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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Same Invention:
In Chapter 6, Darwin addresses several challenges to his theory of natural selection. He uses a simile to explain why his theory is not invalidated by the fact that unrelated animals sometimes share features, like wings:
As two men have sometimes independently hit on the same invention, so in the several foregoing cases it appears that natural selection, working for the good of each being, and taking advantage of all favourable variations, has produced similar organs, as far as function is concerned, in distinct organic beings, which owe none of their structure in common to inheritance from a common progenitor.
If traits are acquired through slow, incremental selection from one generation to the next, Darwin admits that it might seem unlikely that two unrelated species, such as butterflies and bats, would each develop wings. Surely there would be too much divergence in each species' development for such a specific trait to be a natural coincidence—these animals must be created by an intelligent being. But Darwin doesn't think the coincidence is so far-fetched. He compares the situation to that of two men who, without talking to one another, happen to invent the same thing. In the case of the inventors, they are likely inspired by a similar problem. For instance, ancient pyramids can be found all around the world. The most likely explanation is not that all these ancient civilizations were in contact with one another, but rather that pyramids are a strong shape. Many civilizations have independently come up with the pyramid design, and many pyramids have lasted for a long time. Likewise, Darwin argues, many unrelated animals may have developed wings because they all found themselves in circumstances under which wings would be advantageous.
By comparing parallel developments through natural selection to parallel inventions, Darwin once again uses modern society as a reference point for understanding nature. England was industrializing throughout the 19th century. Capitalism was heating up, and the pressure to compete and innovate was intensifying. For Darwin, this feeling of economic competition was a useful way to explain the dynamics he believed existed in nature.
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