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The British natural historian Alfred Russell Wallace (1823-1913) is known for the idea
that species emerged through natural selection. In a paper he wrote in 1855 titled "On the
Law Which Has Regulated the Introduction of New Species," Wallace maintained that all
species were extensions of other species to which they were closely related.
Despite developing his thesis at approximately the same time as Darwin, Wallace held different
views on a number of points. As a believer in the human soul, Wallace believed that Allah
had created by means of evolution, and maintained that human mental capacities could not be
explained in terms of natural selection and similar naturalistic mechanisms. In contrast
to Darwin, he believed that non-biological factors outside natural selection were responsible
for the emergence of human physical traits and mental capabilities.