Darwin's Lost Paradise

Charles Darwin’s great voyage and the origin of the theory of evolution

Charles Darwin is the author of the theory of evolution, an idea that shook the world in the 19th century and reverberates to this day. In his great work, “The Origin of Species”, he proposed that we are all descended from a common ancestor. It is the basis of modern biology and our understanding of Nature.

Many of the observations which brought Darwin to this conclusion were made during his long voyage onboard the Beagle, a British ship which took him around the world in a voyage which lasted from 1831 to 1836. Darwin embarked on this voyage as a Christian. The great variety and complexity of the natural world which he encountered on the voyage caused him to question the validity of the established order which he had been taught.

This two part series tells the story of the voyage and its effect on the young Charles Darwin (he was 22 years old when he set out). It also explores the methodology of Darwin’s research work on the voyage, his thought processes as he encountered the extraordinary “new world” and sought to examine the relationship between the natural order of things and the notion of divine creation.

The program investigates the scientific research and thought in the fields of geology, zoology and biology, which have been inspired by Darwin’s discoveries. Contemporary scientists illustrate Darwin’s thought process and research procedures and evaluate them in light of today’s scientific findings.

“The Origin of Species cannot be understood except as a dialogue with traditional views of creation. It’s the last major work in the history of science to be substantially devoted for its argument to theology.” (Source: sbs.com.au)