In my opinion Charles Lyell’s research and published works
had the most significant influence over Charles Darwin and his theory of
Natural Selection. In order to prove this let me start by providing a little
history about Charles Darwin. Darwin was born in 1809, the son a reputable
doctor and grandson of a physician, and scientist. As a result, there were high
expectations for Darwin to follow in the illustrious footsteps of his father
and grandfather who were respected physicians and intellectuals in their own
right. Charles soon found that he couldn't stand the sight of blood and refused
to participate in amputations, which were required in order to complete his studies.
As a result moved out of the area of medicine and took an interest in the
clergy. He quickly found that he was more interested in collecting scientific
specimens more than reciting scriptures. As a result of this determination he immersed
himself in the study of organisms. He became fully acquainted with his
grandfather’s research in the area of Zoology and that of the French Naturalist
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Through his studies he met several people that would
influence his growing interests in this type of study and dedicated himself to
becoming a self-trained Naturalist.
In 1831 Darwin was
offered the opportunity to go on sea voyage that was to last for 2 years and
cover the entire world. Darwin enthusiastically agreed and relished the idea of
exploring new places and species. Darwin was first introduced to the work
completed by Lyell on this voyage when he was given a copy of Lyell’s most
famous work “Principles of Geology” that was given to him by the ship’s Captain
Robert Fitzroy.
Charles Lyell was a geologist and a lawyer. His research
focused on geological variations in the earth based on his evaluation of
geological records and his observations regarding the structure of land masses and
other materials. Lyell was a strict Unitarian who believed that “the present is
the key to the past”. He argued that the formation of Earth's crust took place
through countless small changes occurring over vast periods of time, all
according to known natural laws. He believed that geological processes acting
in the past were much the same as those we see today. This is the principle of
Uniformitarianism.
Lyell’s theory was very controversial because up to this
time the popular belief was that the world was only about 4000 years old. This
belief originated based on the biblical dating of the earth performed by
Archbishop James Ussher and was the only accepted theory at this point in time.
Ussher used a chronology based on the genealogy in the bible. He used a method
that included the summation of ages of the 21 generations of people listed in
the Old Testament. Ultimately he concluded that the creation of the earth
occurred on October 4, 4004 B.C. this dating was accepted by the Church of
England and was the only sanctioned theory regarding the date of creation. Lyell’s theories about geological changes
occurring of millions of years allowed Darwin the opportunity to expand his
ideas about evolution of species by considering the possible changes that occur
slowly over very long periods of time. Darwin delayed publishing his theory for
over 20 years. There are several theories that discuss the possible reasons for
this which include the belief that he needed the time to collect the necessary
specimens and complete the remaining research needed to support his theory, his
fear that his theory would be proven invalid by other contemporaries with more
experience and expertise in the field, that he required the services of other
correspondents and associates to validate his work, and finally his fear that
his work would have a seriously adverse impact on society. It’s this last theory
that holds the most weight in my opinion. Unfortunately for Darwin the power and
influence of the Church of England had grown exponentially and was considered
profound and absolute during this period of time. Any dissenting ideas or
opinions were met with strict punishment which could include banishment, imprisonment,
and in even execution. With the church supporting Ussher’s theories Darwin’s
views could be viewed as a deliberate attempt to derail the teaching of the
church and make him subject to its wrath. Howard Gruber, in his “Darwin on Man”, states that “Darwin
sensed that some would object to
seeing rudiments of human mentality in animals;
while others would recoil
at the idea
of remnants of
animality in man.’’ Darwin’s delay in publishing his works
may have been a deliberate attempt to lessen the social impact that he knew his
work would have. Darwin was well aware of the firm foundation that Christianity
had in the scientific community and he had no desire to be the front-runner for
its demise.
Michael Ruse, in his recent book The Darwinian Revolution,
sets some previous accounts within a sociological framework. He argues:
The true answer [for his delay] has to be sought in Darwin’s
professionalism. . . . Darwin was not an
amateur outsider like Chambers. He was
part of the scientific network, a product
of Cambridge and a close friend of
Lyell, and he knew well the dread and the hatred most
of the network had
for evolutionism. . . . When telling Hooker
of his evolutionism, Darwin confessed that it
was like
admitting to a murder.
It was a murder-the
purported murder of Christianity,
and Darwin was not keen
to be cast in this role.”
While Ruse argues that it was Darwin’s professionalism that
held him back from publishing his work, I contend that in addition to this his
fear of the outcome of his work was the primary reason for the delay in his publishing
it.
Ultimately I think Lyell’s research had the most profound
impact on Darwin’s work. I do not believe that Darwin would've been able to
develop his ideas regarding evolutionary changes without Lyell’s research
because Darwin’s beliefs regarding natural selection are dependent on changes
to the species occurring over millions of years. This would not have been
possible if Lyell had not successfully dispelled the accepted age of the earth
as determined by Ussher. In this respect I think that we owe a significant debt
to Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin for taking the risk to develop such
controversial theories that went against the prominent and accepted beliefs of
the times to the ground-breaking work that paved the way for the development of
evolutionary theory.
Good extra background on Darwin. It helps to show how and when Lyell stepped into his life with regard to his scientific influence.
ReplyDeleteNote: Be careful about the word "prove" in any context in these assignments. Science proves nothing. It supports or it disproves.
Good background on Lyell's work. Lyell did more than "believe" in uniformitarianism. By studying the earth's layers and patterns, he was able demonstrate that those patterns could be explained by the actions of those slow, gradual processes. No such explanatory pattern existed for the belief that the earth was only 4000 years old.
You are correct! The biggest contribution made by Lyell to Darwin was essentially the gift of time. Without Lyell, Darwin's theory of natural selection, which was also a slow, gradual process, would have not had sufficient time to work in the 4000 year time frame. By giving Darwin millions of years to work with, Lyell made Darwin's mechanism possible.
I appreciate your additional readings on Darwin's relationship with the church and how it impacted publishing of his works. I actually differ in the meaning behind his "murder" comment. Darwin recognized that his work didn't negatively Christianity, in terms of belief in God. He saw his work as more clearly describing God's hand in our natural world. But he knew that the Church would feel that Darwin's theory was the equivalent of "murder" in terms of its attack on the teachings of the church. Darwin was expressing the Church's view of his work, and how the church would view him, not his own feelings on his work. I understand this can be a matter of interpretation and opinion. Just offering an alternative!
Good first post.
Interesting! I was unaware that the Church of England ever had so specific a date for the creation of the earth. I went with Malthus for most influential, but Lyell was a close second so I was searching for someone who had picked him. Lyell's understanding of time and its effects was fundamental to Darwin's own. Key ingredient in Darwin's work, obviously. The speculation about the many possible reasons Darwin could have had for delaying the publishing of his book was intriguing, but it surprised me that thinking it might have an adverse effect on society was one of them. It doesn't seem like a concern a scientist would give much thought to today, but it is a different world now of course, and I don't actually know any scientists personally so I'm not really qualified to make that statement.
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