In Darwin's Shadow

The Life and Science of Alfred Russel Wallace: A Biographical Study on the Psychology of History

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, History, Biography & Memoir, Reference
Cover of the book In Darwin's Shadow by Michael Shermer, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Shermer ISBN: 9780199923854
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: August 15, 2002
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Michael Shermer
ISBN: 9780199923854
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: August 15, 2002
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Virtually unknown today, Alfred Russel Wallace was the co-discoverer of natural selection with Charles Darwin and an eminent scientist who stood out among his Victorian peers as a man of formidable mind and equally outsized personality. Now Michael Shermer rescues Wallace from the shadow of Darwin in this landmark biography. Here we see Wallace as perhaps the greatest naturalist of his age--spending years in remote jungles, collecting astounding quantities of specimens, writing thoughtfully and with bemused detachment at his reception in places where no white man had ever gone. Here, too, is his supple and forceful intelligence at work, grappling with such arcane problems as the bright coloration of caterpillars, or shaping his 1858 paper on natural selection that prompted Darwin to publish (with Wallace) the first paper outlining the theory of evolution. Shermer also shows that Wallace's self-trained intellect, while powerful, also embraced surprisingly naive ideas, such as his deep interest in the study of spiritual manifestations and seances. Shermer shows that the same iconoclastic outlook that led him to overturn scientific orthodoxy as he worked in relative isolation also led him to embrace irrational beliefs, and thus tarnish his reputation. As author of Why People Believe Weird Things and founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, Shermer is an authority on why people embrace the irrational. Now he turns his keen judgment and incisive analysis to Wallace's life and his contradictory beliefs, restoring a leading figure in the rise of modern science to his rightful place.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Virtually unknown today, Alfred Russel Wallace was the co-discoverer of natural selection with Charles Darwin and an eminent scientist who stood out among his Victorian peers as a man of formidable mind and equally outsized personality. Now Michael Shermer rescues Wallace from the shadow of Darwin in this landmark biography. Here we see Wallace as perhaps the greatest naturalist of his age--spending years in remote jungles, collecting astounding quantities of specimens, writing thoughtfully and with bemused detachment at his reception in places where no white man had ever gone. Here, too, is his supple and forceful intelligence at work, grappling with such arcane problems as the bright coloration of caterpillars, or shaping his 1858 paper on natural selection that prompted Darwin to publish (with Wallace) the first paper outlining the theory of evolution. Shermer also shows that Wallace's self-trained intellect, while powerful, also embraced surprisingly naive ideas, such as his deep interest in the study of spiritual manifestations and seances. Shermer shows that the same iconoclastic outlook that led him to overturn scientific orthodoxy as he worked in relative isolation also led him to embrace irrational beliefs, and thus tarnish his reputation. As author of Why People Believe Weird Things and founding publisher of Skeptic magazine, Shermer is an authority on why people embrace the irrational. Now he turns his keen judgment and incisive analysis to Wallace's life and his contradictory beliefs, restoring a leading figure in the rise of modern science to his rightful place.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Tracing Language Movement in Africa by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book The Lovers' Quarrel by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book About to Die by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Tausret by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Choosing Our Religion by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Religion on the Edge by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Henry Ford by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book On the Frontlines by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Rehearsal for Reconstruction by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Animating the Science Fiction Imagination by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book The Gestural Origin of Language by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Buzz to Brilliance:A Beginning and Intermediate Guide to Trumpet Playing by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Rights Forfeiture and Punishment by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book The Fiscalization of Social Policy by Michael Shermer
Cover of the book Yoga Body : The Origins Of Modern Posture Practice by Michael Shermer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy