Darwin Mythology

Darwin Mythology
Author: Kostas Kampourakis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2024-06-06
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1009375725

Many historical figures have their lives and works shrouded in myth, both in life and long after their deaths. Charles Darwin (1809–82) is no exception to this phenomenon and his hero-worship has become an accepted narrative. This concise, accessible and engaging collection unpacks this narrative to rehumanize Darwin's story and establish what it meant to be a 'genius' in the Victorian context. Leading Darwin scholars have come together to argue that, far from being a lonely genius in an ivory tower, Darwin had fortune, diligence and – crucially – community behind him. The aims of this essential work are twofold. First, to set the historical record straight, debunking the most pervasive myths and correcting falsehoods. Second, to provide a deeper understanding of the nature of science itself, relevant to historians, scientists and the public alike.

Darwin Mythology

Darwin Mythology
Author: Kostas Kampourakis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2024-06-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1009375709

This accessible collection debunks pervasive myths about Darwin's life and work, deepening our understanding of the history of science.

The Mythology of Evolution

The Mythology of Evolution
Author: Chris Bateman
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2012-09-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1780996497

This book liberates evolution from misrepresentative scientific myths to find a more nuanced vision of life that shows how advantages persist, trust is beneficial, and the diversity of species emerges.

Darwin's Mother

Darwin's Mother
Author: Sarah Rose Nordgren
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Total Pages: 108
Release: 2017-11-01
Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 0822983168

In Darwin's Mother, curious beasts are excavated in archeological digs, Charles Darwin's daughter describes the challenges of breeding pigeons, and a forest of trees shift and sigh in their sleep. With a keen sense of irony that rejects an anthropocentric worldview and an imagination both philosophical and playful, the poems in this collection are marked by a tireless curiosity about the intricate workings of life, consciousness, and humanity's place in the universe.

Evolutionary Mythology in the Writings of Kurt Vonnegut

Evolutionary Mythology in the Writings of Kurt Vonnegut
Author: Gilbert McInnis
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2011
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9781933146997

This research monograph is an important contribution to the study of the author, Kurt Vonnegut and the great evolutionary scientist Charles Darwin. The book examines Darwin's influence on the American culture that were Vonnegut's major focus and interest and the source of his importance as a major American writer of the later half of the 20th century. This book is relevant in its attempt to understand, in Vonnegut's novels, how Darwin's theory of evolution functions as a cosmogonic myth that is widely accepted in order to explain why the world is as it is and why things happen as they do, to provide a rationale for social customs and observances, and to establish the sanctions for the rules by which Vonnegut's characters conduct their lives. Moreover, this book deals with how and why Kurt Vonnegut's fiction represents the changing human image resulting from Darwinism. The author discovered and developed his literary theory of "Evolution as a Mythology" from the novel Galápagos (Kurt Vonnegut,1985). McInnis persuasively developed theory suggests changes to the American (and English) literary landscape with a new and dynamic way to interpret literature, something the literary field has not seen since since Jean-Francois Lyotard described his ideas on narrative in his essay, the "Postmodern Condition," published in Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction in the early 1980's.

Insect Mythology

Insect Mythology
Author: Gene Kritsky
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2000
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0595150179

Mythology is a subject that has entertained people for thousands of years. These stories of gods and supernatural beings of the distant past are important in explaining how things came to be and are an integral part of societies. Insect myths are numerous and widespread in mythology, but have received little attention. This is the first book dedicated specifically to showing the important roles insects have played in mythology. This is a comprehensive and readable survey of insect myths from around the world. The book ranges from older, better-known insect myths such as sacred scarabs to new unpublished subjects such as insects as examples of parallel mythology. Numerous black and white figures are found in the book including new figures not previously seen in entomological literature. How insects are related to larger themes of mythology such as symbols and parallel mythology is discussed. Insects in Old World mythology (Egypt, China, etc.) and New World mythology (Native American, Mayan, etc.) are featured. This book brings to light the fascinating role that insects played in mythology and is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference on the subject.

The Darwin Myth

The Darwin Myth
Author: Benjamin Wiker
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2009-06-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1596981172

The Darwin Myth casts aside Darwinism's politically correct veneer and offers a critical, scientific analysis of Darwin's life and his history–changing theory. Without vilifying or deifying Darwin, Wiker reveals the story of the complicated man with a love for family, science, and a passion to eliminate God from public thought.

Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure

Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure
Author: Jennifer Thermes
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2016-10-04
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1613129718

In 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on his first voyage. Though he was a scientist by profession, he was an explorer at heart. While journeying around South America for the first time aboard a ninety-foot-long ship named the Beagle, Charles collected insets, dug up bones, galloped with gauchos, encountered volcanoes and earthquakes, and even ate armadillo for breakfast! The discoveries he made during this adventure would later inspire ideas that changed how we see the world. Complete with mesmerizing map work that charts Darwin's thrilling five-year voyage, as well as "Fun Facts" and more, Charles Darwin's Around-the-World Adventure captures the beauty and mystery of nature with wide-eyed wonder.

The Not-So-Intelligent Designer

The Not-So-Intelligent Designer
Author: Abby Hafer
Publisher: Lutterworth Press
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2016-09-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0718844467

Why do men's testicles hang outside the body? Why does our appendix sometimes explode and kill us? And who does the Designer like better, anyway - us, or squid? These and other questions are addressed in The Not-So-Intelligent Designer. Dr. Abby Hafer argues that the human body has many faulty design features that would never have been the choice of an intelligent creator. She also points out other animals that got better body parts, which makes the Designer look a bit strange; discusses the history and politics of Intelligent Design and creationism; reveals animals that shouldn't exist according to Intelligent Design; and disposes of the idea of irreducible complexity. Her points are illustrated with pictures (by Alexander Winkler), wit, and erudition.

Darwin's On the Origin of Species

Darwin's On the Origin of Species
Author: Daniel Duzdevich
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2014-02-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0253011744

An essential new edition of the 19th-century scientific masterpiece that translates Darwin’s Victorian prose into modern English: “Most useful” (Walter Brock, Columbia University). Charles Darwin’s most famous book On the Origin of Species is without question one of the most important books ever written. Yet many students have great difficulty understanding it. While even the grandest works of Victorian English can be a challeng for modern readers, Darwin’s dense scientific prose is especially difficult to navigate. For an era in which Darwin is more talked about than read, doctoral student Daniel Duzdevich offers a clear, modern English rendering of Darwin’s first edition. Neither an abridgement nor a summary, this version might best be described as a translation for contemporary English readers. A monument to reasoned insight, the Origin illustrates the value of extensive reflection, carefully gathered evidence, and sound scientific reasoning. By removing the linguistic barriers to understanding and appreciating the Origin, this edition brings 21st-century readers into closer contact with Darwin’s revolutionary ideas.