Final answer:
Three theories that refuted Darwin's beliefs in the past include Lamarckism, with its idea of inheritance of acquired traits; Creationism, which believed in a divine creation and unchanging species; and Catastrophism, which suggested geological and biological changes were due to sudden events.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves describing three theories that refuted Darwin's beliefs. Though Darwin's theory of evolution is now a cornerstone of modern biology, during his time, there were competing theories as well as misinterpretations of scientific evidence that seemed to contradict his ideas. These included:
Lamarckism - Proposed by Jean Baptiste Lamarck, this theory suggested that organisms could pass on traits acquired during their lifetime to their offspring, a mechanism known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics. This idea stood in contrast to Darwin's natural selection, where traits are passed down over generations based on their utility for survival rather than being acquired.
Creationism - This religiously influenced viewpoint argued that all species were created by a divine being in their present form and do not change over time. Creationism directly opposed Darwin's ideas by suggesting a young Earth and static species.
Catastrophism - Proponents of catastrophism, like Georges Cuvier, believed that the Earth's geological and biological history was shaped by sudden, short-lived, violent events, rather than the slow, gradual processes proposed by Darwin and supported by Charles Lyell's uniformitarianism.
Though these theories initially challenged Darwin's work, none provided the empirical support or explanatory power of evolution by natural selection in the long run. Over time, Darwin's ideas gained acceptance as the bedrock of the biological sciences.