Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way we think about evolution in modern times. He advanced and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thought it is necessary to fully understand Charles Darwin's early theories. In this article I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection. Charles Robert Darwin, the founder of evolution, was born on February 12, 1809 in rural England. Charles was the son of Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgewood. His mother died when he was seven and his father died when Charles was thirty-nine. Until the age of eight, Charles was educated at home by his sister Caroline. Charles soon after developed a fascination with biology and natural history. The young student began to accumulate, collecting everything that caught his interest, from shells and rocks, to insects and birds. Darwin's beetle collecting in Cambridge appears to have been more than simple collecting. Collecting began to control all of his time and, eventually, his thoughts. But they proved very useful once aboard the Beagle. (Freeman 91) His hobbies laid the foundation for a wonderful life of discovery. In 1825, Robert sent Charles to Edinburgh Medical School to follow in the footsteps of Eras (Charles' brother) and himself. It was in Edinburgh that Charles discovered that medicine was not in his future. Charles was extremely squeamish and hated working on cadavers. This returned Charles to his old ways of collecting and dissecting animals and insects. Meanwhile, while attending Edinburgh, Darwin also received instruction in taxidermy. This also proved useful aboard the Beagle. Furthermore, while attending Edinburgh Darwin became familiar with Lamarck's evolutionary theories. Darwin dropped out of Edinburgh after his second year of medical studies, without a degree. Subsequently, Dr. Darwin sent his son to Cambridge University to study religion. It was at Cambridge that Darwin developed his new obsessive passion, entomology (especially cockroaches). He struggled during his first three years, but bounced back in his fourth. Charles graduated in 1831 from Cambridge and began looking for a job with… a subject about which the public was relatively unaware. It described how an individual of a species reproduces and genetically transmits variations. The species that adapted through variation was the one that survived. Hence the expression “survival of the fittest”. As pointed out, Charles Darwin was a man ahead of his time, and his work laid the structural foundation for the way we look at evolution today. On the last page of the Origin of Species, Darwin summarizes his discoveries: "since natural selection operates exclusively for and for the good of each being, all bodily and mental endowments will tend to progress towards perfection." Works Cited: Barnett, Samuel A. A Century of Darwin. New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1969.Campbell, Bernard. Human evolution. Chicago/New York: Aldine and Atherton, 1970.Darwin, Charles. On the origin of species by natural selection. 1859.Gribben, John and Michael White. Darwin: a life in science. New York: Dutton, 1995. Jurmain, Robert; et al. Essential elements of physical anthropology. International: West/Wadsworth, 1997.Sears, Paul B. Charles Darwin. New York: Scribner's Sons LTD, 1950.