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The aim of this text is to trace the main lines of the interpretation of natural selection in the early phase of reception of the theory of evolution in Serbia, as well as the resistances met by some of Darwin’s ideas. The analysis is directed at the controversies concerning the ideas regarding the evolutionary mechanisms, i.e. the question of natural selection and inheritance of acquired characteristics, as well as the concept of competition, which is of crucial importance for Darwinian natural selection. As a matter of fact, these aspects of the interpretation of Darwin’s theory were very significant for culture in a broad sense and they can be considered as a kind of symptom of the general state of mind.