[RobbyS]

Buffon, Erasmus Darwin and others offered speculations that gradually established biological variability in the public mind. Charles Darwin added nothing except a supposed mechanism for change, which turned out not to be suficient. The deeper meaning has to be found in the development of cell theory and genetics. If there is any mechanism, it is to be found in the germ plasm. Darwin has been superceded more surely than Newton has been.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Buffon, Erasmus Darwin and others offered speculations that gradually established biological variability in the public mind. Charles Darwin added nothing except a supposed mechanism for change, which turned out not to be suficient."

Your knowledge of biological history is very poor. These *precursors* were almost to a man essentialist's. When they spoke of *transmutation* they meant that a new essence was created. There was no concept of gradualism(except for Lamarck, who did not believe in common descent though) or of common descent. Even Lyell, who is most noted as a uniformitarian, thought of the origin of species as occurring when extinction and a new essence was created. Darwin introduced population thinking into biology. He introduced the idea of common descent combined with gradual changes in variation. His theory of Natural Selection, despite your hand waving, is supremely sufficient to describe the mechanism of evolutionary change. It's the accepted mechanism by the vast majority of evolutionary biologists.

"The deeper meaning has to be found in the development of cell theory and genetics. If there is any mechanism, it is to be found in the germ plasm. Darwin has been superceded more surely than Newton has been."

Genetics and molecular biology have only strengthened evolution and natural selection.