Stephen Jay Gould: Darwin's Delay

Stephen Jay Gould’s Darwin’s Delay Knowing something is true and having the ability to prove it are on different ends of the spectrum. Charles Darwin and Stephen Jay Gould may have known something about that. His name may not be as recognizable to the average person but Stephen Jay Gould is a widely known and read 20th century scientist. Some even consider him to be the on the same level as Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin spent most of his life researching and trying to prove his theories. He wasn’t out for fame or fortune but knowledge. Many different aspects of life force people to thrive for something more. Some people stand for those occasions while others keep their heads down trying not cause trouble. Darwin and Gould are men who didn’t …show more content…
Darwin used not only his works but the works of his peers and those who came before him to create his hypothesis’s and test his theories. Gould worked in a similar fashion. That’s by building on the material and knowledge that has been compiled by those who came before. Fortunately, for Darwin he found guidance down his path from the works of others. Gould was able to use Darwin’s works for his benefit in the same as Darwin used in the scientific findings of others to expand his work. Gould (1992) states, Darwin had long appreciated the importance of artificial selection practiced by animal breeders. But until Malthus’s vision of struggle and crowding catalyzed his thoughts, he had not been able to identify an agent for natural selection. (p. 22). Even Darwin, a scientist who arguably made one the greatest discoveries in history did not do so on his own. In fact, his work was guided by others. That includes his theory on natural selection. Now, if one of the greatest scientific minds in history needed help to prove his ideas what does say about the average person trying to prove their theory? Without the help or realizations of others that Darwin and Gould received then they may have never finished their