UGFN1000

In Dialogue with Nature

與自然對話

Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species
達爾文《物種起源》
1
 Newton’s laws of motion
• “Newton proved the three laws of motion
mathematically.” Imprecise!
• Newton: The three laws of motion were stated as
axioms. (They are NOT proven mathematically)
– Axiom: Self-evident truth
• “The laws of motion” for describing the physical
laws
– “the axioms” for describing the laws of motion as self-
evident truth in the mathematical proof
2
“I believe it fair to say that it was the freedom to consider
problems either in a purely mathematical way or in a
“philosophical” (or physical) way that enabled Newton to
express the first law and to develop a complete inertial
physics. After all, physics as a science may be developed in a
mathematical way but it always must rest on experience—and
experience never shows us pure inertial motion.” (Text 3a,
para. 21)
•Newton: “philosophical”: physical, empirical (by
observations and experiments)
– Philosophical: natural philosophy
3
 Toy train experiment

The forward motion is independent of falling (Text 3a, p. 54)

This toy train experiment was NOT done by
Newton!
4
 Observations of the
position of Mars in the
night sky Newton

Newton’s
laws of
motion
Induction
Orbits of all
Orbit of Mars
planets are
is elliptical
elliptical
Law of
Kepler universal
Deduction gravitation
(mathematical proof)

Coherence
Observation Belief 5
Correspondence
 Tutorial discussion
• “Physics as a science may be
developed in a mathematical Pure inertial motion
way but it always must rest
on experience—and Correspondence X
experience never shows us
pure inertial motion.” (para.
21) Law of inertia

• Why do we believe the law of

inertia?

6
 Tutorial: Why do we believe the law of inertia?
Correspondence
Past and
Observations, New
present
experiments phenomena
phenomena

tested by explain predict

Coherence
(mathematical proof) Kepler’s laws
(including
elliptical orbits) 1
F
D2
Laws of motion Law of universal
(including the law of gravitation
inertia) (inverse-square law)
 Laws of nature
• Newton’s Principia
– The laws of motion and the law of universal
gravitation.
• Darwin’s On the Origin of Species
– Any “laws” (or principles) of life?
– “this planet has gone cycling on according to
the fixed law of gravity…” (last sentence of the
Origin)
8
 Core Question

Where did we come from?

Polling…
9
Year 2009
• 200th anniversary of the birth of
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
• 150th anniversary of the publication
of On the Origin of Species.
10
11
Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life
“Current estimates of the number of different species vary from 6
million to 100 million 1 億 .”
“There are often a multitude of variations on a single pattern –
nearly 200 different kinds of monkeys, for example.
And 315 hummingbirds 蜂鳥 .
Nearly a thousand bats.
And beetles at least 350,000 species of them.”
“Why should there be such a dazzling variety?
And how can we make sense of such a huge range of living
organisms?”
How and why do living organisms adapt to their environment and have
design-like features?

12
 Before Darwin…
• The argument from design
• The complex inner workings of a watch necessitate an intelligent designer
(watchmaker)…
• How about an eye?
• Argument for the existence of God
• Creationism 創造論 : separate creation of fixed species
(cf. UGFH1000 Bible, Genesis)

13
 On the Origin of Species
• “This whole volume is one long argument”
“Descent with modification” via “natural selection”
• “Descent with modification” (evolution 演化 )
– Against creationism (separate creation of fixed species)
– Species are not fixed
– All forms of life descent from common ancestors
(“the Tree of Life”)
• “Natural selection”
– The mechanism drives evolution
14
 Charles Robert Darwin
• 1809-1882, English naturalist 博物學家
• Grandpa (Erasmus): physician, polymath.
• Father (Robert): physician
• Mother (Susannah): died when Charles was eight.
• Maternal grandpa (Josiah Wedgwood): founder (drawn in 1840)
of Wedgwood (pottery firm).
• His family was quite rich.

15
Down House: the home of
Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin lived for 40 years at Down House in rural 16

Kent, until his death in 1882
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Charles Darwin (age 7) Darwin (age 31) and his
in 1816. son William (age 4) in
1842.
24
 His life
• Oct. 1825 (16 years old): studied
medicine at University of Edinburgh,
but later lost interest.
• Starting to get serious about natural
history.
• Oct. 1827: studied at Christ’s College,
Cambridge University and planned to
be a parson 牧師 . Christ’s College
• The study of natural history

25
26
 He was crazy for beetles …
But no pursuit at Cambridge was followed with nearly so much eagerness
or gave me so much pleasure as collecting beetles. It was the mere
passion for collecting, for I did not dissect them and rarely compared their
external characters with published descriptions, but got them named
anyhow. I will give a proof of my zeal: one day, on tearing off some old
bark, I saw two rare beetles and seized one in each hand; then I saw a
third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the
one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas it ejected some
intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced to spit
the beetle out, which was lost, as well as the third one.

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin

1809-1882
27
Crucifix Ground Beetle (Panagaeus cruxmajor)
“You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching, and
you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family.”
Darwin’s father said to Darwin (probably before entering the university) 28
• While studying at Cambridge, Darwin
became a naturalist, followed botanist and
geologist J. S. Henslow.
• Finished his study in April 1831.
• Henslow encouraged him to travel on a John S. Henslow
British warship, HMS Beagle 小獵犬號 , (1796-1861)
went for a 5-year voyage (Dec 1831- Oct
1836) with Captain Robert FitzRoy.
• Darwin: 22 years old
FitzRoy: 26 years old

Robert FitzRoy
(1805-1865)
“The voyage of the Beagle has been by far the most important
event in my life and has determined my whole career…”
(Autobiography, p. 64)
•Sent specimens and letters to England
•Journal of Researchers (1839) (later known as Voyage of the
Beagle 《小獵犬號航海記》 ) 30
 Fossils

Brown-
throated
three-toed
sloth
A Scelidotherium skeleton in Paris.
(an extinct genus of actively mobile ground sloth
31
( 地懶 ))
 Galapagos Islands 加拉帕戈斯群島

厄瓜多爾加拉帕戈斯群島 零距離親親奇獸 32
http://travel.mingpao.com/cfm/Archive1.cfm?File=20101011/gui03/yea1h.txt
 Darwin’s finch 雀科

Separate creation
of fixed species?

33
Back to England…
•No separate creation of species!
•Species are not fixed!
•Darwin’s notebook
(mid-July 1837).
(Back to England: Oct 1836)
•Darwin’s first evolutionary tree.
•“I think”
•Descent with modification via
natural selection
•But how?

34
 Charles Lyell 萊爾
Charles Lyell (1797-1875)

• Darwin read Lyell’s Principles of Geology 《地質學原

理》 during the voyage of the Beagle.
• Against catastrophism 災變說 .
• The Earth was shaped by slow-moving forces still in
operation today.
• Geologic change as the steady accumulation of minute
changes over enormously long spans of time.

35
• “Sir Charles Lyell’s noble views… modern geology has
almost banished such views as the excavation of a great
valley by a single diluvial wave” (para. 18)
• What about life?
• Descent with modification via accumulation of minute
changes over enormously long spans of time?
• Shaped by slow-moving forces still in operation today? 36
 Thomas Malthus 馬爾薩斯
Thomas Malthus
(1766-1834)
• Darwin read Malthus’s Essay on the Principle of
Population 《人口論》 in Sep. 1838.
• Malthus observed that human populations can increase in
size faster than their ability to produce food.
 Overpopulation
 Struggle for existence
• Darwin: applied it to the whole world
of life?
(“Struggle for existence” para. 1)
37
 Three principles will account for all
(1) Grandchildren like grandfathers  Inheritance 遺傳
(2) Tendency to small change especially with physical change
 Variations 變異 / 差異
(3) Great fertility in proportion to support of parents
 “Struggle for existence” (para. 1) 掙扎求存
“Natural selection” Darwin later named (para. 1)
Descent with modification via natural selection (A very slow process!)

Darwin’s notebook (Nov 1838)

cf.
- Darwin’s first evolutionary
tree. (mid-July 1837).
- The Origin 1859
38
 (1) Inheritance
(2) Variations
(3) Struggle for existence
Descent with modification via natural selection
“This preservation of favourable variations and the rejection of
injurious variations, I call Natural Selection” (para. 1)
e.g. Cactus finch
But is it possible that
the change of species
is caused by natural
selection?
(Natural selection is a
very slow process!)
39
 Artificial selection (man’s selection)
Selection Cause Selection
causes Human Artificial selection
Analogy!
change! Nature Natural selection

40
 Searching for evidence...
• Voyage of the Beagle (Dec 1831- Oct 1836)
• Stretch of the Tree of Life (Jul 1837)
• Principles of natural selection (Nov 1838)
• 35-page “Stretch” (1842)
• Full 250-page “Essay” (1844)
• Observations and experiments
– Plants, pigeon, barnacle 藤壺 , etc.
• Fossil records
• Wrote several letters a day to friends, family, scientific correspondents,
and others. (e.g. letter to Hong Kong)
(Darwin Correspondence Project)
41
John Bowring (1792–1872), 4th Governor of Hong Kong (1854–1859) 42
 Alfred Russel Wallace
• In 1858, Wallace sent a paper outlining
his theory to Darwin.
• Theory very similar to Darwin’s.
• Wallace’s theory was published, along
with a description of Darwin’s own
theory, in 1858.
• Both Darwin’s and Wallace’s papers
were presented in 1858.
• Forced Darwin to publish his 490-page
“abstract” in 1859! It was…
43
On the Origin of Species (1859, 1 st
edition)

44
 On the Origin of Species
• “This whole volume is one long argument”
“Descent with modification” via “natural selection”
– “Descent with modification” (evolution 演化 )
• All forms of life descent from common ancestors.
– “Natural selection”
• The mechanism drives evolution.
• We read the 1st edition (1859). (6th edition: 1872)
– Chinese translation? Mini-dictionary.
• The origin of species NOT the origin of first species
• “The publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species in 1859… Darwin carefully
omitted to mention human evolution…” (Text 5 ch.1 para.31)
• Selections from Chapter 4: Natural selection
– Explain the mechanism and the consequences.
– Evidences were shown in the later chapters.

45
How did Darwin support his theory
of evolution?
Chapter Supporting evidence
1 Variation under domestication
2 Variation under nature
9-10 Fossil record
11-12 Biogeographical distribution
13 Morphology 形態學
Classification
Vestigial organs 痕跡器官
Embryology 胚胎學
46
Two important conclusions

47
1. Descendants from a common parent
• “Action of Natural Selection, through Divergence of
Character and Extinction, on the descendants from a
common parent”

Variations Inheritance Struggle for existence

Natural
selection

Divergence
Extinction
of character

Common
48
ancestor
 Common ancestor: Tree of Life

1837

On the Origin of Species, 1859

49
 Common ancestor: Tree of Life

(Kampourakis p. 107)
Time

50
Different species
 Important concepts

Extinction occurs
Naturally
selected
Single vertical
line: no divergence
of character

51
Common ancestor: Tree of Life
Variations Inheritance Struggle for existence

Natural
selection

Divergence
Extinction
of character

Common
ancestor

52
 A single parent?

In the conclusion chapter of The Origin:

“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers,
having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one” 53
 2. Explains the grouping of all organic beings.
Taxonomy of species Who are we?
• kingdom ( 界 )
• phylum ( 門 )
• class ( 綱 )
Kingdom Animal 動物界
• order ( 目 ) Phylum Chordata 脊索動物門
• family ( 科 ) Class Mammalia 哺乳動物綱
Order Primates 靈長目
• genus ( 屬 )
Family Homindae 人科
• species ( 種 ) Genus Homo 人屬
Species Sapiens 智人種
Classification had been
practiced BEFORE Darwin Subspecies Sapiens 54
智人亞種
 Kingdom Animal 動物界
Phylum Chordata 脊索動物門
Class Mammalia 哺乳動物綱
Order Primates 靈長目
Classification
Family Homindae 人科
•Nested grouping of species before Darwin.
Genus Homo 人屬
– Big groups of species are subdivided
into smaller groups of species. Species Sapiens 智人種
– Members of big groups share a few traits.
– Members of smaller groups share more traits. 55
• But why? Tree of Life!
 How to read the Origin?
• What is natural selection? How is artificial selection
related to natural selection? Why was artificial selection
introduced in the text?
• What is extinction? What is divergence of character? How
are these concepts related to natural selection?
• What is the Tree of Life? How was it derived from
divergence of character and extinction?
• How were the criteria “correspondence” and “coherence”
applied to Darwin’s pursuit of truth?
• Further questions…
56
 How to read the Origin?
• Darwin’s one long argument
– Evolution (The climax is the Tree of Life!)
– Natural selection, the mechanism drives evolution
• How did he make his argument?
Did he find the laws of life?
• Darwin as a man
• Does science contradict religion?
– Scientific belief vs. religious belief
– How to evaluate a scientific theory? Scientific evidence vs. religious
belief
• Can natural selection be applied to our society?
57
 Logical reasoning
• Deductive reasoning 演繹法
– From one or more general statements (premises) to reach a logically
certain conclusion. (Wikipedia)
• Inductive reasoning 歸納法
– The premises seek to supply strong evidence for (not absolute proof
of) the truth of the conclusion. (Wikipedia)
– eg1: Generalization
– eg2: Inference to the best explanation 最佳說明推論 / 溯因推理
• Among the competing hypotheses, find the “best” one of accounting for
the available data (Okasha 29, 33)
• Explain all the data/observations in one go
• Darwin’s theory of evolution vs. creationism?

Okasha, Samir. Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction.

58
New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
 Inference to the best explanation
Criteria of truth
Correspondence Evolution vs. Creationism?
•Testability
– Whether the theory can be tested (by observations and/or experiments)
•Explanatory power
– The amount of diverse phenomena explained by the theory
– Causal explanation / mechanism
•Prediction power
– Whether the theory successfully predicts new phenomena
Coherence
– How well the theory fits with established beliefs
Simplicity
– e.g. (i) how simple the theory is; (ii) how many assumptions the theory makes

Adapted from Schick, Theodore, and Lewis Vaughn. How to Think about Weird Things:
Critical Thinking for a New Age. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013, p. 213. 59
 Main references
• Coyne, Jerry A. Why Evolution is True. New York: Viking, 2009.
• Darwin, Charles, and James T. Costa. The Annotated Origin: A Facsimile of the
First Edition of On the Origin of Species Annotated by James T. Costa.
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: Belknap Press of Harvard
University Press, 2009.
• Darwin, Charles; and Nicholas Maistrellis. Selections from Darwin’s The
Origin of Species: The Shape of the Argument. Santa Fe, N.M.: Green Cat Press,
2009.
• Darwin, Charles. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809–1882. With the
original omissions restored. Nora Barlow. Ed. London: Collins, 1958.
• DeWitt, Richard. Worldviews: An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of
Science. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
• Kampourakis, Kostas. Understanding Evolution. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2014.
• Reznick, David N. The Origin Then and Now: An Interpretive Guide to the
Origin of Species. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009.
• Ridley, Mark. How to Read Darwin. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006.
• Quammen, David, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles
Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution. New York: Atlas Books,
2006. 中譯本：大衛・奎曼著 ; 陳芝儀譯，《完美先生達爾文 : 《物種
源始》的漫長等待》 ，台北 : 時報文化， 2009 。
Transformation vs. Evolution 是變身？是演化？
–https://youtu.be/tCNCQx191RA (Chinese)
https://youtu.be/yO0XovtqCOk (English) 61
What is the origin of species? 物種是從那裡來？
–https://youtu.be/H5qLmh87HhE (Chinese)
https://youtu.be/tAbMyRohjw0 (English)
62
 PASS session today
63

Peer Assisted Study Session

 PASS session: NZ (for UGFN1000Z) (Cantonese)
 Date & time: 10 Feb (Fri) 15:30–16:30
 Venue: ERB_402
 PASS Leader: Aaron Yuen ( 袁尚成 )
Main discussion questions in PASS
What is the purpose of mentioning man’s selection?
1.

What are the principles leading to natural selection?

2.

What is “divergence of character”? What is “extinction”?

3.

How can we interpret the Tree of Life, and what main

4.

messages Darwin would like to convey?

Timetable of PASS: http://pass.oge.cuhk.edu.hk/
 Discussion forum
Text Round Due date
1:Plato/Lindberg 1 1 2 Feb
2:Lindberg 2 1 9 Feb
3:Cohen/Newton 1 16 Feb
4:Darwin 1 23 Feb
5:Watson 2 2 Mar
6:Carson 2 16 Mar
8:Kandel 2 23 Mar
8:Kandel; 7:Poincare 3 30 Mar
9:Needham 3 13 Apr
10:Sivin/Shen 3 20 Apr
11:Dunham/Euclid; Ending No forum
 Announcement
• Quiz 3 on Text 4 (Darwin) in the coming tutorial
– All paragraphs of Text 4 except para. 10-12.
• Blackboard: Reflective Journal: the topics and the templates are available
• See also the Appendix
• Please watch these two short animations before the tutorial!
– 1. Are transformation and Evolution different?
https://youtu.be/tCNCQx191RA (Chinese)
https://youtu.be/yO0XovtqCOk (English)
– 2. What is the origin of species?
https://youtu.be/H5qLmh87HhE (Chinese)
https://youtu.be/tAbMyRohjw0 (English)

65
 Appendix: some terms
• “Form”
– Generic term to describe populations that are distinct
from one another.
• “Variety”
– A locally adapted population that is in some way
distinct from other populations of the same species.
• “Species” (various definitions!)
– Freely interbreed in nature and produce viable, fertile
offspring.

66
 Taxonomy of species
• Carl Linnaeus, 1707-1778, Sweden biologist.
• He proposed: Genus ( 屬 ) + species ( 種 )
• Homo habilis ( 能人 )
• Sometimes, subspecies ( 亞種 ) has to be specified.
• Homo ( 人屬 ) sapiens ( 人種 ) sapiens ( 智人亞種 ): 智人
• Homo sapiens neanderthalensis ( 尼安德圖人亞種 ) :
Neanderthals ( 安德圖人 )
67
 The End of The Origin
There is grandeur in this view of life, with its
several powers, having been originally
breathed into a few forms or into one; and
that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on
according to the fixed law of gravity, from
so simple a beginning endless forms most
beautiful and most wonderful have been,
and are being, evolved.
68
 UGFN1000
In Dialogue with Nature
與自然對話
Reflective Journal

69
RJ Q1: guideline
RJ Q1: guideline
RJ Q2: guideline

72
Counter-intuitive example:
quantum superposition

73
Reflective Journal & Term Paper
Grading Rubrics
• Higher level thinking (75%)
– Reasoning and reflection (45%)
– Textual understanding (30%)
• Presentation (25%)
– Language (15%)
– Format (10%)
 Higher level thinking (75%)
• Reasoning and reflection (45%)
Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F
Argument Arguments are On most occasions Flaws in some Obvious flaws in Digressive; avoid
(Weight: 1) correct, well arguments are arguments, some arguments, or misinterpret the
elaborated and correct, adequately inadequately lack of elaboration essay topic
evidenced elaborated and elaborated and/or or stated without
evidenced evidenced necessary evidence
Broadening Substantially Articulates the Difficulties in Fails to articulate Little or no
(TP only) articulates the problem to a articulating the the problem to a evidence to
(Weight: ½) problem to a broader problem to a broader articulate the
broader perspective or broader perspective or problem to a
perspective or generalizes it to perspective or generalizes it to broader
generalizes it to other contexts generalizes it to other contexts perspective or
other contexts other contexts generalizes it to
other contexts
TP: Term Paper
 Higher level thinking (75%)
• Reasoning and reflection (45%) (cont’d)
Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F
Reflection Well-informed Informed personal Inadequately Superficial, far- No or little
(Weight: 1) personal views or views or unbiased supported fetched reflection personal views or
perceptive reflection personal views or or personal views reflection
reflection ordinary reflection
Provides insightful Provides adequate Provides Provides limited Provides irrelevant
aspects relevant to aspects relevant to insufficient aspects aspects relevant to aspects to the
the problem and the problem and relevant to the the problem and problem
problem and
Coherence demonstrates their demonstrates their inadequately fails to
(Weight: 1) interrelations interrelations demonstrates their demonstrate their
interrelations interrelations
Arguments Most arguments Arguments weakly An unsupported or A conclusion is
strongly support adequately support support the invalid conclusion missing or
the conclusion and the conclusion and conclusion and/or dogmatic
in accord with the in accord with the are inconsistent
paper thesis paper thesis with the paper
thesis
 Higher level thinking (75%)
• Reasoning and reflection (45%) (cont’d)

• Examples
 Higher level thinking (75%)
• Textual understanding (30%)
Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F
Comprehensive Adequate Insufficient Little Confusion over or
and accurate understanding understanding understanding fundamental
understanding misrepresentation
(Weight: 1) of the text
content
Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates Repeats and No intention to
insightful good inadequate restates keywords give
interpretation of interpretation of interpretation of from the texts interpretation of
the texts the texts the texts with no the texts
(Weight: 1) interpretation

Grade D: 洞穴、囚犯、太陽、獎勵、刺痛，都在現實世界得到一一對應。
Grade B: 人類有感官的限制，有如上鎖的囚徒；真理往往藏在看似複雜的表
象背後，發掘真理的過程有如走出洞穴。
•Study the texts carefully
•Not a detailed summary/description of the texts. Don’t just repeat the texts
•Use the texts to support your viewpoints and/or comment on the texts
•Distinguish the original meaning of the texts and your interpretation
 Language (15%)
Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F
Distinctively Generally fluent Inadequate in A lack of fluency Errors form a
fluent and clear; and clear; fluency and and clarity; series of obstacle
Free from or a Minor errors in clarity; Riddled with to the reader’s
few errors in grammar; Some errors in errors in grammar comprehension
grammar; Good at word grammar and and word usage
Excellent in word usage word usage
usage

• Proofread! Grammar and spelling checker

• Microsoft Word
• Grammarly (free version) https://www.grammarly.com/
• Written in Chinese only
‒ Chinese translation of the quote in English (from the texts)!
‒ Your own translation or published translation
‒ Add a footnote with the original quote in English. See the template
• 若論文書寫語言為中文，則較冷僻的人名、地名及技術名詞的中譯須附
有英文原名。
‒ 恩培多克勒 (Empedocles) (Text 2a Ch. 3 para. 26)
‒ 亞里士多德 [ 不用英文原名 ]
 Format (10%)
Grade A Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade F
Structure A standard Minor Obvious Major Confusion in
(TP only) structure deviation from deviation from deviation from structure
(Weight: 1) the standard the standard the standard
structure structure structure
Citation Clear and Citations are Some citations Some citations On most
(Both RJ accurate adequate and are incomplete are incomplete occasions
and TP) citations clear on most or inaccurate or inaccurate citation is
(Weight: 1) wherever occasions missing
necessary
• Structure: Introduction, body, conclusion (Required for TP only)
• Format: In-text citation AND Works Cited section (MLA style, please refer to
the template provided and the Purdue’s MLA Formatting and Style Guide
[link]). Example:
…
囚犯把人工製品的影子當作真正的真實。 (Plato par. 7).
…
Works Cited
Plato. Republic, 2004. Translated by C. D. C. Reeve. Rpt. in In Dialogue with Nature:
Textbook for General Education Foundation Programme. Edited by Chi-wang Chan,
Wai-man Szeto, and Wing-hung Wong. Rev. 2nd ed., Office of University General
Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2016, pp. 5-10.