17.The man who independently came up with an idea very similar to Darwin's theory of natural selection was

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Alfred Russel Wallace independently conceived the mechanism of natural selection and sent an essay describing it to Charles Darwin in 1858.

1. Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Natural selection: a mechanism explaining adaptation and speciation through variation, differential survival, and inheritance.
- Historical timeline: Darwin had developed his theory over decades; Wallace formulated a similar idea while working in the Malay Archipelago and communicated it in 1858.
- Key figures in choices: Herbert Spencer (coined “survival of the fittest”), Thomas Malthus (influenced Darwin with ideas about population pressure), Carl Linnaeus (developed taxonomy).

2. Step-by-step reasoning process
- Compare each option to the statement “independently came up with an idea very similar to Darwin’s natural selection.”
- Herbert Spencer: contributed terminology, not independent formulation of the mechanism.
- Alfred Russel Wallace: wrote an essay (1858) describing natural selection independently and sent it to Darwin.
- Malthus: wrote On the Principle of Population, which influenced Darwin’s thinking but did not propose natural selection.
- Linnaeus: 18th-century taxonomist; did not propose natural selection as a mechanism.

3. Intermediate steps / historical facts
- Wallace’s 1858 essay: “On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type” (often cited title/summary).
- Wallace sent this manuscript to Darwin, who recognized its similarity.
- To establish priority and avoid conflict, Darwin’s and Wallace’s writings were presented together at a meeting of the Linnean Society in 1858.

4. Why the correct answer is correct
- Wallace independently derived the concept of natural selection while Darwin had independently developed it earlier; Wallace’s explicit formulation and correspondence with Darwin make him the independent co-discoverer.

5. Why the other options are incorrect
- Herbert Spencer: coined a phrase (“survival of the fittest”) but did not independently develop the full mechanism.
- Malthus: provided population-pressure ideas that inspired Darwin but did not propose natural selection.
- Linnaeus: focused on classification; he did not propose natural selection.

6. Conclusion
Alfred Russel Wallace is the correct answer, which matches the provided answer: Alfred Russel Wallace.

17.The man who independently came up with an idea very similar to Darwin's theory of natural selection was 单项选择题

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