The Genius of Erasmus Darwin

The Genius of Erasmus Darwin PDF

Author: Christopher Upham Murray Smith

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 9780754636717

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The Genius of Erasmus Darwin provides insight into the full extent of Erasmus Darwin's exceptional intellect. He is shown to be a major creative thinker and innovator, one of the minds behind the late eighteenth-century industrial revolution, and one of the first, if not the first, to perceive the living world (including humans) as part of a unified evolutionary scenario. The contributions here provide contextual understandings of Erasmus Darwin's thought, as well as studies of particular works and accounts of the later reception of his writings. In this way it is possible to see why the young Samuel Taylor Coleridge was moved to describe Darwin as 'the first literary character in Europe, and the most original-minded man'.Erasmus Darwin, Charles Darwin's grandfather, was one of the leading intellectuals of eighteenth-century England. He was a man with an extraordinary range of interests and activities: he was a doctor, biologist, inventor, poet, linguist and botanist. He was also a founding member of the Lunar Society, an intellectual community that included such eminent men as James Watt and Josiah Wedgwood.

Charles Darwin's 'The Life of Erasmus Darwin'

Charles Darwin's 'The Life of Erasmus Darwin' PDF

Author: Charles Darwin

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0521815266

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Charles Darwin s book about his grandfather, The Life of Erasmus Darwin, is curiously fascinating. Before publication in 1879, it was shortened by 16%, with several of the cuts directed at its most provocative parts. The cutter, with Charles s permission, was his daughter Henrietta - an example of the strong hidden hand of meek-seeming Victorian women. This first unabridged edition, edited by Desmond King-Hele, includes all that Charles originally intended, the cuts being restored and printed in italics. Erasmus Darwin was one of the leading intellectuals of the eighteenth century. He was a respected physician, a well-known poet, a keen mechanical inventor, and a founding member of the influential Lunar Society. He also possessed an amazing insight into the many branches of physical and biological science. Most notably, he adopted what we now call biological evolution as his theory of life, 65 years prior to Charles Darwin s Origin of Species.

Erasmus Darwin

Erasmus Darwin PDF

Author: Patricia Fara

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020-06-11

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0198848544

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A tour of the late eighteenth century English Enlightenment in the company of Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles, who (aside from his poetry and other scientific endeavours) was expounding theories of evolution years before the birth of his more famous grandson.

Darwin

Darwin PDF

Author: Paul Johnson

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 0147509777

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A “riveting” (The Wall Street Journal) biography of one of the most influential and controversial scientists in Western history Acclaimed historian and biographer Paul Johnson turns his keen eye on Charles Darwin, the towering figure whose work continues to spur scientific debate. With his publication of On the Origin of Species, Darwin forever changed our concept of the world. While Johnson praises Darwin’s extraordinary skills as a natural scientist and his monumental achievements, he does not sidestep Darwin’s tragic failures as an anthropologist. Johnson argues that by applying his theory of natural selection to humans, Darwin provided a platform for the burgeoning eugenics movement. Lay readers and academics alike will enjoy this concise and unflinching exploration of Charles Darwin, a genius whose discoveries—even the flawed ones—add significant dimension to our understanding of his mind, the era in which he lived, and his everlasting impact on our world.

Darwin

Darwin PDF

Author: Paul Johnson

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-09-24

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 0147509777

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A “riveting” (The Wall Street Journal) biography of one of the most influential and controversial scientists in Western history Acclaimed historian and biographer Paul Johnson turns his keen eye on Charles Darwin, the towering figure whose work continues to spur scientific debate. With his publication of On the Origin of Species, Darwin forever changed our concept of the world. While Johnson praises Darwin’s extraordinary skills as a natural scientist and his monumental achievements, he does not sidestep Darwin’s tragic failures as an anthropologist. Johnson argues that by applying his theory of natural selection to humans, Darwin provided a platform for the burgeoning eugenics movement. Lay readers and academics alike will enjoy this concise and unflinching exploration of Charles Darwin, a genius whose discoveries—even the flawed ones—add significant dimension to our understanding of his mind, the era in which he lived, and his everlasting impact on our world.

Erasmus Darwin

Erasmus Darwin PDF

Author: Patricia Fara

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2020-06-11

Total Pages: 337

ISBN-13: 0192588109

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Dr Erasmus Darwin seemed an innocuous Midlands physician, a respectable stalwart of eighteenth-century society. But there was another side to him. Botanist, physician, Lunar inventor and popular poet, Darwin was internationally renowned for extraordinary poems explaining his theories about sex and science. Yet he became a target for the political classes, the victim of a sustained and vitriolic character assassination by London's most savage satirists. Intrigued, prize-winning historian Patricia Fara set out to investigate why Darwin had provoked such fierce intellectual and political reaction. Inviting her readers to accompany her, she embarked on what turned out to be a circuitous and serendipitous journey. Her research led her to discover a man who possessed, according to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 'perhaps a greater range of knowledge than any other man in Europe.' His evolutionary ideas influenced his grandson Charles, were banned by the Vatican, and scandalized his reactionary critics. But for modern readers he shines out as an impassioned Enlightenment reformer who championed the abolition of slavery, the education of women, and the optimistic ideals of the French Revolution. As she tracks down her quarry, Patricia Fara uncovers a ferment of dangerous ideas that terrified the establishment, inspired the Romantics, and laid the ground for Victorian battles between faith and science.

The Temple Of Nature

The Temple Of Nature PDF

Author: Erasmus Darwin

Publisher: BoD - Books on Demand

Published: 2024-02-24

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13:

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"The Temple of Nature" is a lengthy didactic poem by Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin. The poem was published posthumously in 1803. Erasmus Darwin, a physician, natural philosopher, and poet, was known for his work in various fields, including natural history and the application of scientific principles to poetry. "The Temple of Nature" is a philosophical and scientific poem that explores Darwin's ideas on evolution, the interconnectedness of all living things, and the role of natural forces in shaping life. The poem is divided into four cantos, each addressing different aspects of the natural world and its processes. Key themes in "The Temple of Nature" include the idea of a universal, interconnected life force, the transformative power of nature, and the concept of evolution long before Charles Darwin's more famous work. Erasmus Darwin's poetic approach to scientific themes in this work reflects the Enlightenment-era interest in the synthesis of knowledge and the exploration of the natural world. The poem serves as a testament to Erasmus Darwin's intellectual breadth, combining his medical and scientific expertise with his poetic talents to present a holistic view of nature and life.

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