Robert Darwin (1809-1882)
Robert Darwin was born on 12 February,1809 fifth of six children of Robert
Waring Darwin and Susannah,daughter of Josiah Wedgwood.
died ,aged 52 when he was 8 years old.
entered Shrewsbury School as a boarding student.
left Shrewsbury School and went to Edinburgh University to read medicine
with his brother,Erasmus.
later,he entered Christ's College,Cambridge.
passed his BA without Honours and remained at Cambridge for further two
terms where he befriended J.S.Henslow (1796-1861), a clergyman and
botanist.Through Henslow,Darwin was given an opportunity to travel to South
America and other countries as a naturalist with a company of Captain Robert
FitzRoy of HMS Beagle. Despite his father's strong objections which were
later turned down by Josiah Wedgwood II,his uncle in favour of him, he
was finally allowed to travel with Capt.FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle.On 27th
December 1831,he departed Plymouth for 5 year journey.During the journey,he
started collecting fossils and other geological sources wherever he could
find,and sent some boxes of them to his mentor,Rev.J.S.Henslow at Cambridge
for further investigation.It was said that it was in the Galapagos Islands
that he began to question about the origin of various species at geologically
formed new island as the Galapagos.Despite his constant seasickness,he
took part in numerous meeting with local governers and representatives
of the British subject. This 5 year voyage transformed his life completely
from an aimless young man to a man of full ambition. His literal correspondence
from this period until his death has been published as The Correspondence
of Charles Darwin,which consists of many personal correspondence to
his family,friends,and his fellow scientists.
returned to Britain on 2nd October.
was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 24th January, and 5 days later
married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood.
same year,Journal of Researches into Geology and Natural History of
the Various Countries visited by H.M.S. Beagle was published as volume
3 of Capt.FitzRoy's Narrative,later reissued as The Voyage of the Beagle.
started writing his first sketch of the Origin of Species.
developed his first sketch into more constructed essay and asked his wife,Emma
to prepare publishing it in the event of his death.
published,with much reluctance,the
Origin of Species which created so much havoc in victorian society,esp.the
people of divinity.
Oxford meeting Thomas Henry Huxley(1825-1895,father of Sir Julian
Sorell Huxley,biologist and Aldous Leonard Huxley,novelist) clashed with
Bishop of Oxford,Samuel Wilberforce over C.Darwin's theory of evolution,and
won over him with a joke.
died on 19th April.
Origin of Species ( ed.by G.Beer,Oxford University Press,Oxford 1996)
.,Voyage of the Beagle (ed.by J.Browne & M.Neve,Penguin Classics,
.,Charles Darwin's Letters: a selection (ed.by F.Burkhardt,Cambridge
University Press,Cambridge 1996)
I do not
know whether or not I have a sufficient amount of sources,but I will do
my best to create a compact and reasonable page by highlighting one of
the greatest work this man has written for all humankind.
Francis Galton, CD's cousin was equally interested in biology, however
unlike CD went on to study more obscure field of the subject, Hereditary
and Intelligence.The term,Eugenics was coined by him for
new science for improvement of the inborn qualities.
idea of genetics was adopted by many 'racist'political leaders such as
Hitler, Churchill ( recently revealed), and
others many of whom attempted to eliminate the race of unsuitability (although
Hitler did the worst).
Philosophy: Hall of Minerva
and Body Shop