats will survive in the struggle for life. For example, in a deer
herd under the threat of attack by wild animals, those that can
run faster will survive. Therefore, the deer herd will be com-
prised of faster and stronger individuals. However, unquestion-
ably, this mechanism will not cause deer to evolve and transform
themselves into another living species, for instance, horses.
Therefore, the mechanism of natural selection has no evolu-
tionary power. Darwin was also aware of this fact and had to
state this in his book The Origin of Species:
Natural selection can do nothing until favourable individual dif-
ferences or variations occur. 7

Lamarck’s Impact

So, how could these "favorable variations" occur? Darwin
tried to answer this question from the standpoint of the primi-
tive understanding of science at that time.
According to the French biologist
Chevalier de Lamarck (1744-1829),
who lived before Darwin, living
creatures passed on the traits they
acquired during their lifetime to
the next generation. He asserted
that these traits, which accumu-
lated from one generation to an-
other, caused new species to be
formed. For instance, he claimed
that giraffes evolved from antelopes;
as they struggled to eat the leaves of
Lamarck

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