Darwin and Darwinism
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Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is widely considered one of the greatest intellectual revolutionaries of all time. The revolution that bears his name is still in progress. This web-site aims to make his accomplishments more widely available and better understood. It provides materials, including background, context and commentary, for the study of his life, works, and influence.
Upcoming Events and Lectures
Darwin and the Galapagos
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August 14th & 15th, 9:00 am - 5:00pm
Location: California Academy of Sciences
To commemorate the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species the California Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Pacific Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), will sponsor a two-day symposium on Darwin and the Galapagos on August 14-15, 2009.
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Symposium Speakers Include:
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Reservations: To pre-register for the symposium, please visit the AAAS-Pacific Division’s registration page at http://www.sou.edu/AAASPD/2009SANFRANCISCO/Registration09.html or call (541) 552-6869. On-site registration will also be available the day of the event, subject to available seating. The registration center will be set up near the main entry to the California Academy of Sciences beginning at 8:00 am. |
Past Events and Lectures
Spring 2009
"Evolve", a city-wide celebration of the bicentennial of the publication of The Origin of Species. Several institutions are involved, including the California Academy of Sciences, The Commonwealth Club, the Jewish Community Center, the San Francisco Public Library, the Strybing Arboretum.
Darwin Lecture Series - Patagonia and the Pampas - Darwin in Southern South America
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Gary Williams, Curator, Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, California Academy of Sciences
February 17th, 12:15 pm at California Academy of Sciences
More than half of Darwin’s book, The Voyage of the Beagle, treats southern South America. From 1832-1835, Charles Darwin traveled extensively in the Pampas and Patagonia. Dr. Williams will present a natural history of the region based on his own four travel excursions over two decades following Darwin’s travels more than a century and a half later.
Reservations: SOLD OUT! Free with General Admission, but you must RSVP as seating is limited. Please call the Naturalist Center at 415-379-5494. |
Darwin Lecture Series - Leaping Lizards! Charles Darwin Explores the Galapagos
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February 24th, 12:15 pm at California Academy of Sciences
Terrence Gosliner, Curator, Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, California Academy of Sciences
Dr. Gosliner will focus on providing an accurate portrayal of how Darwin’s visit to the Galapagos shaped his ideas on evolution by means of natural selection. Popular mythology has distorted Darwin’s immediate impressions of the Galapagos and how critical the islands were in shaping his ideas about evolution. The Galapagos were important in forming his ideas, but not in the same way depicted in most biology text books and popular culture. Reservations: SOLD OUT! Free with General Admission, but you must RSVP as seating is limited. Please call the Naturalist Center at 415-379-5494. |
Darwin Lecture Series - Charles Darwin and the Heyday of Natural History
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John Dillon, Lecturer, History of Science, University Extensions at Berkeley, SF State, and Stanford University
March 3rd, 12:15 pm at California Academy of Sciences
Never has the status of science and scientists been held in higher esteem and never has the public taken a greater personal interest in natural history than in the mid 19th century when Charles Darwin was developing his revolutionary insights. During this Heyday no middle class home was without its display of sea shells, or butterflies, or stuffed birds - the home aquarium became fashionable, nature guides were best sellers, and the first dinosaur theme park was built. Most of today’s great public science museums, including the California Academy of Sciences, were founded amid this enchantment with natural history. John Dillon will examine the irony of how Darwin's work was nurtured by this Heyday yet hastened its demise.
Reservations: Free with General Admission, but you must RSVP as seating is limited. Please call the Naturalist Center at 415-379-5494. |
Darwin Lecture Series - Collecting Evolution: The Untold Story of Darwin's Vindication by the 1905-06 Galapagos Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences
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Matthew James, Professor of Paleontology & Chair, Dept. of Geology, Sonoma State University
March 10th, 12:15 pm at California Academy of Sciences
The 89-foot schooner Academy set sail in June 1905 and over 17 months collected some 75,000 biological specimens from the Galapagos Islands. Professor James will examine the historical background of the expedition, the lives of the scientists on board, why Darwin went to the Galapagos in 1835 on board the HMS Beagle, and the lasting significance of the 1905-06 expedition today with regard to the conservation of rare species and evolutionary studies based on DNA. Reservations: Free with General Admission, but you must RSVP as seating is limited. Please call the Naturalist Center at 415-379-5494. |
Documents
On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection. Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society (Zoology) 3:45-62. With an introduction and commentary by Michael T. Ghiselin. The reading of this joint communication by Darwin and Wallace on July 1, 1858 may be considered the "opening shot" in the Darwinian Revolution.
Download PDF (332kb) »
(Currently in preparation.) In four parts: 1) an essay on Darwin's life and works, 2) a detailed chronology of Darwin's life, 3) a biographical dictionary, and 4) extensive bibliographies including secondary literature as well as Darwin's own publications.
This site is sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences, and its Center for the History and Philosophy of Science, chaired by Michael T. Ghiselin.
