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Richard Owen (Paperback)
Patrick H. Armstrong
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Brilliant, hard-working, immensely productive and influential, the
naturalist Richard Owen was a great promoter of science, and played
a large role in shaping London’s Natural History Museum. An often
difficult and arrogant individual, he was accused of plagiarism and
bullying, and is the only man whom Charles Darwin claimed to hate.
Although strongly opposed to Darwin and Thomas Huxley’s theories
of evolution through natural selection, there is evidence that a
few of Owen’s ideas were not so very distant from theirs. This
biography gives an account of Owen’s life and work, providing
possible psychological and social reasons for some of his more
controversial characteristics, and his sometimes rather strained
relations with his scientific contemporaries.
Just how far did Charles Darwin's luck - both good and bad - affect
his life and scientific discoveries? One might make a case for
saying that Darwin's life was dogged by ill-luck (or perhaps
ill-fortune is more appropriate). His mother died when he was
seven; he was sent to a school at which he 'learnt little'; he left
Edinburgh Medical School after two years, unqualified. He undertook
a five-year voyage although he was prone to sea-sickness; his
girlfriend (of whom there is evidence he was very fond) married
someone else a few months into this voyage. He was affected by
ill-health throughout much of his life. One of his children appears
to have been mentally handicapped and this child, and also his
beloved Annie, died in infancy. In addition to all this, his
brother became addicted to drugs.On the other hand one could argue
that he had a privileged and fortunate life - perhaps the more
common view. At a number of key points in his life he made a
choice, or others made a choice, or circumstances occurred, that
profoundly influenced the path that he took. There is a school of
thought, one that this book investigates, that although Darwin came
to the right conclusions, he did not actually follow the right path
in getting there. While his science was sometimes flawed, he had
the distinct knack of good instinct. Whilst on his voyage to the
Galapagos vital evidence that would have led to his theories
becoming clearer quite literally slipped through his fingers -
Galapagos turtles were caught, examined and their shells thrown
overboard. Had he been more thorough, Darwin may have noticed that
the clues to his theory of evolution were on these very shells.
This is an annual collection of studies of individuals who have
made major contributions to the development of geography and
geographical thought. Subjects are drawn from all periods and from
all parts of the world, and include famous names as well as those
less well known: explorers, independent thinkers and scholars. Each
paper describes the geographer's education, life and work and
discusses their influence and spread of academic ideas, and
includes a select bibliography and brief chronology. The work
includes a general index and a cumulative index of geographers
listed in volumes published to date.
This volume is an annual collection of studies on individuals who
have made major contributions to the development of geography or
geographical thought. Each chapter describes the geographer's
education, life and work, discusses their influence, and includes a
bibliography of their works.
Nearly 200 years after his birth in 1809, and nearly 150 years
after the publication of his groundbreaking book The Origin of
Species, Charles Darwin remains a controversial figure in science
and society. But how much does today's student really know about
Darwin and his times? This A-to-Z reference work provides user with
an understanding of the intellectual, social, and material world in
which Darwin lived. This culture profoundly influenced Darwin's
work in biology and geology, in general, and his theory of natural
selection, in particular. Understanding this period and Darwin's
life and times is essential for understanding the development of
evolution and biology. In essence, this encyclopedia will cover
everything that made Darwin one of the most influential figures of
the last 150 years. All Things Darwin covers all the important
ideas, voyages, people, and things that influenced the life and
work of Charles Darwin and, through him, the subsequent history of
science and society. Entries include: BLArchaeopteryx BLCorals and
Coral Reefs BLGeological Time Scale BLKarl Marx BLOrigins of Life
BLAdam Smith BLTortoises and Turtles BLVoyage of the Beagle In
addition, the volume includes entries on people and idea that
Darwin's work influenced.
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