The Reception of Charles Darwin in Europe

Description

Charles Darwin is a crucial figure in nineteenth-century science with an extensive and varied reception in different countries and disciplines. His theory had a revolutionary impact not only on biology, but also on other natural sciences and the new social sciences. The term 'Darwinism', already popular in Darwin's lifetime, ranged across many different areas and ideological aspects, and his own ideas about the implications of evolution for human cognitive, emotional, social and ethical capacities were often interpreted in a way that did not mirror his own intentions. The implications for religious, philosophical and political issues and institutions remain as momentous today as in his own time. This volume conveys the many-sidedness of Darwin's reception and exhibit his far-reaching impact on our self- understanding as human beings.

Eve-Marie Engels is Professor of Ethics in the Life Sciences at the University of Tubingen, Germany. Thomas F. Glick is Professor of History at Boston University, USA.

Briefly reviewed in the Year's work in English Studies journal, vol 89, No. 1 'All in all, Engels and Glick's volumes are important additions to our study of Darwin's reception'