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Darwin's Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin's Views on Human Evolution [Hardcover]

Adrian Desmond , James Moore
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 28, 2009

An astonishing new portrait of a scientific icon

In this remarkable book, Adrian Desmond and James Moore restore the missing moral core of Darwin’s evolutionary universe, providing a completely new account of how he came to his shattering theories about human origins.

There has always been a mystery surrounding Darwin: How did this quiet, respectable gentleman, a pillar of his parish, come to embrace one of the most radical ideas in the history of human thought? It’s difficult to overstate just what Darwin was risking in publishing his theory of evolution. So it must have been something very powerful—a moral fire, as Desmond and Moore put it—that propelled him. And that moral fire, they argue, was a passionate hatred of slavery.

To make their case, they draw on a wealth of fresh manuscripts, unpublished family correspondence, notebooks, diaries, and even ships’ logs. They show how Darwin’s abolitionism had deep roots in his mother’s family and was reinforced by his voyage on the Beagle as well as by events in America—from the rise of scientific racism at Harvard through the dark days of the Civil War.

Leading apologists for slavery in Darwin’s time argued that blacks and whites had originated as separate species, with whites created superior. Darwin abhorred such "arrogance." He believed that, far from being separate species, the races belonged to the same human family. Slavery was therefore a "sin," and abolishing it became Darwin’s "sacred cause." His theory of evolution gave all the races—blacks and whites, animals and plants—an ancient common ancestor and freed them from creationist shackles. Evolution meant emancipation.

In this rich and illuminating work, Desmond and Moore recover Darwin’s lost humanitarianism. They argue that only by acknowledging Darwin’s Christian abolitionist heritage can we fully understand the development of his groundbreaking ideas. Compulsively readable and utterly persuasive, Darwin’s Sacred Cause will revolutionize our view of the great naturalist.


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Editorial Reviews

From Bookmarks Magazine

Based on a painstaking study of Darwin's private papers -- correspondence, notebooks, journals, ship logs, and even scribbled remarks in the margins of books and pamphlets he had read -- this compelling book endeavors to redeem and humanize the often misunderstood man. Critics uniformly praised Darwin's Sacred Cause, describing it as thoroughly researched, absorbing, and even "thrilling" (Independent). Only a few had misgivings: some critics noticed that the authors gloss over evidence of prejudice -- practically a hallmark of polite Victorian society -- in Darwin's writings, and others questioned the success of the authors in proving their claims. So was Darwin a benevolent humanitarian or an impartial scientist? Readers of this articulate and engrossing book will have to decide for themselves.
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

Review

Praise for Darwin’s Sacred Cause

"Arresting . . . confront[s] the touchy subject of Darwin and race head on . . . Adrian Desmond and James Moore published a highly regarded biography of Darwin in 1991 . . . the case they make is rich and intricate, involving Darwin's encounter with race-based phrenology at Edinburgh and a religiously based opposition to slavery at Cambridge. Even Darwin's courtship of Emma, whom he winningly called 'the most interesting specimen in the whole series of vertebrate animals,' is cleverly interwoven with his developing thoughts on 'sexual selection' . . ." - New York Times Book Review

"'Darwin’s Sacred Cause' shows that there is still new material to be gleaned from the life of a man much picked over, and who turned the world upside down." - Economist

"This book dispels the legend, long attached to retrospective accounts of Darwin’s research, that the great scientist’s interest in evolution was spurred by Galapagos finches. It was people all along . . . [Desmond and Moore] shed welcome light on lesser-known features of Darwin’s work, while also providing an exceptionally crisp account of mid-nineteenth-century debates over the origins of racial differences." - Edward J. Larson, Bookforum

"An illuminating new book." - Smithsonian

"In this controversial reinterpretation of Charles Darwin’s life and work, the authors of a highly regarded 1991 biography argue that the driving force behind Darwin’s theory of evolution was his fierce abolitionism, which had deep family roots and was reinforced by his voyage on the Beagle and by events in America." - Scientific American

"'Darwin’s Sacred Cause' is a compelling narrative, well researched and convincingly presented, offering a new understanding of who Darwin was and the passions that motivated his thought. Particularly eye opening is the surprising connection between Darwin’s theory and the Christian abolition movement as they together fought a scientific community that rejected the Christian belief that all mankind was descended from a single pair. The story of that unlikely alliance is fascinating to follow, full of colorful characters both noble and vile, revealing how science and religion were debased by the evil of racism." - BookPage

"Who better than Desmond and Moore, Darwin's acclaimed biographers, to bring a fresh perspective to Darwin's central beliefs? . . . This masterful book produces a perspective on Darwin as not only scientist but moralist . . . Desmond and Moore build a new context in which to view Darwin that is utterly convincing and certain to influence scholars for generations to come. In time for Darwin's bicentennial, this is the rare book that mines old ground and finds new treasure." — Publishers Weekly, starred, boxed review

"Rush[es] forward with the urgency of the abolitionist spirit. Magnificent. — Booklist, starred review

"[A] stimulating, in-depth picture of 19th-century scientific thinking and racial attitudes." — Kirkus Reviews

"Well researched, likely to be controversial . . . this book provides [an] enlightening glimpse into a life of seemingly infinite complexity." — Library Journal

"Desmond and Moore’s fascinating new look at Darwin forces us to revise and expand the way we look at this revolutionary figure, and to see him wrestling with moral as well as scientific questions. And it is a reminder of just how much the issue of slavery loomed over everything in the nineteenth century, including even fields that were apparently far distant." —Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost and Bury the Chains

"This exciting book is sure to create a stir. Already widely admired for their pathbreaking biography of Charles Darwin, Desmond and Moore here give an entirely new interpretation of Darwin’s views on humankind, bringing together scholarship and sparkling narrative pace to explore theories of ape ancestry and racial origins in the Victorian period. Darwin’s part in making the modern world will never be the same again!" —Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University, and author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1ST edition (January 28, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0547055269
  • ISBN-13: 978-0547055268
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #555,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin in His Own Ecological Niche February 25, 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The thoughts and thought processes of Charles Darwin can only be appreciated and evaluated within the social and intellectual context of his own era. That at least is the starting premise of "Darwin's Sacred Cause" by Adrian Desmond and James Moore. This stimulating study is not a biography of Darwin per se; the authors have already published one, titled simply "Darwin." Instead, this is a detailed investigation of the ideas and opinions concerning the origins of humanity that were current in Darwin's lifetime and the decades previous, and the implications of those ideas for the formulation and publication of Darwin's hypotheses about what we now call `evolution.'

The `Sacred Cause' to which Darwin was dedicated was the abolition of slavery. Desmond and Moore assert that Darwin was born into a family and milieu passionately committed to abolition, originally on the profoundly religious grounds of the unity of all humankind as descendents of Adam and Eve. The great abolitionist families of 18th and 19th Century England are worth reading about in their own right -- Josiah Wedgwood and his descendents, the Wilberforces, the Clarksons, Harriet Martineau, etc. They are insightfully treated in the fine study "Bury the Chains" by Adam Hochschild. Darwin's allegiance to this humanitarian cause was unshakable and surely lent emotional urgency to his efforts to `prove' that all human were of the same species and the same descent, and therefore entitled to equal human rights.

For the enlightenment of any flat-earthers and creationists who might stumble over this book in the darkness of their caves, let me explain that "evolution" was not an idea first expounded by Charles Darwin. Usually called "transmutation" in the 18th and early 19th Centuries, evolution was well established as a notion before Charles Darwin was born. It was observable, undeniable, barnyard knowledge available to all breeders of animals and plants. Polite society held that the definition of a "species" could be built on the question of interbreeding; hybrids of two species - obviously something that did occur - would be sterile, and thus if two breeds of cattle or two races of humans could produce fertile offspring, then they must be of a single species. Darwin's hypothesis was that transmutation could occur, over long times and in specific circumstances, by the accumulation of small variations until the descendents of a single original species could no longer interbreed. His language for this was "descent with modification." The daring corollary of this hypothesis was that all living organisms must have descended, over vast periods of geological time, from a single original life form. For this to have occurred, Darwin theorized two agents of change: 1. the Malthusian pressure of "survival of the fittest", and 2. sexual selection. Darwin of course knew nothing about genetics, about random genetic drift or mutation, etc. Nobody did, back then.

The hot button issue in the 1840s and 1850s wasn't `evolution', however. It was the theological/political/economic issue of the equality of races, aka "what to do with those pesky dark-skinned savages". Three choices? Exterminate them; enslave them; treat them as brothers. The constituencies for the first two choices far outnumbered the third. Political and social rivalries between England and America were also significant in the debate, since England had committed itself to abolition while the USA, however divided against itself, sustained and defended the peculiar instution of slavery.

The `educated' scientific community of Darwin's lifetime was aligned in two camps on the issue of human origins: the monogenecists and the polygenecists, the former maintaining the `conservative' Biblically-sanctioned idea of a single origin for all humans, and the latter amassing volumes of scholarly `evidence' that the human races were distinct species with distinct origins in different regions of the planet. The majority opinion was that species were immutable, that each geographic region of the planet was a `homeland' for a whole suite of species, including species of humans. Such ideas were most authoritatively expressed by Louis Agassiz, the `super star' of American science. Of course, Darwin was the staunchest of monogenecists, even after he had shed all his religious convictions. And of course, the concomitants of polygenecism were mightily appealing to slave owners, to the Lords of the Loom in New England as much as to the Lords of the Lash in Dixie, to the aristocracies of birth and money everywhere, to all who felt comfortable with their own racial superiority in a hierarchy established by nature itself. The core of Desmond and Moore's research in this book is the careful re-examination of the debate between these two camps.

Polygenicism, by the way, is not totally laid to rest even today. There are archaelogists and anthropologists of repute in China who aspire to show that modern humanity did NOT emerge from Africa, but rather that `races' of H. erectus evolved concurrently in several regions, one being Asia, into races of H. sapiens, which then perhaps overlapped and interbred. There are also `wishful thinkers' who jealously guard the notion that H. neanderthalis (highly regarded now that its beetle-browed stupidity has been displaced by the measurements of its larger cranium than ours) must have contributed some gentic uniqueness to European stock. And you might try reading the reviews of the infamous "The Bell Curve" here on ammy, to ascertain that nostalgia for a hierarchy of racial superiorities isn't extinct.

Perhaps I've already used too many words to summarize the matter of this hugely meaningful social history. "Darwin's Sacred Cause" is the most thought-provoking book of social history I've read in recent years. It's a book I wish I'd written myself, or even had the scholarly tools to write. Though the cause was (and is) sacred, Desmond and Moore do NOT make a saint of Charles Darwin. They depict his hesitations, his dependencies on the esteem of his peers, his clinging to respectability and allegiance to his own social class, his compromises, his limits. The Darwin they depict is a man who had to earn his own greatness by hard work and painful decisions, a Darwin less to worship and more to admire.

I'm surprised to find so few reviews of this enormously important book here on the product page. The two negative reviews, in fact, make significant points, though I think they miss the central point. Desmond and Moore do take an irritating tone of over-certainty at times, especially in their introduction. They do not, however, ignore Darwin's grudging acknowledgement that his Malthusian survival theory might be a two-edged sword, that it might justify the hateful "social Darwinism" of the succeeding decades. The drama of this detailed, conscientiously academic study is to be found in the way Darwin persisted and demolished, yes, demolished, the basis for racism forevermore.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Another Valuable Glimpse into Darwin's Mind March 15, 2009
By Daddy
Format:Hardcover
A very worthwhile read in my opinion. The amount of material the authors have included make some of the chapters exceptionally slow and plodding, especially the early ones, but once that groundwork is accomplished, the later chapters soar. Valid criticisms have been posted of the wordiness involved, but I doubt anyone else could have done it better than these proven masters of Darwiniana, and the payoff is well worth the effort. Imagine a new Darwin book where we don't have to slog through another rendition of the death of daughter Annie, or of Spa regimens, etc, but instead are introduced so fully into the milieu of a world where slavery is the gut-wrenching topic of the day and science is the field upon which opponents fight to either justify or abolish that practice. This is the world view the authors have recreated in this book. They very effectively show how fundamentally that world view effected Darwin, and why so much of what he was grudgingly forced into producing was directly related to contradicting the arguments of his pro-slavery scientific opponents. Who knew that over such a topic he became quite angry at not just Wallace, but Lyell and Hooker and his own son William Erasmus, or that even he and Asa Gray almost had a falling out over Civil War strategy? Or that Harriet Martineau, who always previously came across as just some ugly, cigar smoking socialist who hung out with brother Erasmus, was such a valid anti-slavery champion who's ideas, promulgated through the Darwin ladies, had to have spurred on Charles in his pursuits? I certainly did not, so as a Darwin freak I thank the authors for revealing that piece of the pie.

Not an easy read by any means, nor for the first timer looking for an introductory book on Darwin. I give it a 4 rating, not because I think the authors could have done much better, but simply because I would not like potential readers to believe that this difficult read flows anywhere near as easily as the authors previous wonderful Darwin biography.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but overstated April 4, 2010
Format:Hardcover
Desmond and Moore's earlier biography, "Darwin: Life of a Tormented Evolutionist", is one of my favourite books, so I was really looking forward to reading "Darwin's Sacred Cause". But I have to say that I am not convinced by the central thrust of this book.

Charles Darwin was very strongly opposed to slavery, and he argued, quite rightly, that all human beings are of one species with a common ancestry. He was very critical of the mistaken theory that the different "races" of humans came into existence separately as separate species.

What Desmond and Moore claim is that Darwin's theory of common HUMAN origins inspired the development of his view that ALL LIFE is related by common descent through evolution. The "sacred cause" of opposition to slavery inspired Darwin's science.

But in his autobiography, which was initially written for private, family consumption, Darwin nowhere says anything about his anti-slavery views influencing his evolutionary theories. In fact Darwin explicity says that it was the distribution of fossil and living species which he encountered on the Beagle voyage that first got him seriously thinking about evolution. (Though I suppose that Desmond and Moore would say there was an underlying, unstated influence.)

There is also the fact that even if Darwin's anti-slavery views influenced his theory of the common origins of all life, it certainly was not a factor in inspiring him to come up with his theory of natural selection as the mechanism for evolution. It was natural selection that was Darwin's most important idea, and both he and, later, Wallace were inspired to come up with the theory by reading Malthus on population. (It is ironic that Malthus could be so reactionary and wrong about human population and society, and yet inspire a correct theory of natural selection.)

I find it quite plausible that Darwin's anti-slavery views were ONE influence on his evolutionary theory of life's common ancestry. But Desmond and Moore are overstating their case when they argue that it was THE influence on his theory.

In their earlier biography Desmond and Moore did a wonderful job of putting Darwin in the context of Victorian society. In this book they have homed in on one aspect of Darwin's social and political world, made a lens out of it, and then looked at everything through that lens, thus giving a distorted picture of a more complex reality.

This book is certainly worth reading - but with a critical eye. And for an alternative view of how Darwin's ideas developed, I recommend Niles Eldredge's book, "Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life".

Phil Webster.
(England)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin, the Idealist.
The authors are driven by the question "What drove Darwin to deny the cherished tenets of his privileged Christian society? Read more
Published on January 30, 2010 by Paul Griffiths
5.0 out of 5 stars clearing up misconceptions
For years one of the great hammers anti-evolutionists have used is smearing the name of Charles Darwin as a bigoted, racist scoundrel whose life is as morally bankrupt as his... Read more
Published on October 15, 2009 by TreadheadA25
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!
Charles Darwin is among the most notorious scientists of the last 3 centuries. He has been revered by many and reviled by others, but not much is really known about who he really... Read more
Published on September 19, 2009 by L. D. Vazquez Figueroa
5.0 out of 5 stars Undermining white supremacy and tainting humanity with ape blood
We are given a tale of conflicting trends: the development of `scientific' racism, and on the other hand the anti-slavery movement in England; this serves as foreground for... Read more
Published on July 19, 2009 by H. Schneider
4.0 out of 5 stars Dense but Exhaustive Look into the Process of Science
For the first half of this book, I was rather bored and considered aborting my read numerous times. It wasn't until the halfway point that I realized what the authors were doing,... Read more
Published on June 3, 2009 by ghtx
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but not perfect. A human evaluation of Darwin and slavery.
Darwin's Sacred Cause does an admirable job of explaining why Darwin was so determined to continue his family's tradition of opposition to slavery and thus reveals an aspect of his... Read more
Published on March 29, 2009 by Christopher C. Tew
4.0 out of 5 stars Attempted canonization fails?
This is an interesting new twist on the biographical record of Darwin, but despite the interest of the argument, and the importance of the question of evolution and race, there is... Read more
Published on March 20, 2009 by John C. Landon
5.0 out of 5 stars Darwin's influence on Liberalism aptly argued
Desmond and Moore have written an encompassing work which is all the more important as people discuss Darwin's legacy around his anniversary. Read more
Published on March 9, 2009 by Diana S. Fleischman
2.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant scholarship, difficult to read
I have read many books on Darwin and many books on slavery, so I was excited about Darwin's Sacred Cause and truly wanted to finish it. Read more
Published on February 14, 2009 by Henry Cohen
3.0 out of 5 stars very thorough, but flawed
First, let me say that Desmond and Moore are excellent scholars, and I would rate their biography, Darwin: the Life of a Tormented Evolutionist, as a must-read for anyone who... Read more
Published on February 13, 2009 by Benjamin D. Wiker
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