text: why is evolution attributed to charles darwin? charles darwin with his evolution. i attribute evolution to natural selection of favorable variations.  charles darwin wrote "origin of species" ("on the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life").  this book took previous thoughts on evolution, including those advanced by his grandfather, erasmus darwin, and put the ideas together in a stunning statement that put the variation of life in context.  animal breeders long knew how to breed for favorable traits (artificial selection).  darwin explained that nature, in an undirected manner, would tend to select for those lines that had a subtle advantage over longer spans of time.