Final answer:
Charles Darwin's theories of evolution by natural selection deeply impacted education, shaping modern biology teachings. His work was influenced by thinkers like Lyell and Malthus, and had it been combined with Mendel's genetic findings, acceptance may have been swifter. Darwin's theories were also controversially applied to social and industrial contexts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charles Darwin's theories significantly influenced educational views in biology and related sciences. Before Darwin, many educational institutions taught that species were immutable and that Earth was only approximately 6,000 years old. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection introduced the idea that species change over time due to environmental pressures and genetic variations, foundational concepts in biology education today.
Darwin was influenced by earlier thinkers like Lamarck, Lyell, and Malthus. While Lamarck's idea of inheritance of acquired characteristics was incorrect, it set the stage for understanding species change. Charles Lyell's geological works implied a much older Earth, which helped Darwin justify the timescales necessary for evolutionary change.
Thomas Malthus's ideas on population pressures provided Darwin with a framework for the "struggle for existence" aspect of natural selection. If Darwin had known of Mendel's work, it would have strengthened his theories, combining the understanding of heritability with the mechanism of natural selection. This might have improved the acceptance and incorporation of Darwin's ideas into educational curriculums sooner.
Proponents of industrialization exploited Darwin's work, seeing parallels between the "survival of the fittest" in nature and competition in the market economy. However, the misuse of Darwin's theories in social contexts is a cautionary example of the importance of context in scientific education.