Reaction to Darwin

 While reading Darwin, I came across a statement which I did not entirely agree with.  He says, " Man can act only on external and visible characters: nature cares nothing for appearances, except in so far as they may be useful to any being." 

This, I thought, was very interesting because when humans have sex, most of the time the act is driven by the sexual appeal of the partners towards each other. And even though the sex drive might be driven by the underlying, nature-influenced urge to reproduce, it is still the appearance of the partner that starts it all. So yes, appearance is useful in getting somebody "laid," but if the end result is reproduction and a continuation of the human species, then that is the reason for their appearance. In addition, humans are not the only creatures who chose sexual partners based on appearance- most animals pick partners based on a certain criteria. Whether it is a lioness determining the size of a lion's mane, or a female peacock looking at the color and size of the male, it is from the choosing of mates based predominantly on appearance which moves nature forward prevents it from never changing.

So, while I respect Mr. Darwin's opinion that nature cares nothing for appearances, I am of the opinion that it is appearances which aid in the fight for survival.