Final answer:
Charles Darwin's understanding of evolution by natural selection at Cambridge was primarily influenced by natural sciences, guided by figures such as Lamarck, Lyell, and Malthus, and his observations during the voyage aboard the HMS Beagle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Influences on Charles Darwin
At the University of Cambridge, Charles Darwin was most significantly influenced by professors and mentors in the field of natural sciences. While the idea of species evolving over time was not new with Darwin, his particular conception of evolution by natural selection was heavily influenced by a few key figures. For instance, Jean Baptiste Lamarck, although incorrect in his theory, was one of the first to propose that species change over time. The works of Charles Lyell, an esteemed geologist, furnished Darwin with information about Earth's age and gradual geological processes, which suggested that Earth was older than previously thought, and Darwin incorporated this into his own thinking. Thomas Malthus, an economist, wrote about population growth and resources which informed Darwin's ideas about competition and survival in natural populations.
During Darwin's voyage aboard HMS Beagle, his direct observations and the specimens collected, particularly in the Galápagos Islands, were influential in developing his theory of natural selection. His relationship with John Edmonstone, a freed slave who taught him taxidermy, also shaped his perspectives on natural history and possibly his abolitionist views. Post-voyage, Darwin refrained from hasty publication and spent over two decades refining his theories, conversing with other scientists, and amassing more evidence. Simultaneous research by Alfred Russel Wallace in South America corroborated Darwin's insights, leading to a joint presentation of their theories on natural selection.
Social Darwinism would later emerge, inaccurately extending Darwin's biological theories to justify competition in business and politics and to propagate social policies grounded in natural selection, a stark misuse of Darwin's work intended to explain biological diversity and evolution.