Posted by Adam Quinan on August 13, 2003 at 02:56:00 from 66.185.85.76 user Adam.
In Reply to: Re: Conservation of Environment posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on August 12, 2003 at 22:44:22:
Darwin and Wallace is a typical case of independent scientific discovery. Darwin had the concept of evolution in his mind for many years and had discussed it with friends and even written most of The Origin of Species but had not published it. Then Wallace wrote from the East Indies with his new idea which was quickly recognised by those in the know as being the same as Daerwin's long held one. Rather than publish Wallace's short letter immediately and thus give Wallace the sole credit for initiating the idea scientifically, Darwin's friends in the Royal Society (or wherever, I can't be bothered to look it up) gave him a chance to write up his own ideas which were then simultaneously published. As it was obvious that Darwin's ideas were significantly more developed, he is generaly given the credit for developing the theory of evolution.