Darwin - Greatest Idea

Is Darwin’s Idea of Natural Selection the Greatest Idea Ever?

In Daniel Dennet’s book Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and Meanings of Life, Dennet argues that the Darwinian processes are the single best idea ever had.   While this statement is undoubtedly controversial, much truth surrounds it.   Many may argue for the ideas brought to life by Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.   However, none of these two geniuses’ concepts have proven to be so straightforward yet profound.   Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection are the greatest concept because these ideas have brought together so much complexity into stunning simplicity.   Darwin’s theories have unified social science and natural science by showing how purpose and design can rise from purposelessness.
In order to fully appreciate the Darwinian processes, one must fully understand the theory of natural selection. The idea of natural selection is often misconceived as a process in which an organism changes its physical characteristics in response to its surroundings.   However this is not entirely true.   In order to make this idea clearer, I will first use the example of bacteria, one of the smallest living organisms on the planet with an extremely exciting and quick (compared to greater organisms) evolution.
      The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus lives on the skin of all of us.   It is relatively harmless and even helps to prevent harmful bacteria from hurting us.   Several years ago, though, a mutation in the normal S. aureus genome in just one bacterium occurred in which it made it no longer susceptible to the antibiotic Methicillin that is supposed to destroy it.   Because this one bacterium with the mutation was not killed and was allowed to grow and divide and others around it were killed (because they did not have the mutation), this organism with the mutation became dominant and could now spread to other areas and other people.   This organism is now known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus...