Darwin biography. Scientist Charles Darwin: biography, theories and discoveries
Charles Darwin at the age of seven (1816), a year before his mother's untimely death.
Charles's father is Robert Darwin.
The following year, as a student of natural history, he joined the Plinian student society, which actively discussed radical materialism. During this time he assisted Robert Edmond Grant. Robert Edmund Grant) in his studies of the anatomy and life cycle of marine invertebrates. At the meetings of the society in March 1827, he presented brief reports about his first discoveries, which changed the view of familiar things. In particular, he showed that the so-called bryozoan eggs Flustra have the ability to move independently using cilia and are actually larvae; in another discovery, he notices that small spherical bodies that were thought to be young stages of algae Fucus loreus, are the egg cocoons of the proboscis leech Pontobdella muricata. One day, in Darwin's presence, Grant praised Lamarck's evolutionary ideas. Darwin was amazed at this enthusiastic speech, but remained silent. He recently picked up similar ideas from his grandfather, Erasmus, after reading his zoonomy, and therefore was already aware of the contradictions of this theory. During his second year in Edinburgh, Darwin attended Robert Jamieson's natural history course. Robert Jameson), which covered geology, including the controversy between Neptunists and Plutonists. However, Darwin did not then have a passion for geological sciences, although he received sufficient training to judge the subject intelligently. During this time he studied the classification of plants and took part in working with the extensive collections at the University Museum, one of the largest museums in Europe of that period.
Cambridge period of life 1828-1831
While still a young man, Darwin became a member of the scientific elite.
Darwin's father, having learned that his son had abandoned his medical studies, was annoyed and invited him to enter Cambridge Christian College and be ordained as a priest of the Church of England. According to Darwin himself, the days spent in Edinburgh sowed doubts in him about the dogmas of the Anglican Church. Therefore, before making a final decision, he takes time to think. At this time, he diligently reads theological books, and ultimately convinces himself of the acceptability of church dogmas and prepares for admission. While studying in Edinburgh, he forgot some of the basics necessary for admission, and so he studied with a private teacher in Shrewsbury and entered Cambridge after the Christmas holidays, at the very beginning of 1828.
Darwin began to study, but, according to Darwin himself, he did not go too deep into his studies, devoting more time to horse riding, shooting a gun and hunting (fortunately, attending lectures was voluntary). His cousin William Fox William Darwin Fox) introduced him to entomology and brought him closer to a circle of people interested in collecting insects. As a result, Darwin develops a passion for collecting beetles. Darwin himself cites the following story to confirm his passion: “Once, while tearing off a piece of old bark from a tree, I saw two rare beetles and grabbed one of them with each hand, but then I saw a third, of some new kind, which I could not miss, and I stuck that beetle , which he held in his right hand, into his mouth. Alas! He released some extremely caustic liquid, which burned my tongue so much that I was forced to spit out the beetle, and I lost it, as well as the third one.”. Some of his findings were published in Stevens' book. James Francis Stephens) "Illustrations of British Entomology" English. "Illustrations of British entomology" .
Henslow, John Stevens
He becomes a close friend and follower of botany professor John Stevens Henslowe. John Stevens Henslow). Through his acquaintance with Henslow he became acquainted with other leading naturalists, becoming known in their circles as "He who walks with Henslow." “the man who walks with Henslow” ). As exams approached, Darwin concentrated on his studies. At this time he is reading "Proof of Christianity"(English) "Evidences of Christianity") William Paley William Paley), whose language and presentation delight Darwin. At the conclusion of his studies, in January 1831, Darwin made good progress in theology, studied the classics of literature, mathematics and physics, and eventually became 10th in the list of 178 who passed the exam.
Darwin remained in Cambridge until June. He studies Paley's work "Natural Theology"(English) "Natural Theology"), in which the author makes theological arguments to explain the nature of nature, explaining adaptation as the influence of God through the laws of nature. He is reading Herschel's new book. John Herschel), which describes the highest goal of natural philosophy as the comprehension of laws through inductive reasoning, based on observations. He also pays special attention to the book by Alexander Humboldt. Alexander von Humboldt) "Personal Narrative"(English) ""Personal Narrative""), in which the author describes his travels. Humboldt's descriptions of the island of Tenerife inspired Darwin and his friends with the idea of going there, upon completion of their studies, to study natural history in tropical conditions. To prepare for this, he takes a course in geology from the Reverend Adam Sedgwick. Adam Sedgwick), and then goes with him in the summer to map rocks in Wales. Two weeks later, returning from a short geological trip to North Wales, he finds a letter from Henslow, in which he recommended Darwin as a suitable person for the unpaid position of naturalist to the captain of the Beagle. HMS Beagle), Robert Fitzroy (eng. Robert FitzRoy), under whose command an expedition to the shores of South America should begin in four weeks. Darwin was ready to immediately accept the offer, but his father objected to this kind of adventure, because he believed that a two-year voyage was nothing more than a waste of time. But the timely intervention of his uncle Josiah Wedgwood II Josiah Wedgwood II) persuades the father to agree.
Naturalist's Voyage on the Beagle 1831-1836
Voyage of the Beagle
On board were three Fuegians who had been taken to England during the last Beagle expedition around February 1830. They had spent a year in England and were now brought back to Tierra del Fuego as missionaries. Darwin found these people friendly and civilized, while their fellow tribesmen looked like “wretched, degraded savages,” just as domestic and wild animals differed from each other. For Darwin, these differences primarily demonstrated the meaning of cultural superiority, but not racial inferiority. Unlike his learned friends, he now thought that there was no insurmountable gap between man and animals. A year later, this mission was abandoned. Fuegian, who was named Jimmy Button (eng. Jamie Button), began to live the same way as other Aborigines: he had a wife and had no desire to return to England.
Beagle examines the atolls of the Cocos Islands, with the goal of elucidating the mechanisms of their formation. The success of this research was largely determined by Darwin's theoretical thinking. Fitzroy began to write the official presentation trips Beagle, and after reading Darwin's diary, he suggests including it in the report.
During his journey, Darwin visited the island of Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, the coast of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, Tasmania and the Cocos Islands, from where he brought back a large number of observations. He presented the results in the works “Diary of a Naturalist’s Research” ( The Journal of a Naturalist, ), “Zoology of the voyage on the Beagle” ( Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle, ), “Structure and distribution of coral reefs” ( The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, ), etc. One of the interesting natural phenomena first described by Darwin in the scientific literature was ice crystals of a special form, penitentes, formed on the surface of glaciers in the Andes.
Darwin and Fitzroy
Captain Robert Fitzroy
Before setting off on his journey, Darwin met with Fitzroy. Subsequently, the captain recalled this meeting and said that Darwin was at very serious risk of being rejected because of the shape of his nose. Being an adherent of Lavater's doctrine, he believed that there was a connection between a person's character and his physical features, and therefore he doubted that a person with such a nose as Darwin could have had the energy and determination sufficient to make the journey. Despite the fact that “FitzRoy’s temper was the most intolerable,” “he possessed many noble traits: he was faithful to his duty, extremely generous, courageous, decisive, possessed of indomitable energy and was a sincere friend of all who were under his command.” Darwin himself notes that the captain’s attitude towards him was very good, “but it was difficult to get along with this man in the closeness that was inevitable for us, who dined at the same table together with him in his cabin. We quarreled several times, because, falling into irritation, he completely lost the ability to reason.” Nevertheless, there were serious differences between them based on political views. FitzRoy was a staunch conservative, a defender of black slavery, and encouraged the reactionary colonial policy of the English government. An extremely religious man, a blind supporter of church dogma, FitzRoy was unable to understand Darwin's doubts on the issue of the immutability of species. Subsequently, he was indignant at Darwin for “publishing such a blasphemous book (he became very religious) as Origin of species».
Scientific activity after return
Darwin and religion
The death of Darwin's daughter Annie in 1851 was the final straw that turned an already doubting Darwin away from the idea of an all-good God.
In his biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin, Charles mentioned false rumors that Erasmus cried out to God on his deathbed. Charles concluded his story with the words: “Such was the Christian feeling in this country in 1802.<...>We can at least hope that nothing like this exists today.” Despite these good wishes, very similar stories accompanied the death of Charles himself. The most famous of these was the so-called "story of Lady Hope", an English preacher, published in 1915, which claimed that Darwin underwent a religious conversion during an illness shortly before his death. Such stories were actively spread by various kinds of religious groups and, in the end, acquired the status of urban legends, but they were refuted by Darwin's children and discarded by historians as false.
In December 2008, production was completed on the film Creation, a biographical film about Charles Darwin.
Marriages and children
Concepts associated with Darwin's name, but to which he did not have a hand
Quotes
- “There is nothing more remarkable than the spread of religious unbelief, or rationalism, during the second half of my life.”
- “There is no evidence that man was originally endowed with the ennobling belief in the existence of an omnipotent God.”
- “The more we understand the unchanging laws of nature, the more incredible miracles become for us.”
Literature cited
Sources
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Darwin Charles Robert (1809-1882), English naturalist, creator of the theory of the origin of species through natural selection.
Born 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury. The son of a doctor, Charles showed an interest in wildlife from early childhood, which was greatly encouraged by his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, a famous naturalist. At the request of his father, Charles entered the University of Edinburgh to study medicine.
Soon, seeing his son’s indifference to medical sciences, his father suggested that he choose the profession of a priest, and in 1828 Darwin began to study theology at Cambridge. Here he met a brilliant specialist in the field of natural sciences, J. S. Gensloe, and an expert in the geology of Wales, A. Sedgwick. Communication with them, excursions and work in the field prompted Charles to abandon his career as a clergyman.
On Henslow's recommendation, he took part as a naturalist in the circumnavigation of the world on the Beagle. During this expedition, which lasted from December 1831 to October 1836, Darwin crossed three oceans, visited Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, Brazil, Argentina, Patagonia, Chile, Galapagos, Tahiti, New Zealand, Tasmania and other countries. His responsibilities included collecting collections and describing the plants and animals of the British colonies in South America.
In Brazil and Uruguay, Darwin discovered 80 species of birds, and also found the jaw of Megatherium, an extinct giant sloth, and the tooth of a fossil horse. These findings, indicating that the animal world of Latin America was once completely different, made him think about the reasons for the change and development of nature. Linking the evolution of living organisms with changes in living conditions, he suggested that the emergence of new species obeys certain patterns.
The final impetus for the formalization of thoughts into a scientific theory was Darwin's stay in the Galapagos. This corner of the earth is practically isolated from the rest of the world, and using the example of local bird species, it was possible to trace the ways in which living forms change depending on the state of the environment.
Darwin returned home laden with collections and diary entries. He began processing materials in London, then continued work in Down, a small town near the capital.
The very first articles on geology and biology, based on data obtained during the trip, placed Darwin among the largest scientists in Great Britain (in particular, he put forward his version of the formation of coral reefs). But his main task was the creation of a new evolutionary theory.
In 1858, he decided to report it in print.
A year later, when Darwin turned 50, his fundamental work “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life” was published and created a real sensation, and not only in the scientific world.
In 1871, Darwin developed his doctrine in the book “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection”: he considered the arguments in favor of the fact that humans descend from an ape-like ancestor.
Darwin's views formed the basis of the materialistic theory of evolution of the organic world of the Earth and, in general, served to enrich and develop scientific ideas about the origin of biological species.
On the night of April 18, 1882, Darwin suffered a heart attack; a day later he died. Buried in Westminster Abbey.
Charles Darwin was drawn to biology from childhood. Whatever he undertook: medicine or theology, everywhere he received tips in the area that interested him most. His greatest work on the origin of species - the result of many years of work and study of the nature of humans, animals and plants, became monumental for subsequent generations of scientists
Childhood and school
Charles Darwin was born into a very wealthy family. His father was a major financier and doctor, so the boy’s childhood was very cloudless. He was the fifth child of six born. One of Charles' grandfathers was also a scientist - naturalist Erasmus Darwin is his dad's father. Another grandfather was a very famous artist.
The Darwin family treated religious issues quite easily; his father had very open views on these topics: the children took communion in the Anglican Church, and then went to mass in the Unitarian church, where their mother took them.
Since he grew up in a family of scientists, he learned the basics of biology and botany from childhood.
At the age of eight, he went to day school, and at that time he was already interested in collecting and natural sciences. In the same year, his mother dies and all the worries about the six children fall on the father, who was quite far from raising children.
Therefore, in the fall of 1818, Charles and his older brother were sent to study at the first school they came across. The father immediately decides that the children will be at school all the time, not returning home either for lunch or on weekends. But this was far from the main problem. Charles was interested in natural sciences, and at school they emphasized literature. He had to study several languages and read classical manuscripts. Therefore, Charles is perceived as a mediocre student - teachers do not pay much attention to what he does during and after lessons. Taking advantage of his freedom, he begins to collect collections of minerals, shells and butterflies. A few years later, he takes up more “adult” hobbies - hunting and chemistry. The teachers were not too happy with this behavior, but no one dared to blame Charles. At the end of school, he was simply given a diploma with very mediocre grades, and with that they said goodbye to the strange pupil.
Tossing between sciences
During the summer holidays, in the break between school and entering the university, Charles also willingly helped his father in his medical practice - together they supported the poor of their hometown: they treated them for various diseases and injuries.
In 1825, Charles entered the University of Edinburgh. This time he is going to study medicine. But even here he becomes bored and uninteresting. “Surgery brings only pain and suffering to all living things!” - Darwin decides and after two years he quits his studies. Instead, he again finds himself a strange hobby - taxidermy. From a former black slave, he learns the basics of making stuffed animals and at the same time is surprised at the peculiarities of the physiology of different types of animals.
But in 1826, while studying natural history, he became acquainted with many interesting theories of that time. In particular, he is fascinated by the ideas of radical materialism. Having become interested in the theory of evolution, the basics of which were introduced to him by his grandfather, Darwin himself made small discoveries in the animal world.
In the second year of his studies, he becomes interested in geology, communicates with plutonists and neptunists, but does not last long - soon the passion for geology subsides, although the accumulated knowledge in this area will still be useful to him.
Having learned that his son has completely abandoned his studies in Edinburgh, his father invites him to become a priest. To do this, Charles enters the church school at Cambridge University. But theology does not attract Darwin as much as reading the classics used to. Therefore, he skips lectures and instead starts communicating with entomologists, horse riding and shooting a gun.
In preparation for his exams, Charles reads a lot of books on theology. Among them, he was very interested in “Natural Theology.” It talks about adaptation as God's providence. In addition, he met many famous scientists who later greatly influenced his life. Among them was professor of botany John Henslow. It was he who told him a lot about the development of plant species.
Expedition and first work
Among Darwin's favorite authors at that time was Alexander von Humboldt. His book “Personal Narrative” captivated Charles so much that he decided to go on a trip around the world with his friends, in particular to the island of Tenerife described in the book.
Here Professor Henslow helped him a little. He recommended that the captain of the Beagle take Darwin as an assistant on an expedition to South America. The journey was supposed to last five years.
During the expedition, Darwin wrote a lot about the climate and geography of the lands he saw; he sent some of his observations to relatives and friends, and some to Cambridge for publication. In addition, he begins to collect a collection of sea animals.
While in Patagonia, he discovers huge fossils of an unknown mammal. After making some calculations, Darwin concludes that the species disappeared quite recently, and most likely the animal looked like a huge sloth.
While in Chile, the Beagle crew witnessed a volcanic eruption. Charles, in turn, saw with his own eyes the tectonic changes that occurred in just a few days.
After returning to Great Britain, Darwin wrote a number of works based on what he saw and began work as secretary of the Geological Society of London.
In 1839 he married his cousin Emma Wedgwood and had ten children.
And in 1840-1842 his works were published: The Journal of a Naturalist, Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle and The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs.
In 1847, he and his wife moved from London to the town of Down, in Kent. It was there that he wrote his most famous work, On the Origin of Species.
Darwin's greatest work
Since 1837, Charles kept a diary in which he recorded his thoughts on varieties of various plants and breeds of domestic animals. In these records, he tried to understand what was the primary source of such a diversity of flora and fauna.
In 1842, his first essay on this topic was published. The scientist’s theory attracted the interest of his colleagues around the world. Thus, he began to correspond with the American scientist Ace Gray, the Englishmen Charles Lyell and Alfred Wallace. With the help of these and other naturalists, he wrote “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life,” which was first published in 1859.
The first edition sold out in just two days, although a record 1,250 copies were published at that time.
Nine years later, Darwin published another of his works, no less important than the previous one - “Changes in Animals and Plants in the Domestic State”, and in 1871 - “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection”, where he first outlined his theory of ape-like animals as direct ancestors person.
Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882 in Down. The body of the great scientist was buried in Westminster Abbey
- Of Darwin's ten children, three died in early childhood. The scientist believed that the reason was his close relationship with his wife. This theory became his scientific work.
- Before he got married, he wrote a list with pros and cons. And he made a decision only after a deep analysis of his motivation.
- A number of animals and plants, volcanic craters and cities are named after Darwin.
- Darwin took an honorable fourth place among the greatest Britons.
- Charles Darwin received 4 thousand votes in the elections to the US Congress in November 1912 in Georgia
Titles and awards
- 1853 - Royal medal.
- 1859 - Wollaston Medal
- 1864 – Copley Medal
Charles Darwin is a well-known English naturalist and traveler. He was one of the first to come to the conclusion and substantiate the idea that all types of living organisms evolve over time and descend from common ancestors.
Was born February 12, 1809 in Shropshire in the family of a successful doctor and financier Robert Darwin. There were six children in the family, and Charles was the fifth child. The scientist's grandfather was also a naturalist. After graduating from the Betler gymnasium, the scientist studied at several universities, in particular at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh. While studying at Cambridge, Darwin met such an experienced specialist in the field of natural science as John Henslow, as well as an expert in geology - Wales Sedgwick. Communicating with them, he became even more convinced of his desire to explore the world.
In 1831, Darwin set out on a trip around the world, which lasted six years. He crossed three oceans, visited Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand and many islands. During the voyage, he collected remarkable collections, and he outlined his impressions and observations in a two-volume book entitled “A Voyage Around the World on the Beagle,” which made him famous in the scientific community. Charles returned from this voyage as a formed scientist, who saw science as his only calling and meaning in life.
19th century. Darwin was born in 1809, on February 12 in the city of Shrewsbury, England. When he turned 16, the young man went to study at the University of Edinburgh. At first, Darwin entered the Faculty of Medicine, but soon realized that medicine and anatomy were not for him, and decided to change his place of study. Charles sent him to get an education at Cambridge, where he entered the Faculty of Religion. Here the obstinate Englishman realized that religion was not his destiny, and study did not attract him at all. Horse riding and shooting are another matter. However, the young man managed to make the strongest impression on his teachers.
One of them suggested that the young man go on the military corvette Beagle to serve as a natural scientist. Darwin's father was against his son's trip, but the teacher managed to persuade the strict parent, who believed that his son was looking for any excuse to skip school. Darwin boarded the ship at the age of 22. The next five years of the young man's life were spent in... The ship sailed around the world, leisurely cruising off the coast of South America.
During the journey, Charles saw many islands of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Darwin actively took advantage of the opportunity. He communicated with the primitive tribes that lived on these islands, observed unusual natural phenomena, saw unknown fossils, and discovered new species of plants and insects. During the trip, he did not look up from his notebook, constantly making notes. His observations during this time would become the basis of his scientific work. In 1836, Charles returned to his homeland. In the later years of his life he published books that earned him a reputation as one of the most famous biologists. Soon Darwin, based on his observations, came to the conclusion that animals and plants do not exist in their original form, but are constantly evolving.
For a long time he could not understand what the reasons were that forced species to evolve. However, he will be able to formulate the principle of natural selection. After his findings, Darwin did not immediately publish them, fearing criticism. He outlined the foundations of his theory only in 1842. For 4 years, he carefully collected evidence and accumulated facts that would help him unconditionally confirm the theory. Darwin's books such as The Origin of Species, The Preservation of Favored Breeds in the Struggle for Life, and The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection caused a great stir in society. Scales of criticism, approval and rave reviews, fame and popularity. All this was brought to the scientist by his scientific work.
In the last book, the author put forward the theory that man descended from apes. This was a shock to society. Darwin himself wasted no time in discussions with critics. The main reason why he was not like the critics was his poor health. As he traveled around the world, he suffered a relapse of a tropical disease. In addition, there were ardent defenders in society Darwin's theories. Such was, for example, the bright and eloquent Thomas Huxley. It is worth recognizing that by the time of Charles’s death, almost the entire scientific world recognized the correctness of the scientist’s theory. Charles was not the first to put forward such a theory. Before him, such assumptions were made by his grandfather - Erasmus Darwin and Jean Lamarck. But they could not substantiate their assumptions in detail and qualitatively. Darwin's influence on science was enormous. He made a real revolution in biology. Natural selection has become a broad concept, and scientists apply this principle to other