Darwin's Letters: Collecting Evidence

Resource for Grades 9-12

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Darwin sought information from his many contacts to help him refine his theory. In these letters, he discusses the range of variation that can be observed in both wild and domestic animals, his observations on the number of seedlings that are eaten by slugs, and whether seeds and small snails are ever transported on the feet of wading birds. All of this varied information helped him form his theory and convinced him that the process of evolution which he proposed could in fact explain the patterns he saw in the natural world.

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Discussion Questions

Explain and discuss the reasons why Darwin was so persistent in his efforts to test plant seeds of various types for viability after soaking them in fresh and salt water for long periods of time?

What evidence do these letters reveal about the way Darwin proposed and then tested hypotheses critical to his developing theory?

There are many different definitions of "the scientific method" -- most of which are too cut-and-dried for general consumption to be of much real value. Consider the following statement about the scientific method, and discuss whether it seems to apply to Darwin's strategy as expressed in these letters: "The process of science making is narrative. It consists of spinning hypotheses about nature, testing them, correcting hypotheses, and getting one's head straight. En route to producing testable hypotheses, we play with ideas, try to create anomalies, try to find neat puzzle forms that we can apply ... . Our instruction in science from start to finish should be mindful of the lively process of science making, rather than being an account only of "finished science" as represented in a textbook." Bruner, Jerome. 1996. The Culture of Education, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 127.