Loren Eiseley's DARWIN'S CENTURY is an interesting survey of the men whose scientific investigations led to advances in studies in biology and, interestingly enough, physics. Eiseley presents a readable account of the complex background to Darwin's work, and Eiseley examines the Darwin's contemporaries and those benefitted from his work as well as those who enhanced it.
Eiseley presents Darwin's work with the 19th century intellectual background. The book makes clear that Darwin's work leading to the his theory of evolution was not an isolated venture devoid of other scientific work. One must note that there signficances studies in geology, and with the rapid industrialization in Europe and the United States, the mining industries led not only to the extraction of natural resources but the discovery of the remains of extinct species.
Charles Darwin was not the only one who noticed the possibilities extinct species. However, he was one of the first to carefully investigate why species survived. His work led to the realization that within surviving species there were noticable differences in color, habits, etc. This led to Darwin's ORIGINS OF THE SPECIES which was published in 1859. Darwin may have had this published book "prematurely" in hopes of prempting others who were doing similiar work.
Eiseley's explanation of Gregor Mendal's (1822-1884)pioneer work in genetics is a clear explation of both Mendal's work and the historical importance of genetics which helped the Darwinists in that it gave them a theorhetically mechanism for changes in species. The advances in the study of genetics in recent history indicates just how important Mendal's work was.
Eiseley also gives a readable explation of some of the developments in atomic physics. His explation of the importance of the Curries-Laborde experiments in 1903 which proved that radium maintains its temperatures above the surroundings was so important to studies in astronomy and geology. Such work help astronomers develop radio telescopes and a means of examining "space debris." Developments in atomic physics were important in examining the astronomical age of the sun which undermined Kelvin's conception of this star. Geologists benefitted from atomic physics which helped with the invention of the atomic clock which enabled geologists to push the age of the earth back to millions and eventually billions of years. Both genetics atomic physics gave the evolutionists the means of change and the time they needed to explain evolution.
DARWIN'S CENTURY is an important book in explaining biological theories and evolution. Before one engages in the childish debates about intelligent design, this book would assist anyone to have a calm, rational view of Darwin and others whose work was so important and certainly above the childish debate of what some try to pass as science. Rather than popularize one side or the other in intelligent design debate, Eiseley's book would give a dispassionate, readable view of the actual science involved.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club?
Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Flip to back
Flip to front
Follow the Author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
-
Apple
-
Android
-
Windows Phone
-
Android
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2006
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2014
Verified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Dr Mike Sutton
In the spotlight is the greatest anomalous paradox in the history of scientific discovery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2015Verified Purchase
In the spotlight is the greatest anomalous paradox in the history of scientific discovery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2015
Eiseley was later on the trail of Darwin's science fraud - but not in 1959Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2015
Had Eiseley known in 1959 when he wrote this book what we know today - that Chambers read Matthew's book containing the full hypothesis of natural selection - as did Wallace's (1855) Sarawak paper editor Prideaux Selby - I am sure he would have explained that exactly why the old myth that Darwin and Wallace independently discovered Natural Selection is analogous to the Christian miracle belief in the Blessed Virgin's immaculate conception of the baby Jesus. The big data discovery that naturalists known to Darwin and Wallace, who influenced their work on natural selection, had long before read and cited Matthew's book containing the full thing, drags the anomaly of Darwin's and Wallace's claimed dual independent discoveries of a prior published theory, whilst influenced by those who had read it, before they subsequently fallaciously claimed that no naturalist had read it, into the spotlight as the greatest anomalous paradox in the history of scientific discovery.
The New Facts revealed in Nullius in Verba: Darwin's greatest secret, demand a paradigm shift from Darwin's and Wallace's immaculate conceptions to Matthewian knowledge contamination.
Eiseley (Darwin's Century) on Chambers' anonymously authored Vestiges of Creation.
p. 132:
'The hour came in 1844 with the publication of The Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.'
p. 133:
'Condemned by critics as immoral and godless, it promptly took the public by storm. Four editions appeared in seven months and by 1860 some 24,000 copies had been sold. Two hindered copies of the first edition were distributed to prominent scientists in the attempt to arouse interest. The result of this effort to bring attention to the subject is of extreme interest to the scientific historian.'
'Robert Chambers, the anonymous author, had hoped for a scientific hearing but was promptly shouted down. Thomas Huxley, who was later to become Darwin's chief defender, attacked the book with utmost savagery. Phrases such as "foolish fancies," "Charlatanerie," "pretentious nonsense," "work of fiction," "mean view of Nature" rolled from his pen.'
pp. 133-132
'Thus, as Draper commented many years ago, "happily the whole subject was brought into such prominence that it could be withdrawn into obscurity no more.'
p. 134
'Years later Francis Darwin was to write, "My father's copy [of the Vestiges] gives signs of having been carefully read, a long list of marked passages being pinned in at the end." Francis Darwin points out that Charles, seeing the difficulties Chambers got into with certain attempts to explain phylogenetic lines, wrote, "I will not specify any genealogies-much too little known at present."
p.135
'Through it all, it must be borne in mind that Chambers, as part owner of a successful publishing house, had to remain anonymous in order to protect the business interest of himself and his brother William. This is a measure of the damage which threatened a man who transgressed established views in the first half of the century.'
NOTE: This last point is most important, because Richard Dawkins (2010) with typical biased pseudoscholarly self-protectionism, as a Darwinst named for the great replicator of Matthew's original ideas, castigates Mathew for not trumpeting his discoveries from the rooftops in effort to deny Mathew full priority for his own prior-published discovery. Dawkins appears not to have read Matthew's (1860) letter in the Gardener's Chronicle - where he told Darwin of a naturalist (unnamed of course - for good reason) who had read Matthew's book but feared to teach its bombshell ideas because he would have received pillory punishment! Darwinists, such as Dawkins, are self-proven by their bias to be unfit to write as 'experts' on the veracious history of the discovery of natural selection.
Dr Mike Sutton is author of
[[ASIN:1541343964 Nullius in Verba: Darwin's greatest secret]]
Images in this review
hughdower
Required reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2012Verified Purchase
