Darwin's Luck: Chance and Fortune in the Life and Work of Charles DarwinOne might make a case for saying that Darwin's life was dogged by bad luck. His mother died when he was seven; he was sent to a school at which he 'learnt little'; he left medical school after two years, unqualified. Two of his children died in infancy. On the other hand one could argue that he had a privileged and fortunate life - perhaps the more common view. Patrick H. Armstrong contends that although Darwin came to the right conclusions, he did not actually follow the right path in getting there. While his science was sometimes flawed, he had the distinct knack of good instinct. Armstrong presents a fresh view of Darwin's life and methods. |
Contents
1 Introduction | 1 |
2 Charles Darwins Origins | 5 |
Childhood and Adolescence | 11 |
Its Who You Know as Much as What You Know | 21 |
5 The Offer and its Acceptance | 37 |
6 Sailors Luck | 47 |
Seeing Things in the Right Order | 65 |
8 Darwins Women | 87 |
9 From Londons Dirt Noise Vice and Misery to an Extraordinarily Rural and Quiet Village | 103 |
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Adam Sedgwick Animals and Plants appeared Autobiography Beagle voyage birds Cambridge Captain Chapter Charles and Emma Charles Darwin Charles Lyell Charles’s collected coral reefs creatures Darwin wrote described diary Dr Darwin early East Falkland Edinburgh Emma’s environment Erasmus evolution evolutionary ideas Fanny father fish FitzRoy fortune fossil Galapagos geology HMS Beagle humans important insects intentionally left blank interest islands John Henslow John Stevens Henslow Joseph Hooker Josiah Wedgwood land later letter living London luck Maer marriage married natural history natural selection naturalist North Wales noted notion Orchids organisms Origin of Species Owen perhaps Professor Henslow published Robert rocks scientific seems Shrewsbury School sister sometimes South America specimens St Jago St Paul’s Tenerife theory Thomas Huxley thought Tierra del Fuego took tropical variation visited volcanic Wedgwood family weeks William Darwin Fox young Darwin Zoology