To Nicolai Mengden 5 June 1879
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)
June 5th 79
Dear Sir
I am much engaged, an old man & out of health, & I cannot spare time to answer your questions fully,— nor indeed can they be answered. Science has nothing to do with Christ, except in so far as the habit of scientific research makes a man cautious in admitting evidence. For myself, I do not believe that there ever has been any Revelation. As for a future life every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities.1
Wishing you happiness | I remain Dear Sir | yours faithfully | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Secord, James Andrew, ed. 2008. Charles Darwin: evolutionary writings. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Summary
NvM’s questions cannot be answered fully. "Science has nothing to do with Christ, except in so far as the habit of scientific research makes a man cautious in admitting evidence. For myself, I do not believe that there has ever been any Revelation."
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12088
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Nicolai Mengden, Baron von Mengden
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- David W. Bowerman (private collection)
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12088,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12088.xml
