The Dance of Eternity (4)

What exactly is Darwinism?

Of course, everyone knows Darwin’s name. However, many people, including ordinary person like myself, still mistakenly believe that theories called “Darwinism” or “Neo-Darwinism” are the foundation of modern evolutionary theory. In fact, current evolutionary biology does not fully endorse Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Darwin’s theory of evolution, at its core, is quite simple and is what most people recognize when they think of evolution:

• Organisms undergo random mutations, some of which are inherited.
• Those with adaptive mutations gradually increase their offspring, while those with non-adaptive mutations see a decline in their numbers.
• As a result, the proportion of individuals with adaptive mutations in a population increases, potentially leading to significant divergence from the original population.

This clear logical framework stands on an implicit assumption: ecosystems cannot support an infinite number of individuals, and due to the competition for limited resources (food), only some individuals can survive.

And this idea, influenced by Malthus’s “Essay on the Principle of Population,” posits that in an infinite population, all variations would survive, rendering natural selection inoperative.

In the mid-19th century, what people interpreted from the concept of “Natural Selection” was the emergent capitalist ideology of the time, essentially the idea of Survival of the Fittest. This notion was especially popular among the burgeoning capitalist class in America. However, Darwin himself did not equate evolution with progress or improvement. I n fact he didn’t even use the term “evolution” but referred to it as “descent with modification” or “transmutation,” without implying any change towards positive direction. Herbert Spencer, who read “On the Origin of Species,” replaced the term Natural Selection with “Survival of the Fittest” and applied it to sociology and ethics, cementing the image of natural selection as synonymous with survival of the fittest.

Darwin’s thinking evolved over time, and “On the Origin of Species” was essentially a mid-point report in his ongoing development.

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was a 19th-century figure, famously undertaking a five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle (1831–1836), which circumnavigated the globe, primarily focusing on the Southern Hemisphere, providing him with insights for his later theory of evolution. Despite gaining the idea of natural selection shortly after reading Malthus’s work upon his return, it took 23 years before the first edition of “On the Origin of Species” was published in 1859 — a time when Japan was in the late Edo period, under the shrewd leadership of the great councilor Ii Naosuke.

This book underwent extensive revisions over 13 years, culminating in the sixth and final edition in 1872. During this period, Darwin grappled with various criticisms, modifying his thoughts and ultimately accepting factors other than natural selection as sources of evolution. Incidentally, in his 1871 work “The Descent of Man,” Darwin argued that human-specific traits such as aesthetic sense and moral consciousness also evolved, a view supported by contemporary scholars like Steven Pinker of “The Better Angels of Our Nature” and “Enlightenment Now.”

Darwin’s brilliance lay in asserting that species diverge. For those of us living in today’s rapidly changing times, it may be hard to imagine, but for pre-industrial revolution people, the world was seen as a ever-lasting repetition of same daily life. Whether they were followers of Cartesian-Newtonian philosophy or ordinary people, the world was perceived as constant and unchanging back then. The Industrial Revolution dramatically altered human sensibilities, making people realize that the world could change rapidly. Therefore, it took 60 — 70 years for Darwin’s radical idea of evolution (or species change and divergence) to gain widespread acceptance.

It was only recently that I learned much of what is considered “Darwin’s theory of evolution” today actually derives from Alfred R. Wallace’s “Darwinism” and Herbert Spencer’s “Principles of Biology,” both ardent followers of Darwin. Wallace’s advocacy of adaptation through natural selection in “Darwinism” overemphasized the importance of natural selection, differing from Darwin’s own acceptance of other evolutionary factors than natural selection. Today’s evolutionary biology recognizes drivers of evolution beyond natural selection, which must be acknowledged to move beyond the simplified schema of “biological evolution = natural selection.”

So far, I have proclaimed that:

• “Darwinism” does not represent Darwin’s own thoughts, and Darwin himself did not hold a capitalistic view of survival of the fittest.
• Modern evolutionary biology recognizes various drivers of evolution beyond natural selection, rejecting a simple survival of the fittest theory.

When considering the application to business management, it is helpful to start by understanding “Darwinism” and its development into “Neo-Darwinism,” while also considering variations such as the “Neutral Theory” for a more comprehensive understanding. For now, let’s review Neo-Darwinism.

Somewhat abruptly, there is the “Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium” or “Hardy-Weinberg Principle.” If the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium holds, it implies that the population’s genes do not change, meaning no evolution occurs. Four conditions must all be met for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to hold:

• There is no difference in survival or reproduction rates between alleles.
• The population size is infinite.
• There is no migration of individuals into or out of the population.
• No mutations occur.

Conversely, if any of these conditions are lacking, evolution will inevitably occur. In other words:

• Natural Selection operates when differences in survival or reproduction rates exist between alleles, making one more advantageous than the other.
• Genetic Drift occurs due to finite population size.
• Migration introduces Gene Flow into the population.
• Mutations occur.

Simply put, Neo-Darwinism considers these four conditions as the driving forces of evolution. Let’s explore each of these conditions and consider their implications when applied to business management from my next post.