From F. B. Sanborn 12 January 1882
Summary
Sends CD some of the [American Social Science] Association’s publications; asks if they may enrol him as a corresponding member. They have printed CD’s letter to Mrs Talbot
and also his paper from Mind (1877) ["Biographical sketch of an infant"].
Author: | Franklin Benjamin Sanborn |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 12 Jan 1882 |
Classmark: | DAR 177: 29 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13615 |
Matches: 11 hits
- … truly, | F. B. Sanborn | General Secretary of the American Social Science Association. …
- … his diary were printed in Journal of Social Science 15 (1881): 8–10. His four daughters …
- … Sends CD some of the [American Social Science] Association’s publications; asks if they …
- … development. Boston: Education Department of the American Social Science Association. …
- … American Social Science Association, | Boston, January 12 , 188 2 . Charles Darwin, Esq. | …
- … The letter is written on American Social Science Association notepaper, which lists the …
- … as an honorary member of the American Social Science Association at the general meeting …
- … on 6 September 1881 (see Journal of Social Science 14 (1881): 34). The enclosures have not …
- … secretary of the education department (see Journal of Social Science 15 (1881): 6–8). CD’ …
- … of an infant’ , was reprinted in Journal of Social Science 15 (1881): 33–40, together with …
- … of the child; Preyer 1882 ; Journal of Social Science 15 (1881): 44–8). For her studies of …
To J. D. Hooker 14 November [1855]
Summary
Candolle discusses social plants. CD devises criterion for showing sociability not inherent.
Bentham’s buried seed plan rejected.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 14 Nov [1855] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 155 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1781 |
Matches: 14 hits
- … Candolle discusses social plants. CD devises criterion for showing sociability not …
- … plants near their extreme limits are social? What puzzles there are in all such cases! I …
- … much interested on my old puzzle about Social Plants: Decandolle by the facts, which he …
- … more puzzling in my eyes. The case of social plants is of no direct importance whatever to …
- … namely whether introduced plants are ever social in their new country not being so in …
- … species, & not to anything inherent in the social species itself. Would M r Bentham be so …
- … sort of Sow Thistle are wonderfully social, are they in their parent country? The Fennel I …
- … the beds of the Impatiens in Surrey sound as if this was “social”: how is it in America? — …
- … Is the Sweet Briar social in Tasmania. Do you not think that these cases would throw …
- … light on “sociability”? But why on earth are not Tropical plants social? How comes it …
- … répandues’) and those that were abundant or social (‘sociales’) in Candolle 1855 , 1: 457– …
- … thistle as examples of plants that are ‘social’ in their adopted country but not in their …
- … difference between very common plants & social plants’. ‘Even the brushwood is a fruit- …
- … the impression that tropical plants were less ‘social’ or abundant than those of temperate …
From Asa Gray 23 September 1856
Summary
Plants that are social in the U. S. but are not so in the Old World.
Distribution of U. S. species common to Europe.
Gives Theodor Engelmann’s opinion on the relative variability of indigenous and introduced plants and notes the effects of man’s settlement on the numbers and distribution of indigenous plants.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 23 Sept 1856 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 94 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1959 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … variable’ pencil ; ‘(C)’ brown crayon ; ‘Social in America’ brown crayon ; ‘& not in …
- … Plants that are social in the U. S. but are not so in the Old World. Distribution of U. S. …
- … as to whether there are any plants social here, which are not so in the old world,—is, …
- … natural selection’, includes a discussion of social plants ( Natural selection , pp. 203– …
- … 3.3] double scored brown crayon 3.3 social] underl brown crayon 4.2 and may … Engelmann. …
- … 4.3] scored brown crayon 4.2 social] underl brown crayon 6.5 And hardly … plant. 6.6] …
- … vulgaris may be said to have become a truly social plant, in neglected fields and copses, …
- … the road- sides, and is one of our most social plants. But this plant is doubtless a …
- … pastures, &c. —and may fairly be called a social plant. In Germany it is not so found, …
To F. B. Sanborn 22 January 1882
Summary
Accepts election as a corresponding member of the American Social Science Association [see 13615].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Franklin Benjamin Sanborn |
Date: | 22 Jan 1882 |
Classmark: | B. Altman (dealer) (3 October 1982) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13637 |
From G. A. Gaskell 13 November 1878
Summary
Discusses three "laws of race preservation" which are evolving: (1) natural selection; (2) the sociological law of sympathetic selection, or indiscriminate survival; (3) moral law – social selection or the "Birth of the Fittest".
Author: | George Arthur Gaskell |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 13 Nov 1878 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 12 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11744 |
Matches: 11 hits
- … indiscriminate survival; (3) moral law – social selection or the "Birth of the Fittest". …
- … Survival. Third— The Moral Law, Social Selection or the Birth of the Fittest. These three …
- … I gather that you fear much reduced social pressure would result in indolence. I submit …
- … protected so long as they conform to the social mandate, not to continue their race. They …
- … of Descent included discussions of the development of the moral sense, social instincts, …
- … and social virtues, the rate of increase of human populations, and the role of natural …
- … 609–11). For CD’s conclusions on the social instincts, see Descent 1: 97–8. The falling …
- … a child is, perhaps, the most important social action that two private persons can engage …
- … in themselves immoral, or of immoral tendency, because social instinct is against them. …
- … But social instinct has, as you justly point out, been developed in favour of the general …
- … out of consideration in any speculation on social tendencies. I need but refer to France, …
To Hugo Thiel 25 February 1869
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Hugo Thiel |
Date: | 25 Feb 1869 |
Classmark: | DAR 148: 71 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6634 |
To John Morley 14 April [1871]
Summary
Comments on JM’s review of Descent, vol. 2 [Pall Mall Gaz. 13 (1871): 1358–9].
Mistake CD made "in speaking of greatest happiness as the foundation of morals" is unintelligible to CD. Discusses J. S. Mill’s view of moral feelings as natural. Discusses basis of conscience.
Glad to read remarks on hive-bees.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Morley, Viscount Morley of Blackburn |
Date: | 14 Apr [1871] |
Classmark: | DAR 146: 410 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7685 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … are deeply laid in the very conditions of social existence’, an observation he uses to …
- … to lay the basis of conscience in the social feelings’. Frances Power Cobbe , however, in …
- … his great authority with respect to the social instincts, but the sentence which I quote …
- … as he says so very little about the social instincts. When I speak of intellectual …
- … instincts, without having retrograded in his social instincts; and I do not think that …
- … evidence that man ever existed as a non-social animal. I must add that I have been very …
- … sense and the benefits of a developing social instinct in early humanity (p. 11). In [ …
From Hensleigh Wedgwood [before 3 March 1871]
Author: | Hensleigh Wedgwood |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [before 3 Mar 1871] |
Classmark: | DAR 88: 41–53 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7470 |
Matches: 8 hits
- … enduring and always present nature of the social instincts, in which respect man agrees …
- … temporary desire or passion has mastered his social instincts he will reflect and compare …
- … such past impulses with the ever present social instinct and he will then feel that sense …
- … naturally spring up in the development of the social insincts. When the baboon sprang down …
- … be sensible on perceiving that the enduring social instinct had on some previous occasion …
- … which one has neglected the permanent social instinct for the gratification of a temporary …
- … instinct. The real reason of the superiority of the social instinct to animal appetite is …
- … that the gratification of the social instinct excites emotion (whether of love or …
From George Cross 23 October 1876
Author: | George Cross |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 23 Oct 1876 |
Classmark: | DAR 161: 271 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-10651 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … the friend was John Davies Siddall . The Social Science Congress, the annual meeting of …
- … the Association for the Promotion of Social Science, was held in Liverpool from 10 to 17 …
- … the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science. Liverpool meeting, 1876 ). …
- … the specimens to the Conversazione of the Social Science Congress at Liverpool on Tuesday …
To Hensleigh Wedgwood 3 March [1871]
Summary
Admits pointer illustration is faulty.
Discusses shame, remorse, social instincts, approbation, and other topics discussed in Descent, ch. 4. "But as yet I nail my colours to the mast."
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Hensleigh Wedgwood |
Date: | 3 Mar [1871] |
Classmark: | DAR 88: 24, 54–5 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7537 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … is faulty. Discusses shame, remorse, social instincts, approbation, and other topics …
- … is not always present, as I believe the social instincts are with those animals which …
- … depending as just said, on the enduring social instincts which include sympathy. What an …
- … done impulsively from the strength of the social instincts, whilst others depend on their …
- … fellows— You say that the superiority of the social instincts to animal appetites is that …
From A. R. Wallace 9 July 1881
Summary
Enthusiasm for Henry George’s Progress and poverty. Considers it to rank with Adam Smith’s work. His own work on the land question [Land nationalisation (1882)].
Author: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 9 July 1881 |
Classmark: | DAR 106: B154–5 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13238 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … of Species and Spencer’s “First Principles” and Social Statics ”. I wish therefore to call …
- … to it, in case you care about books on Social & Political subjects, but here there is also …
- … rank as making an advance in Political and Social Science equal to that made by Adam Smith …
- … selection ( C. Darwin and Wallace 1858 ). Social statics ( Spencer 1851 ) was Herbert …
- … and T. Cadell. Spencer, Herbert. 1851. Social statics: or, the conditions essential to …
- … it has any bearing whatever on the vast social and political questions which have been …
From G. A. Gaskell 20 November 1878
Summary
Thanks CD for his encouraging letter. Replies to CD’s points. Thinks more attention should be given to the origin and growth of sexual shame.
Author: | George Arthur Gaskell |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 20 Nov 1878 |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11752 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … long trained in favour of that which tends to social order, will be able to withstand the …
- … license of new conditions, without relapse. Social change being evolutional is gradual: …
- … must therefore arise in detail, while social order obtains through the mass: disorder is …
- … are societies for death not life,— they are social suicides. The libertine and selfish …
- … survival, conducing to the compactness of the social organism, and therefore to existence. …
- … day be to preserve a civilized nation against the social encroachments of an uncivilized. …
- … The social change going on in parts of America at the present time is of great interest. I …
To A. R. Wallace [c. 10 April 1864]
Summary
Has seen that ARW has read a paper to the Linnean Society.
Thinks that Herbert Spencer’s Social Statics (Spencer 1851) would be too deep for him.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
Date: | [c. 10 Apr 1864] |
Classmark: | The Argyll Papers, Inveraray Castle (NRAS 1209/856) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4378F |
From W. E. Darwin [April 1871?]
Summary
J. S. Mill’s account of the moral sense in Utilitarianism [1863] appears muddled. [See Descent 1: 71 n.]
Author: | William Erasmus Darwin |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [Apr 1871?] |
Classmark: | DAR 88: 76–7 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7048 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … to all animal nature”. and this becomes social sympathy in man; but from that passage & …
- … passage from which you quote “that the social feelings are a powerful natural sentiment & …
- … c” it seems to me that he considers the social feeling in man the result of association …
- … very extraordinary that he should recognize the social instincts to be natural to Animals, …
- … he would allow anything innate in the social feelings or not the passage you quote shews …
From W. M. Moorsom 13 September [1877]
Summary
Pleased with CD’s interest in temperance. Can he quote CD? Sorry the elephant story is a myth. It fits his argument for temperance: a passion for alcohol is natural [primitive]. Only the morally developed can resist. Moral development will take a long time. Thus education cannot cure alcoholism now. Thus public sale of alcohol must be outlawed. Although he is a follower of J. S. Mill and Herbert Spencer he has been forced to this conclusion.
Author: | Warren Maude Moorsom |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 13 Sept [1877] |
Classmark: | DAR 171: 235 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-11137 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … economy: with some of their applications to social philosophy . 2 vols. London: John W. …
- … Parker. Spencer, Herbert. 1851. Social statics: or, the conditions essential to human …
- … the invention of alcoholism and the question of free will. Social History 22: 251–68. …
- … set forth by Herbert Spencer in “Social Statics” &c, it is with great reluctance that I …
- … of political economy ( Mill 1848 ). In Social statics: or, the conditions essential to …
From A. R. Wallace 10 May 1864
Summary
On the Borneo cave exploration.
ARW will send his contribution to theory of origin of man. The vast mental and cranial differences between man and apes, whereas structural differences in other parts of body are small. The problem of explaining diversity of human races along with the stability of man’s form during all historical epochs. Discussion with "Anthropologicals" [following reading of ARW’s paper, "The origin of human races", before the Anthropological Society, 1 Mar 1864].
Author: | Alfred Russel Wallace |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 10 May 1864 |
Classmark: | DAR 106: B12–13 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4490 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … John R. 1979. Scientific naturalism and social reform in the thought of Alfred Russel …
- … of Chicago Press. Spencer, Herbert. 1851. Social statics: or, the conditions essential to …
- … the interplay between biological and social thought in Victorian scientific naturalism. …
- … while also developing co-operative social groups that protected the weak, natural …
- … Mr. Herbert Spencer’s works, especially Social Statics ’ ( Spencer 1851 ) had suggested …
To Asa Gray 2 May [1856]
Summary
Suggests affinities of the U. S. flora that he considers would be worth investigating. Wants to know the ranges of species in large and small genera.
Questions AG on naturalised plants; whether any are social in U. S. which are not so elsewhere and how variable they are compared with indigenous species. Would like to know of any differences in the variability of species at different points of their ranges and also the physical states of plants at the extremes of their ranges.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 2 May [1856] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (4) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-1863 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … AG on naturalised plants; whether any are social in U. S. which are not so elsewhere and …
- … respect to naturalised plants; are any social with you, which are not so in their parent …
- … they do concern you. — —The discussion on Social plants (vague as the term & facts are) …
- … in them; that they should ever be social close to their extreme limits; & secondly that …
- … extremely confined range, yet sh d . be social where they do occur: I sh d . be infinitely …
- … to a species remaining or ceasing to be social, on the confines of its range. There is one …
To F. E. Abbot 30 March 1874
Summary
FEA has expressed CD’s views on the moral sense with remarkable clearness and correctness; his eulogy is magnificent ["Darwin’s theory of conscience and its relation to scientific ethics", Index 12 Mar 1874]. Cannot give a judgment on the essay because he has had "no practice in following abstract and abstruse reasoning".
CD does not see how morality can be "objective and universal". No one would call the maternal bond in lower animals a "moral obligation". When a social animal "becomes in some slight incipient degree" a moral creature "capable of approving or disapproving of its own conduct" do not such obligations remain of a so-called instinctive nature rather than becoming at once moral obligations?
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Francis Ellingwood Abbot |
Date: | 30 Mar 1874 |
Classmark: | Harvard University Archives (Papers of F. E. Abbot, 1841–1904. Named Correspondence, 1857–1903. Folder: Darwin, Charles and W. E. Darwin (son), 1871–1883, box 44. HUG 1101) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9377 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … lower animals a "moral obligation". When a social animal "becomes in some slight incipient …
- … by the following remarks. The lower social animals may be said to be under an obligation …
- … for different species. Now as soon as a social animal became in some slight, incipient …
- … obligation or bond between the lower social animals. I have expressed myself obscurely, & …
From Hensleigh Wedgwood [3–9 March 1871]
Summary
Agrees that social instinct or love for fellows is the beginning of moral feeling. Responds to CD’s letter [7537].
Author: | Hensleigh Wedgwood |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [3–9 Mar 1871] |
Classmark: | DAR 88: 56–9 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7542 |
To G. M. Asher 28 October 1879
Summary
Cannot answer questions on origin of instinct, sociology, etc. Suggests references in Origin and Descent.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Georg Michael Asher |
Date: | 28 Oct 1879 |
Classmark: | The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. The Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature. |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12273 |
letter | (234) |
Darwin, C. R. | (80) |
Hooker, J. D. | (23) |
Gray, Asa | (6) |
Haeckel, Ernst | (5) |
Wallace, A. R. | (5) |
Darwin, C. R. | (154) |
Hooker, J. D. | (8) |
Wallace, A. R. | (6) |
Gray, Asa | (4) |
Lyell, Charles | (4) |
1826 | (1) |
1830 | (1) |
1831 | (3) |
1832 | (1) |
1834 | (1) |
1838 | (2) |
1839 | (1) |
1845 | (2) |
1848 | (1) |
1849 | (4) |
1850 | (1) |
1855 | (3) |
1856 | (5) |
1857 | (1) |
1858 | (3) |
1859 | (3) |
1860 | (1) |
1861 | (4) |
1862 | (4) |
1863 | (8) |
1864 | (14) |
1865 | (8) |
1866 | (10) |
1867 | (8) |
1868 | (6) |
1869 | (8) |
1870 | (5) |
1871 | (22) |
1872 | (13) |
1873 | (9) |
1874 | (8) |
1875 | (7) |
1876 | (6) |
1877 | (5) |
1878 | (9) |
1879 | (9) |
1880 | (11) |
1881 | (19) |
1882 | (7) |
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 …