Publisher's Synopsis
This comprehensive volume about the life and works of Charles Darwin begins by exploring a very interesting relative of his: Dr. Erasmus Darwin. Erasmus was an inventor and poet. More importantly, he was a natural philosopher - meaning an individual who explores the philosophical study of nature. This interest in nature is seen as well in his grandson Charles. It's hard not to see the correlations between scientific interests which makes the introductory topic of this book all the more important.
Charles Darwin's arguably most important work "On the Origin of Species" has the same elements of natural philosophy that his grandfather was so passionate about. Charles' exploration of evolutionary biology through the use of field study established the concept of populations evolving through generations due to the process of natural selection. This process allowed for specific genes or physical attributes to be weeded out of a familial line and others to be perpetuated for the survival and improvement of a species.
Knowing the connection between Charles and Erasmus Darwin, one must wonder if Charles would have ever created his theories on evolution had it not been for the work and passion of his grandfather. While the work of both men saw widespread debate, it can be argued that Charles' work provoked the most international interest. Exploring the life of Charles helps readers understand how he was led down the path of exploring both natural philosophy and evolution, and how he ended up creating one of the most important theories in biology to date.
About the Publisher
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
