Ebook381 pages10 hours
An Elusive Victorian: The Evolution of Alfred Russel Wallace
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
Codiscoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection, Alfred Russel Wallace should be recognized as one of the titans of Victorian science. Instead he has long been relegated to a secondary place behind Darwin. Worse, many scholars have overlooked or even mocked his significant contributions to other aspects of Victorian culture. With An Elusive Victorian, Martin Fichman provides the first comprehensive analytical study of Wallace's life and controversial intellectual career.
Fichman examines not only Wallace's scientific work as an evolutionary theorist and field naturalist but also his philosophical concerns, his involvement with theism, and his commitment to land nationalization and other sociopolitical reforms such as women's rights. As Fichman shows, Wallace worked throughout his life to integrate these humanistic and scientific interests. His goal: the development of an evolutionary cosmology, a unified vision of humanity's place in nature and society that he hoped would ensure the dignity of all individuals.
To reveal the many aspects of this compelling figure, Fichman not only reexamines Wallace's published works, but also probes the contents of his lesser known writings, unpublished correspondence, and copious annotations in books from his personal library. Rather than consider Wallace's science as distinct from his sociopolitical commitments, An Elusive Victorian assumes a mutually beneficial relationship between the two, one which shaped Wallace into one of the most memorable characters of his time. Fully situating Wallace's wide-ranging work in its historical and cultural context, Fichman's innovative and insightful account will interest historians of science, religion, and Victorian culture as well as biologists.
Fichman examines not only Wallace's scientific work as an evolutionary theorist and field naturalist but also his philosophical concerns, his involvement with theism, and his commitment to land nationalization and other sociopolitical reforms such as women's rights. As Fichman shows, Wallace worked throughout his life to integrate these humanistic and scientific interests. His goal: the development of an evolutionary cosmology, a unified vision of humanity's place in nature and society that he hoped would ensure the dignity of all individuals.
To reveal the many aspects of this compelling figure, Fichman not only reexamines Wallace's published works, but also probes the contents of his lesser known writings, unpublished correspondence, and copious annotations in books from his personal library. Rather than consider Wallace's science as distinct from his sociopolitical commitments, An Elusive Victorian assumes a mutually beneficial relationship between the two, one which shaped Wallace into one of the most memorable characters of his time. Fully situating Wallace's wide-ranging work in its historical and cultural context, Fichman's innovative and insightful account will interest historians of science, religion, and Victorian culture as well as biologists.
Related to An Elusive Victorian
Related ebooks
Of Penguins and Polar Bears: A History of Cold Water Cruising Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrossroads in Time Philby and Angleton A Story of Treachery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMutiny or Murder?: The Bloodsoaked Voyage of the Chapman Convict Ship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSons Of The Southern Cross Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rolling On: Two Hundred Years of Blair Iron and Steel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEngland under the Tudors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life of Richard Cadbury: Socialist, Philanthropist & Chocolatier Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Archaeological Guide to Walking Hadrian’s Wall from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend (West to East) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Boer War Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Story of Big Creek Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrypts of London: Past and Present Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Britain's Working Coast in Victorian and Edwardian Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Tobacco Fields of Meath Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Our Selection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBath and Bristol - Painted by Laura A. Happerfield, Descibed by Stanley Hutton Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNymphs of the Pavement: Sin, Scandal and Vice in Victorian Lincolnshire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRare British Breeds: Endangered Species in the UK Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA History of Penistone and District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFar from the Madding Crowd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Period Homes - Styles & Original Features: An Easy Reference Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLowestoft in Olden Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hertfordshire Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLighthouses of Greater Los Angeles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSt Paul's Cathedral: Archaeology and History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVictorian Country Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bristol: A Worshipful Town and Famous City: An Archaeological Assessment from Prehistory to 1900 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMidnight Ride Industrial Dawn: Paul Revere and the Growth of American Enterprise Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Disease and Sanitation in Victorian Britian: Lessons for the Third World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Biology For You
The Obesity Code: the bestselling guide to unlocking the secrets of weight loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy 101: From Muscles and Bones to Organs and Systems, Your Guide to How the Human Body Works Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peptide Protocols: Volume One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dopamine Detox: Biohacking Your Way To Better Focus, Greater Happiness, and Peak Performance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Will Make You Smarter: 150 New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ (Revised Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emotional Blackmail: When the People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation, and Guilt to Manipulate You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Woman: An Intimate Geography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winner Effect: The Neuroscience of Success and Failure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vax-Unvax: Let the Science Speak Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Genius Kitchen: Over 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Make Your Brain Sharp, Body Strong, and Taste Buds Happy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLies My Gov't Told Me: And the Better Future Coming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for An Elusive Victorian
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
An Elusive Victorian - Martin Fichman
Enjoying the preview?
Page 1 of 1