Charles Darwin
Destroyer of Myths
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Charles Darwin did not deliberately set out to be the “destroyer of mythical beliefs,” some of which, in his early days as a young Christian, he had previously espoused. He was a modest man who liked to avoid controversy of any kind, yet paradoxically, he was to be the cause of the greatest controversy in the history of science and religion.
When Darwin embarked on the HMS Beagle in late December 1831, bound for the southern hemisphere, he could not have imagined that the experience would lead him to formulate a theory which would totally revolutionize the way in which we viewed the natural world. He did not come to his conclusions about the origin and evolution of all life on Earth quickly, though, for just as the living organisms to which his theory applied had evolved over millions of years, so his thinking evolved as his own life progressed.
How did this thoughtful, methodical scientist come to have such an impact on his time—and on ours? These questions and more are what Andrew Norman seeks to answer in this biography of the author of The Origin of Species.
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this dense volume, biographer Norman (Adolf Hitler: The Final Analysis) outlines Darwin's life in accordance with the scientific observations, academic inquiries, and philosophical debates that defined his revolutionary intellect. Emphasis is placed on the organization of information rather than Norman's own interpretation, with short chapters focusing on specific, self-contained topics, which cover issues from the "marital equation" and "freedom of thought" to Darwin's lifelong "mysterious illness." The principal players tell their own story, and Darwin's traits as a "meticulous observer" and holder of a "hyperactive mind" emerge largely through block quotations derived from primary sources, narrated and contextualized by Norman's guiding asides and comments. Norman employs multiple approaches to organization within each chapter, sometimes presenting numbered points or question/answer segments, laced with short biographical sketches of affiliated figures including John Locke and Galileo Galilei, among others. The book sometimes reads like a collection of lecture notes, but its form also enables clear presentation of the material, making it. an extremely handy reference for preliminary research on Darwin's life, career, and key relationships. With contextual inquiries into religious perspectives, scientific developments, and the posthumous misrepresentation of Darwinian ideas, this rich perspective is an excellent introduction to the breadth of Darwin's achievements.