The biography of Charles Darwin (1809-1882) gives insight into the influences that paved the way for his career path. Darwin is widely known as an English naturalist who transfigured evolutionary biology.
Of the revolutionary thinkers who have shaped the past century, the biography of Darwin stands as one of the most provocative and influential—USA Today rated Darwin as one of the twentieth century’s top ten most influential persons.
The Voyage
Armed with the prestige of the Darwin family legacy, his fame began long before setting sail on the HMS Beagle. Darwin’s biography demonstrates how one man’s passion can influence the world.
In the words of his colleague Alfred Russel Wallace, Darwin had “wrought a greater revolution in human thought within a quarter of a century than any man of our time.” Best known for writing The Origin of Species, Darwin wrote eighteen other books, including The Descent of Man, and more than 15,000 letters.
Logic Versus Science
Darwin’s perspectives emerged through the juxtaposed prevailing influences of the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. Even though he was a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Society never recognized Darwin for his evolution publications.
Just before the publication of The Origin of Species, Darwin acknowledged his problem in a letter to American naturalist Asa Gray –
“I am quite conscious that my speculations run quite beyond the bounds of true science.”
By the late twentieth century, the genomic revolution scientifically finalized the eclipse of Darwinism. A Wall Street Journal editorial in May 1999 noted –
“Whatever the controversies that surround him, Charles Darwin was certainly the most important natural scientist of the past century; he may become the most important social scientist of the next.”
Of the revolutionary thinkers who have shaped the past century, the biography of Darwin stands as one of the most provocative and influential—USA Today rated Darwin as one of the twentieth century’s top ten most influential persons.
Context
As a subcategory of Evolution and Science, understanding Charles Darwin’s biography gives context to the development of his theory. To understand these influences, click to read the following –
Darwin Then and Now is an educational resource on the intersection of evolution and science and the challenges facing the theory of evolution.
Refer to the Glossary for the definition of terms.
