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Summary

From J. D. Hooker   26[–7] February 1868KewFeby 26th/68Dear Darwin I have been bursting with impatience to hear what you would say of the Athenæum Review & who wrote it— I could not conceive who…

Matches: 11 hits

  • … been bursting with impatience to hear what you would say of the Athenæum Review & who wrote it— …
  • … be so demoniacal; f1 & yet it must have been some one of great position, or the Journal could …
  • … is hard to decide between you & the critic, as to the merits of the “cause of variation”— I …
  • … thing to fall?— Yes ,—in the common acceptation of the phrase, & of all similar phrases— No …
  • … not contain germs or gemmules, but a potentiality in shape of a homogenous mass, as to whose exact …
  • … doctrines—viz. the transference to the progeny of any or every quality/property the parent possessed …
  • … more nor less charged than others with this potentiality— of this point I am not quite sure, I must …
  • … in the book, & intensely interesting— it is so full of thought, of genuine mind : & you …
  • … I can neither answer nor explain nor account for any of the facts you put to me except on the …
  • … every cell to which it gives rise, any or all the properties of the parent. I have put this in …
  • … assessments causation embryology pangenesis reception of Darwinism reception of

Interview with John Hedley Brooke

Summary

John Hedley Brooke is President of the Science and Religion Forum as well as the author of the influential Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives (Cambridge University Press, 1991). He has had a long career in the history of science and…

Matches: 17 hits

  • … John Hedley Brooke is President of the Science and Religion Forum as well as the author of the …
  • … Press, 1991). He has had a long career in the history of science and religion, and was the first …
  • … a very influential work and had a long career in the history of science and religion and until …
  • … 2. Victorian spiritualism and the boundaries of science Dr White: I’d like to …
  • … the same time that he makes his first major criticism of the theory of natural selection as applied …
  • … by no means a simple antagonism; sometimes a very warm reception. Do you think there were any …
  • … theologies that were more inclined to accomodate Darwinism than were others? Or are we looking at …
  • … Darwinian theory. We now have wide ranging studies of the reception in New Zealand, the reception in …
  • … actually destructive of the faith. 5. Darwinism among liberal Anglicans …
  • … just said, I’m wondering if it’s possible to say that Darwinism was particularly appealing to …
  • … evolutionary progress were necessarily so receptive towards Darwinism in the rather more technical …
  • … formulated ? we have the ulterior problem that what Darwinism was, even in the last forty years of
  • … to take up these suggestions. 7. Is Darwinism part of a trend of
  • … Do you think that we must understand Darwin’s work and its reception as part of a larger process of
  • … in the natural order. 8. Darwinism as part of a religion of science …
  • … would condemn me to the stake for my religious creed. So, if Darwinism isn’t part of a movement of
  • … way of looking at the world. And that’s why, of course, Darwinism was a resource for those who …

Frederick Burkhardt (1912-2007)

Summary

Founding editor, Darwin Correspondence Project Fred, as he was known to all who worked with him, first conceived of a project to publish all of Darwin’s correspondence in 1974 on his retirement as President of the American Council of Learned Societies,…

Matches: 6 hits

  • … as he was known to all who worked with him, first conceived of a project to publish all of Darwin’s …
  • … Darwin Correspondence Project, given in recognition not only of the Project’s value to the scholarly …
  • … the Project has been able to attract a considerable number of able researchers and editors across a …
  • … served with the OSS in the Second World War, and was part of the US administration of Berlin in its …
  • … BA, PhD Columbia University LittB, University of Oxford LLD (hon) Michigan University, …
  • … in our culture , 1952; contributor, The comparative reception of Darwinism , 1975. …

Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest

Summary

The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of  Origin. Darwin got the fourth…

Matches: 10 hits

  • … well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably …
  • … year that included two trips to London, to the great delight of his friends, the entertaining of a …
  • … a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of On the origin of species  ( …
  • … Hooker, [29 December 1866] ). But the crowning achievement of the year was the completion of the …
  • … In the United States, Louis Agassiz renewed his defence of special creation on the basis of alleged …
  • … the metropolitan scientific community by attending a reception at the Royal Society of London. Some …
  • … him with triumph. All his friends gave him the most cordial reception as soon as they knew who he …
  • … Jena’ (DAR 245: 269). Haeckel continued to promote Darwinism in Germany. His vast work,  …
  • … D. Hooker 1866a, pp. 50, 75–6). The progress of reception Darwin’s work also featured …
  • of the cause’: ‘I was to “back him up” & “to carry Darwinism through the ranks of the enemy” …

Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest

Summary

The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…

Matches: 12 hits

  • … busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his long-awaited book on human …
  • … , ‘Good God how glad I shall be when I can drive the whole of the confounded book out of my head’. …
  • … translations that were already under way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin …
  • … lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the ‘higher’ faculties of human nature: …
  • … modify, his conclusions. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his …
  • … captured with this relatively new technology for the purpose of illustrating his book. The …
  • … in August. The event was bittersweet for Darwin, as feelings of hope for her future happiness …
  • … fairly continuously on the book since the publication of  Variation  in February 1868, but many of
  • … late 1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material on sexual selection across …
  • … characteristics that distinguished males from females of the same species, as well as the physical …
  • … usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable reception. He suggested various journals …
  • … William Boyd Dawkins remarked on Darwin’s books’ reception amongst ‘artisans and mill-hands of

Science and Religion Interviews

Summary

The importance of Darwin and the nineteenth century debates on science and religion for present day issues and concerns, such as intelligent design, are addressed in series of interviews with leading scientists, philosophers and historians.

Matches: 4 hits

  • … The importance of Darwin and the nineteenth century debates on science and religion for …
  • … such as intelligent design, are addressed in series of interviews with leading scientists, …
  • … Press, 1991). He has had a long career in the history of science and religion, and was the first …
  • … and religion. Tim Lewens is a philosopher of biology at Cambridge who has recently …

Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year

Summary

The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…

Matches: 19 hits

  • … The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early …
  • … dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
  • … admired in his youth: ‘I have always looked on him as one of the greatest men the world has ever …
  • … to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August 1874] ). The death of a Cambridge friend, Albert Way, caused …
  • … university days together, and the long-abandoned pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( …
  • … and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of health from various social activities, …
  • … in the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. …
  • … was that Williams managed to get the two men on each side of him to hold each other’s hands, instead …
  • … January [1874] ). This did not stop word getting to America of the ‘strange news’ that Darwin had …
  • … 1874 ). Back over old ground New editions of  Coral reefs  and  Descent  consumed …
  • … blamed his illness for the ‘dreadfully written’ parts of the draft sent to Smith, Elder & Co, …
  • … with the later chapters on the formation and distribution of coral-reefs substantially revised, and …
  • … the book may have been increased by the publication in 1872 of  Corals and coral islands , by …
  • …  2d ed., pp. v–vii), Darwin reasserted the priority of his work. Dana had complained that Darwin had …
  • … or volcanic activity in accounting for the absence of coral-reefs in certain locations. Darwin …
  • … ( letter from Gerard Krefft, 22 October 1874 ). Darwinism: securing the foundations …
  • … from authors around the world, indicating the diverse reception of Darwin’s work. His controversial …
  • … 20 September 1874 ). Haeckel lamented  the hostile reception of his  Anthropogenie  in religious …
  • … ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 20 December 1874 ).  Darwinism interpreted Darwin’s …

Life of Erasmus Darwin

Summary

The Life of Erasmus Darwin (1879) was a curious departure for Darwin. It was intended as a biographical note to accompany an essay on Erasmus's scientific work by the German writer Ernst Krause. But Darwin became immersed in his grandfather's…

Matches: 18 hits

  • … The Life of Erasmus Darwin (1879) was a curious departure for Darwin. It was intended …
  • … the Life with a similar emphasis on the formation of his grandfather's mind and character. …
  • … family. The book generated a remarkably large number of letters, around 400 over a three year period …
  • … Darwin received an unusual birthday present: a special issue of the German journal Kosmos …
  • … verse in the epic poems, The Botanic Garden and Temple of Nature . But Darwin had never known …
  • … had taken a keen interest in the family history as part of his larger work on hereditary genius and …
  • … ' I am myself wholly & shamefully ignorant of my grandfathers life ', Darwin wrote …
  • … is so completely before the world that I seem to hear of you constantly, & always with pride— & …
  • … with the dead '.  At Down House, Darwin discovered a cache of letters in a box marked ' …
  • … with an interest in historic buildings, made drawings of the homes where Erasmus had lived. Her …
  • … with Dr. Darwin by his friends '. She recalled an anecdote of the doctor rescuing a drunken …
  • … in letters. Another cousin, Elizabeth Wheler, told the story of a visit to Newmarket during the …
  • … asked which Horse had won, & was told that, to the surprise of everyone, the Horse that was …
  • … not rob our grandfather. Mrs. Nixon seems to know nothing of this latter part of story, and thinks …
  • … At last Dr. D said “A fine Even.g Sir” or something of that sort. The man made a short reply & …
  • … ago, & nothing would induce me to rob you" '. The story of jockey and the robber were …
  • … that such a theory implied. He also came to regard 'Darwinism' and 'Darwinists' …
  • … peculiar '. Reviews were generally positive, but the reception of the book was soon coloured …

Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers

Summary

In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…

Matches: 16 hits

  • … In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing …
  • … again to write on general & difficult points in the theory of Evolution’, he told the …
  • … as the sweetest place on this earth’. From the start of the year, Darwin had his demise on his mind. …
  • … affairs and began to make provision for the dividing of his wealth after his death. Darwin’s …
  • … who lived at Down House, remained a continual source of delight. A second grandchild was born in …
  • … Krause countered Butler’s accusations in a review of Unconscious memory in Kosmos and sent …
  • … and editor Leslie Stephen. There was ‘a hopeless division of opinion’ within the family, Henrietta …
  • … Darwin was enormously relieved. ‘Your note is one of the kindest which I have ever received,’ he …
  • … that so good a judge, as Leslie Stephen thinks nothing of the false accusation’. Other friends …
  • … Nature , and George Romanes wrote such a savage review of Unconscious memory that Darwin …
  • … shunned Butler and ignored his book. Sources of pleasure January also brought the good …
  • … he wrote to Darwin, ‘I congratulate you on the success of your undertaking—for yours it is totally …
  • … he was that so many scientific men had so good an opinion of the ‘little scientific work’ he had …
  • … overdue credit which you have always assigned to him, is one of those bright spots in the history of
  • … befitting crown to the whole matter’. The positive reception of Movement in plants was …
  • … hypothesis into a universal philosophical theory called Darwinism, as this made chance and physical …

Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?

Summary

'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . .  What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…

Matches: 12 hits

  • … ‘My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, ‘is so nearly closed. . .  What little more I can …
  • … to Francis Galton, 8 November [1872] ), and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is …
  • … selection , begun in 1856.  Coming hard on the heels of  The descent of man and selection in …
  • … to A. R. Wallace,  27 July [1872] ). By the end of the year Darwin was immersed in two of
  • … to take up new work, both represent returns to lines of enquiry begun many years before. In …
  • … and poor health, with family friends from childhood, some of whom he had not been in touch with for …
  • … William, going over the final proofs for the sixth edition of  Origin , which he had been revising …
  • … a popular one that would bring his most persuasive statement of his theories to as wide an audience …
  • … on Sunday’, she exclaimed, 'like the announcement that Darwinism is to be the theme. Surely the …
  • … ).  'Here is a bee' Darwin discussed the reception of his theory of sexual …
  • … the traveller, anthropologist, and outspoken supporter of Darwinism, William Winwood Reade, Darwin …
  • … new work on Expression a little misled me as to its probable reception,’ he wrote the day after the …

Interview with Pietro Corsi

Summary

Pietro Corsi is Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford. His book Evolution Before Darwin is due to be published in 2010 by Oxford University Press. Date of interview: 17 July 2009 Transcription 1: Introduction …

Matches: 14 hits

  • … Pietro Corsi is Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford. His book …
  • … White and I’m here with Pietro Corsi today. This is part of a series of interviews that the Darwin …
  • … work and others’ – now quite a? bigger picture I think of what kinds of debates were going on around …
  • … such a picture for France. I think the view that we have is of a very politicised arena, if one …
  • … but I’m not sure what the religious dimensions of those debates were about, and maybe we can start …
  • … for England, as you said. Myself [included], but a lot of others as well: we build on each other’s …
  • … that is, we now understand the extent to which forms of evolution– let’s keep it very broad – were …
  • … saying, but let’s say that extremely rare are the examples of systematic investigation on ways of
  • … that French science is basically concentrated on the Academy of Sciences (through the various names …
  • … des Plantes : in the natural history museum in Paris. Now, of course, no-one can deny the …
  • … six dictionaries published between 1802 and 1844. In each of these dictionaries there is a huge …
  • … that we find continues and is a very big part of the reception of Darwin. I’m just wondering again, …
  • … have to talk about it as a straightforward [matter of the] reception of Darwin’s ideas, but is the …
  • … but later on, in the 1880s where you have a kind of social Darwinism with radical undertones. But I …

Controversy

Summary

The best-known controversies over Darwinian theory took place in public or in printed reviews. Many of these were highly polemical, presenting an over-simplified picture of the disputes. Letters, however, show that the responses to Darwin were extremely…

Matches: 17 hits

  • … Disagreement & Respect | Conduct of Debate | Darwin & Wallace The best-known …
  • … theory took place in public or in printed reviews. Many of these were highly polemical, presenting …
  • … differences with him; on the other hand, a number of his public critics assisted his research …
  • … or overcome, and friendship and support sustained in spite of enduring differences. Darwin's …
  • … publically. Letters exchanged with Adam Sedgwick, professor of geology at Cambridge, and Richard …
  • … to manage strong disagreement in the more private realm of correspondence. In the case of Sedgwick, …
  • … has contacted his publisher John Murray to send him a copy of Origin . Darwin’s conclusion is …
  • … but he assures Sedgwick he does not send his book out of a spirit of bravado, but a want of respect. …
  • … pleasure”. He says Darwin has deserted “the true method of induction” and many of his wide …
  • … natural selection ” is “but a secondary consequence of supposed, or known, primary facts” He ends …
  • … than expressing freely his “strong disapprobation” of his book. He is grieved “to have shocked a man …
  • … that no “false theory would explain so many classes of facts”. Darwin and Owen …
  • … & continuous perusal”. He believes in the “operation of existing influences or causes in the …
  • … Darwin discusses with King's College, London Professor of geology, Charles Lyell at length a …
  • … bears and whales: “By Jove I believe he thinks a sort of Bear was the grandpapa of Whales!” Darwin …
  • … with the zoologist Ernst Haeckel, an ardent proponent of Darwinism and a stern critic of religious …
  • … . He fears Haeckel will make enemies. He discusses reception of descent theory in England. …

Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution

Summary

The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’.  Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…

Matches: 15 hits

  • … by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man …
  • … on 4 February 1868, only five days after the publication of his previous book,  Variation in …
  • … in recent years, and the information gathered on each of these topics was far more extensive than …
  • … two large volumes, and by June Darwin gave up the idea of including the material on emotion; it …
  • … including vigorous objections to the application of natural selection to humans from Alfred Russel …
  • … by Darwin’s proposed election to the French Academy of Sciences and his nomination for an honorary …
  • … family. As he was completing corrections to the final proofs of  Descent  in December, he wrote to …
  • … Expression Darwin began receiving proofs of some of the illustrations for  Descent  as …
  • … 13 January [1870] ). Darwin was still working hard on parts of the text, in particular his chapters …
  • … to his daughter Henrietta for commentary, sending her parts of the manuscript while she was on …
  • … more time you can give up for deep criticism or corrections of style, the more grateful I shall be’  …
  • … her to write any long corrections on separate slips of paper pinned to the relevant page of
  • … wanting for writing abt any thing so unimportant as the mind of man!’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, …
  • … at Darwin himself, but at more aggressive champions of Darwinism: ‘For my part I shall never feel …
  • of the book drew near, Darwin began to prepare for its reception, and for the disapproval that would …

Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex

Summary

The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…

Matches: 12 hits

  • … John Jenner Weir, ‘If any man wants to gain a good opinion of his fellow man, he ought to do what I …
  • … , pp. 87–90, Darwin had briefly introduced the concept of sexual selection to explain certain …
  • … claimed that sexual selection was ‘the most powerful means of changing the races of man’ …
  • … decades before. He also made efforts to expand his network of informants, especially among breeders …
  • … leading physiologists, zookeepers, and his immediate circle of friends and relations. In July 1868 …
  • … would eventually swell to two separate books,  Descent of man  and  Expression of the emotions in …
  • … was also generated by the long-awaited publication of  Variation in animals and plants under …
  • … to the publisher in February 1867, and had spent a good deal of that year reading and correcting …
  • … he modified his original plan, and included the names of every author mentioned in the text. This …
  • … that the work had been finished, and pleading the case of the beleaguered indexer: ‘I can only hope …
  • … from continental naturalists, showing that the reception of Darwin’s work in Europe was a complex …
  • … 'shrine of Dr Darwin' Haeckel continued to promote Darwinism after a fashion in …
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