Romans 1:22
"Spurred by Alfred Russel Wallace’s famous letter outlining a very
similar theory, Darwin — to avoid pre-emption — published On the Origin of Species (1859) as an abstract, promising a much longer book supplying the evidence for his thesis.
"Spurred by Alfred Russel Wallace’s famous letter outlining a very
But he never published that longer book, even though it was, Shedinger tells us, three-quarters written by that time. He went on to publish works on orchids and sexual selection instead.
Two Questions Arise
Q: Why didn’t Darwin publish the evidence for his momentous theory?
Q: Why didn’t Darwin publish the evidence for his momentous theory?
Q: And why was his thesis hailed as one of the greatest ideas in science despite that fact?
Darwin often cited illness as a reason for not publishing. But Shedinger draws a different conclusion, based on reading the manuscript:
When the big book was eventually published in 1975, it promptly disappeared from public attention. Why?
Well, one reason, Shedinger says, is that it never did supply the promised evidence. Darwin continued to rely on artificial selection by humans as an analogy for unplanned natural selection. Instead of the promised long catalogue of facts, he offers ten proposed examples of natural selection, along with imaginary scenarios. From Schedinger: “Readers hoping to see a rich array of empirical evidence for the creative powers of natural selection would have been disappointed.”
Darwin often cited illness as a reason for not publishing. But Shedinger draws a different conclusion, based on reading the manuscript:
"Darwin, I want to suggest, knew that he did not have the kind of evidence necessary to prove the theory of natural selection, and his rhetoric of illness provided a ready excuse for his endless delays in presenting the promised evidence to the public. It was also a ready excuse for his absence from scientific meetings where he might be confronted by critics and have to defend his ideas. (p. 43)"
When the big book was eventually published in 1975, it promptly disappeared from public attention. Why?
Well, one reason, Shedinger says, is that it never did supply the promised evidence. Darwin continued to rely on artificial selection by humans as an analogy for unplanned natural selection. Instead of the promised long catalogue of facts, he offers ten proposed examples of natural selection, along with imaginary scenarios. From Schedinger: “Readers hoping to see a rich array of empirical evidence for the creative powers of natural selection would have been disappointed.”
EN&V