|
Annotated Bibliography
Primary
Darwin, Charles. The Autobiography
of Charles Darwin. Gardners, 2007. Print.
The autobiography of Darwin was
written in 1876 as a self-reflection intended for the private use of his
immediate family. Darwin documented his life and included anecdotes
including boyhood academic troubles, scientific discoveries, and awe
filled encounters with nature. The autobiography was intended to portray
Darwin to his children and grandchildren as a scientific man who was
reclusive but loved his family.
Darwin, Charles. "Charles Darwin
Journal." The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. Ed. Dr
John Van Wyhe. 27 Sept. 2010. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. <http://darwin-
online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=CUL-DAR158.1- 76&viewtype=side&pageseq=1>.
This primary source is the personal
journal of Charles Darwin spanning from 1838 to 1881. The journal
documents Darwin’s childhood, schooling, marriage, and reflections on
his work. The journal also expressed an insight into Darwin’s personal
views on slavery, marriage, religion, and evolution. Darwin’s journal
was never originally intended to be published so all Darwin’s writing is
candid and personal. The journal solidified the chronology of Darwin’s
work and offered a firsthand account of Darwin’s opinion of his work,
the exhaustive effort he exerted into his research, and how he
interacted with his family and wife. The journal had been reproduced
online with included annotations and notes which clarified several of
Darwin’s cryptic entries.
Darwin, Charles. The Descent of
Man in Relation to Sex. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1998.
Print.\
This primary source
documents Darwin’s evolutionary theory as applied to humans. He details
his theory of sexual selection, evolutionary psychology, and
evolutionary ethics. The book was written after The Origin of the
Species and was directed to the scientific community. This book is
the first in which Darwin focuses on human evolution. His strict
mechanistic and scientific interpretation of mankind explained evolution
without superstition or spiritualism. This book offered useful
information about human evolution and several theories which sparked
debate after its publication.
Darwin, Charles. "Letter 206 —
Darwin, C. R. to Darwin, E. C., 22 May [– 14 July] 1833." Darwin
Correspondence Project. University of Cambridge, 2010. Web. 04 Dec.
2010. <http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-206>.
This primary source was written by
Darwin to his sister Catherine, who lived in Maldonado Rio Plata, on May
22nd 1833. Darwin explains to his sister how he tires of
living in England but his passion for natural history inspires his to
stay. Darwin also comments on slavery. He recalls his encounters with
slavery in Brazil and how impressed he was with the slave’s countenance
and morals. He commented that abolition of slavery in England would be
an incredible achievement. This source explained Darwin’s encounters
with slavery and demonstrated Darwin’s disapproval of the system.
Sedgwick, Adam. "Letter 2548 —
Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, C. R., 24 Nov 1859." :: Darwin
Correspondence Project. The University of Cambridge, 2010. Web. 04
Dec. 2010. <http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-2548>.
This primary source was written by
fellow naturalist Adam Sedgwick to Darwin on November 24 1859. The
letter thanks Darwin for sending a copy of On Origins of Species
and offering Sedgwick’s praises and criticisms of the book. Sedgwick
tells Darwin he believes Darwin has strayed from the accepted scientific
method and strayed into wide conclusions that cannot be proven or
disproven. This source illustrated the mixed reactions to Darwin’s
theory of evolution among the scientific community. Sedgwick tells
Darwin parts of his theory are inspired, others questionable, and others
unfounded. The letter also showed how Darwin and his colleges interacted
and discussed highly controversial topics of the day.
Darwin, Charles. "Letter 2782 —
Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, Charles, 4 May [1860] :: Darwin
Correspondence Project." Darwin Correspondence Project.
University of Cambridge, 2010. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-2782>.
This letter serves as a primary
source. It was written by Charles Darwin to his college Charles Lyell on
May 4th 1860. The letter discusses Darwin and Lyell’s work
and Darwin offers advice to Lyell, urging his to conduct research on a
new discovery of flint tools found in France. The letter also refers to
several other renowned naturalists and scientists, including J.S
Newberry, A von Keyserting, J.M. Salter, and Andrew Murray. The letter
contains little information about Darwin’s personal life or any
reflections on his work. It does refer to a newspaper article titled
“National and individual rapacity vindicated by the law of nature”
published in the Manchester Guardian. The article is quoted in
the letter and illustrates how the public would often misconstrue
Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
Darwin, Charles Robert. Origin of
the Species. Melbourne: Vision Australia Information and
Library Service, 2002. Print.
This primary source documents
Darwin’s observations and resulting theory of evolution. It explains the
theories of natural selection, survival of the fittest, descent with
modification, and the evolution of organisms from preexisting organisms.
Darwin wrote this book for the scientific community and did not intend
to apply his work to religion or politics. This book supplied ample
information about all of Darwin’s theories and revealed how his voyage
on the Beagle influenced his work. Several topics covered in the
book were expanded upon in later books by Darwin.
Darwin, Charles. The Voyage of the
Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Research. Pacific
Studio, 2010. Print.
This primary source is Darwin’s
personal journal documents his five year journey on the HMS
Beagle. It includes travel notes and descriptions of people he met
during his voyage. Darwin also included several sketches of humans,
technology, and wildlife he encountered. The journal also includes
passages in which Darwin eloquently attacks slavery and expresses his
belief that all men have the right to be free. The journal supplies
detailed information about Darwin’s personal commentary during his
travels and his standpoint on slavery. The journal also reveals several
of Darwin’s early observations which would eventually progress into
Darwin’s theory of evolution. Because Darwin never intended the journal
to be published he writes frankly and does not conceal his observations
and opinions during his journey.
Secondary
Appleman, Philip. Darwin. New
York: Norton, 1970. Print.
This detailed biography of Darwin
illustrates the context of the time Darwin’s evolution was created. It
also details how evolution influences later philosophies, religions, and
politics. The book shows why Darwin’s work was so revolutionary and how
it has been adapted over time because of recent scientific advancements.
In addition, a section documents the continuing dispute between
creationism and evolution. The book also includes a number of poems
which masterfully recount Darwin’s profound impact on science. The book
includes reviews and criticisms from Darwin’s day and modern new
articles both supporting and criticizing evolution.
Desmond, Adrian J., and James R.
Moore. The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist Darwin. New
York: Warner, 1991. Print.
This biography supplied an in-depth
analysis of Darwin’s life, a complete timeline, summaries of all of
Darwin’s major works, and historical context to better understand
Darwin’s work and life. Besides providing the essential biography of
Darwin, the book provided detailed discussion of Darwin’s relationship
with his wife and children, especially his daughter Annie. The book also
supplied insight into Victorian lifestyle and culture, an environment
Darwin was exposed to daily. The biography also includes dissent between
Darwin and the Anglican Church and explains how ardent religious
advocates were threatened by evolutionary theory.
Desmond, Adrian J. and James R.
Moore. The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist Darwin. New
York:Warner, 1991. Print.
This biography supplied an in-depth
analysis of Darwin’s life, a complete timeline, summaries of all of
Darwin’s major works, and historical context to better understand
Darwin’s work and life. Besides providing the essential biography of
Darwin, the book provided detailed discussion of Darwin’s relationship
with his wife and children, especially his daughter Annie. The book also
supplied insight into Victorian lifestyle and culture, an environment
Darwin was exposed to daily.
The biography also includes dissent
between Darwin and the Anglican Church and explains how ardent religious
advocates were threatened by evolutionary theory.
Lewens, Tim. Darwin. London:
Routledge, 2007. Print.
This book give a brief overview of
Darwin’s life and work and then delves in philosophical topics Darwin
covers such as natural selection, origin of species, role of evidence in
scientific enquiry, intelligent design, and the implications of Darwin’s
work in ethics and politics, This source was useful because it related
all of Darwin’s work to applicable scenarios and enlightens human nature
through Darwin’s theories. This book also discusses Darwin’s own vies of
sexism, racism, and other social problems.
McGinty, Alice B., Mary Azarian, and
Leah Palmer Preiss. Darwin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2009. Print.
A short overview of Darwin’s life an
scientific publications, this book fluently summarized all aspects of
Darwin’s life. It included a wide variety of quotations from primary
sources such as Darwin’s’ diary, notes, letters, and books and passages
from each type were compared and contrasted. The book places a
particular emphasis on Darwin’s method of observation, experimentation,
and his process of formulating conclusion. The book also explains how
religion and evolution support each other.
Molina, José T. "Criticism of
Darwinism." Libros Gratis Online. 2000. Web. 04 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.molwick.com/en/evolution/034-darwinism.html#texto>.
This website covers the general topic
of evolution. A portion of this website discussed Darwin’s theories,
controversy over his work, and criticisms from Darwin’s time and the
modern scientific community. The section which explained past and
existing criticisms excellently explained the weaknesses of Darwin’s
theory and how modern science has affirmed much of Darwin’s evolutionary
theory. The website offers valuable definitions of Darwin’s theories
and evolutionary terms and relates Darwin’s work to his contemporaries.
Morris, Henry M. “The Compromise
Road.” The Institute for Creation Research. Web. 06 Dec.
2010. http://www.icr.org/article/compromise-road/
This articles was written by Dr.
Henry Morris, founder and president of the Institute for Creation
Research which conducts research into different theories and ideas about
creation. The article traces religious and scientific conflict
throughout history, focusing on Darwin’s conflict with the Anglican
Church. The article explains Darwin’s religious journey and what cause
his dramatic conversions. The article also illustrates why Darwin’s
theory was so provoking and how his theory was resisted in his time and
in modern times.
Website Design:
http://www.frontpage-templates.org/frontpage-templates.html |
