Darwinian Heresies [Paperback]

This 2004 book traces the history of evolutionary thought, and challenges many long-established assumptions.Darwinian Heresies looks at the history of evolutionary thought, breaking through much of the conventional thinking and seeing if there are assumption or theories that are blinding us to important issues. The collection, which includes some of today's leading historians and philosophers of science, digs beneath the surface and shows that not all is precisely as it is too often assumed. It is suggested that Darwin's true roots lie in Germany, not his native England, that Russian evolutionism is more signifcant than many are prepared to allow, and that the true influence on twentieth century evolution biology was not Charles Darwin at all, but his often-despised contemporary, Herbert Spencer.Darwinian Heresies looks at the history of evolutionary thought, breaking through much of the conventional thinking and seeing if there are assumption or theories that are blinding us to important issues. The collection, which includes some of today's leading historians and philosophers of science, digs beneath the surface and shows that not all is precisely as it is too often assumed. It is suggested that Darwin's true roots lie in Germany, not his native England, that Russian evolutionism is more signifcant than many are prepared to allow, and that the true influence on twentieth century evolution biology was not Charles Darwin at all, but his often-despised contemporary, Herbert Spencer.Including some of today's leading historians and philosophers of science, this collection demonstrates that not all is precisely as it is too often assumed. Thus, the contributors to this volume suggest that Darwin's true roots lie in Germany, not his native England, that Russian evolutionism is more significant than many are prepared to allow, and that the true influence on twentieth century evolutionary biology was not Charles Darwin at all, but his often-despised contemporary,lÃ(