From G. H. Lewes 12 November 1868
Summary
Disappointed that he missed CD. Hopes still to see him in the flesh.
Has CD seen August Weismann’s inaugural address [see 6297]?
| Author: | George Henry Lewes |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 12 Nov 1868 |
| Classmark: | DAR 106: D11–12 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6458 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … knowing that your health does not permit of social excitement. But to see you for half an …
From Alphonse de Candolle 2 July 1868
Summary
Offers notes and reflections on Variation.
Not convinced by Pangenesis, particularly its dependence on the Cytisus [graft hybrid] examples [ch. 27 and ch. 11].
What a book could be written on the application of natural history to man! Gives examples of inheritance in man.
| Author: | Alphonse de Candolle |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 2 July 1868 |
| Classmark: | DAR 161: 14 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6264 |
To A. R. Wallace 6 April [1868]
Summary
More on the "terrible problem" of natural selection and sterility. CD’s reasons for disagreeing with ARW. CD analyses and answers ARW in detail in defence of his conclusion that sterility cannot be increased through natural selection.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
| Date: | 6 Apr [1868] |
| Classmark: | The British Library (Add MS 46434: 125–9) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6095 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … for the individual, including in this term a social community. — It w d take a volume to …
From George Thurber 18–20 April 1868
Summary
About an American edition of Variation.
| Author: | George Thurber |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 18–20 Apr 1868 |
| Classmark: | DAR 178: 120 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6129 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … that it was not likely to upset the whole social fabric—for those who never read a word of …
From Ernst Haeckel 9 November 1868
Summary
Thanks CD for comments [on Entstehung des Menschengeschlechts].
Comments on Goethe and Kant as early evolutionists.
Describes birth of his son. Mentions child’s "atavisms".
| Author: | Ernst Philipp August (Ernst) Haeckel |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 9 Nov 1868 |
| Classmark: | DAR 166: 50 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6452 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … in Goethe’s biological thought. Journal of Social and Biological Structures 7: 317–24. …
From B. D. Walsh 25 March 1868
Summary
Sexual preference in insects;
structures for seizing females;
coloration.
Doubts whether CD can make much of a case from insects in support of sexual selection.
| Author: | Benjamin Dann Walsh |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 25 Mar 1868 |
| Classmark: | DAR 82: A90–1; A117–18, DAR 85: B65 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6051 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … is dissolved. Even with some of the social Hymenoptera, (the Honey-bees) the
♂ ♂ are killed …
| letter | (6) |
| Candolle, Alphonse de | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (1) |
| Haeckel, Ernst | (1) |
| Lewes, G. H. | (1) |
| Thurber, George | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (5) |
| Wallace, A. R. | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (6) |
| Candolle, Alphonse de | (1) |
| Haeckel, Ernst | (1) |
| Lewes, G. H. | (1) |
| Thurber, George | (1) |
Suggested reading
Summary
Contemporary writing Anon., The English matron: A practical manual for young wives, (London, 1846). Anon., The English gentlewoman: A practical manual for young ladies on their entrance to society, (Third edition, London, 1846). Becker, L. E.…
Moral Nature
Summary
In Descent of Man, Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the bonds of sympathy and love. Darwin gathered observations over many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects,…
Matches: 14 hits
- … , Darwin argued that human morality had evolved from the social instincts of animals, especially the …
- … it may be concluded that he has parental, conjugal and social instincts, and perhaps others.... …
- … many decades on animal behavior: the heroic sacrifices of social insects, the tender bonds of …
- … the pleasure they experienced when acting in accordance with social instincts, and the pain they …
- … but the foundations of ethical behavior remained the social instincts that humans shared with …
- … by The Times for undermining the foundations of social order. It was rebuked by the religious …
- … of sympathy [but]... it seems to me that he considers the social feeling in man the result of …
- … It is very extraordinary that he should recognize the social instincts to be natural to Animals, …
- … and conditions wh. belong of right to what I should call Social Selection--i.e., the selection by a …
- … and other instincts, without having retrograded in his social instincts ... I do not think that …
- … March [1870?] Darwin met the religious writer and social reformer Frances Power Cobbe in …
- … that conscience arose through a conflict between enduring social feelings and more fleeting desires, …
- … than by abstract ethical principles. "The lower social animals may be said to be under …
- … & most persons w^d^ call it instinctive ... Now as soon as a social animal became in some slight …
Biodiversity and its histories
Summary
The Darwin Correspondence Project was co-sponsor of Biodiversity and its Histories, which brought together scholars and researchers in ecology, politics, geography, anthropology, cultural history, and history and philosophy of science, to explore how…
Interview with Randal Keynes
Summary
Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth Estate, 2001), which discusses Darwin’s home life, his relationship with his wife and children, and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about…
Matches: 6 hits
- … 11. Darwin's support for the church as a social institution Dr White: Some …
- … in Britain at the time; and the church and chapels as social institutions. If you look at belief and …
- … other gentry in the village, that education was the greatest social need for the poor people - the …
- … church in the community, he was supporting the church as a social institution. I think, also, he was …
- … values; there was no difficulty there. So the church was a social institution to be supported …
- … well of human nature. I think he thought we were basically social and helpful to each other, and …
5873_1488
Summary
From B. J. Sulivan 13 February [1868]f1 Bournemouth Feby. 13. My dear Darwin As Mr Stirling has sent me the recpt. you may as well have it with the Photo of the four Fuegian boys which he wishes me to send you in case you have not seen it. He…
Matches: 1 hits
- … humanity introduced forms isolation, islands social behaviour Please cite as …
Letters as a Primary Source
Summary
Introduction: Why study Darwin’s letters? Courses about Darwin usually focus on the Origin of Species, widely regarded as one of the most important books ever written in the history of science. Yet as a starting point for understanding Darwin’s theory,…
Matches: 5 hits
- … the private sphere of his life and work, and onto the wider social sphere of collaboration, …
- … responses to his work. Letters reveal much about the social and material practices of science. They …
- … different backgrounds, perspectives, and agendas, a rich social world that is often invisible in …
- … in the history and philosophy of science, cultural and social history, literature, women’s studies, …
- … letters, both to understand Darwin’s work in its broader social context, and to explore the vital …
Letters as a Primary Source
Summary
Introduction: Why study Darwin’s letters? Courses about Darwin usually focus on the Origin of Species, widely regarded as one of the most important books ever written in the history of science. Yet as a starting point for understanding Darwin’s theory,…
Matches: 5 hits
- … the private sphere of his life and work, and onto the wider social sphere of collaboration, …
- … responses to his work. Letters reveal much about the social and material practices of science. They …
- … different backgrounds, perspectives, and agendas, a rich social world that is often invisible in …
- … in the history and philosophy of science, cultural and social history, literature, women’s studies, …
- … letters, both to understand Darwin’s work in its broader social context, and to explore the vital …
1.12 Marian Huxley, drawing
Summary
< Back to Introduction Portrayals of Darwin by women in his social circle cannot be lumped together as the products of adoring amateurs. In 1878 he was sketched by Marian (‘Mady’) Huxley, who was then only in her late teens, but already a trained and…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Introduction Portrayals of Darwin by women in his social circle cannot be lumped together …
The evolution of a misquotation
Summary
We gave you six things Darwin never said (despite what you may read elsewhere). None of the fake soundbites is more insidious than the first: It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is…
Matches: 1 hits
- … from Europe for American Business’, Southwestern Social Science Quarterly (1963) 44(1): 3-13, at …
Suggested reading
Summary
There is an extensive secondary literature on Darwin's life and work. Here are some suggested titles that focus Darwin’s correspondence, as well as scientific correspondence and letter-writing more generally. Collections of Darwin’s letters …
Matches: 3 hits
4.23 Gegeef, 'Battle Field of Science'
Summary
< Back to Introduction Another satirical print by ‘Gegeëf’, The Battle Field of Science and the Churches, is signed and dated 30 November 1873. It survives as a foldout plate in a twopenny journal, The Gauntlet, which, like Our National Church and…
Matches: 3 hits
- … Free Speech; Reason in Matters Religious, Political, Social’. Two follow-up cartoons were planned, …
- … the Advancement of Science back up a host of scientists and social philosophers, whose views implied …
- … v. Biogenesis’, while Herbert Spencer has the banner of ‘Social Science Association’ and William …
Robert FitzRoy
Summary
Robert FitzRoy was captain of HMS Beagle when Darwin was aboard. From 1831 to 1836 the two men lived in the closest proximity, their relationship revealed by the letters they exchanged while Darwin left the ship to explore the countries visited during the…
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 3 hits
- … both its intellectual form and content, and its material and social effects. In practice, such …
- … classes, nationalities, and professions. He extended the social and geographic range of his contacts …
- … Darwin worked from a position of considerable wealth and social privilege. He also sought knowledge …
Caroline Kennard
Summary
Kennard’s interest in science stemmed from her social commitments to the women's movement, her interests in nature study as a tool for educational reform, as well as her place in a tightly knit network of the Bostonian elite. Kennard was one of a…
Matches: 3 hits
- … many ways, Kennard’s public life was closely tied to the social world of elite educated, Boston …
- … articles and gave addresses on important issues related to social reform and on prominent American …
- … Kennard’s interest in science stemmed from her social commitments to the women's movement, her …
Darwin and dogs
Summary
Darwin was almost always in the company of dogs. Nina, Spark, Pincher, and Shiela. Snow, Dash, Bob, and Bran. The beloved terrier Polly (right). They were Darwin's constant companions at home and in the field, on walks and in sport, in his study and…
Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions
Summary
Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...
Matches: 1 hits
- … Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, …
2.7 Joseph Moore, Midland Union medal
Summary
< Back to Introduction The Midland Union was an association of natural history societies and field clubs across the Midland counties, intended to facilitate – especially through its journal The Midland Naturalist – ‘the interchange of ideas’ and…
Matches: 1 hits
- … David Elliston Allen, The Naturalist in Britain: A Social History (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, …
George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)
Summary
George Eliot was the pen name of celebrated Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880). She was born on the outskirts of Nuneaton in Warwickshire and was educated at boarding schools from the age of five until she was 16. Her education ended when she…
4.2 Augustus Earle, caricature drawing
Summary
< Back to Introduction The paucity of evidence for Darwin’s appearance and general demeanour during the years of the Beagle voyage gives this humorous drawing of shipboard life a special interest. It is convincingly attributed to Augustus Earle, an…
Darwin and Gender Projects by Harvard Students
Summary
Working in collaboration with Professor Sarah Richardson and Dr Myrna Perez, Darwin Correspondence Project staff developed a customised set of 'Darwin and Gender' themed resources for a course on Gender, Sex and Evolution first taught at Harvard…
Matches: 4 hits
- … course on a whim, interested in the relationship between social stereotypes and science. She now …
- … the piece as a champion of women, and is condemned by the social strictures of his time. …
- … a feminist. Instead she shows us the “power of Victorian social norms” in a project that is both …
- … past. Her engaging plea draws attention to the impact that social and cultural patterns – as well as …
