In Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species, I was very intrigued by a passage that Darwin wrote comparing a tree to life and its “struggle for existence.” I really enjoyed this passage because it was quite different. I was not used to reading a scientific novel that had used metaphors before. I enjoyed this passage because it painted a picture of what Darwin must have been thinking during the time he was coming up with his theory on natural selection. This tree metaphor that Darwin uses helps explain natural selection and is also a good indicator of what he was imaging before he drew his “tree of evolution.” Continue reading →