Charles Lyell, a British lawyer, geologist, and contemporary of Charles Darwin, established the geological theory that came to be known as uniformitarianism. Lyell's view was that the changes observed in the geological and fossil record were directly related to the gradual, yet uniform changes that the earth experiences. This view was revolutionary because, at the time, the popular theory was that the geological variance that was being observed had occurred as the result of catastrophic events that drastically shifted the earth and effected the ecology.
The work of Lyell had a lasting and profound impact on how Darwin, and subsequently, the scientific community as a whole, understand the history of the earth, and therefore, life. Acceptance of the idea of uniformitarianism is essential to understanding the environmental changes that were occurring, creating both the opportunity and the necessity for adaptation of traits for survival. This theory proved to be the groundwork and key to explaining the process of natural selection, as well as influencing the view of time as immensely more vast than previously believed. These views undoubtedly played a major part in the development of Darwin's theory of natural selection, and I do not believe his hypothesis could be supported without the acceptance of the vastness of time, or the ever-changing environment.
The scientific community in England during much of the 19th century was tied closely to the church, and therefore, any theory was scrutinized through the lens of biblical teaching. That being the case, Darwin's assertion that organisms have changed and adapted over time, spawning new species, was not widely or readily accepted. The was strong response from his family and friends that his theory was contrary to the religious belief of the day, which caused Darwin to delay publication until he was pressured by the release of a paper by his colleague, Alfred Russel Wallace. The main point of concern was that the naturalists held that the species were ordered and unchanging, as they had been originally created by God.
Source:
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/history_12
Hello Robert,
ReplyDeleteNice post about Lyell's influence. No question that without Lyell some of the foundation of Darwin's work might not have existed, or at very least it may have taken him alot more time to arrive at his conclusions. Lyell's book "Principles of Geology" was for Darwin, as well as the rest of the scientific community, a landmark work. Darwin even kept a copy of the book on board the Beagle as a reference during his historic voyages.
However, when I wrote my post I chose Wallace as the biggest influence on Darwin as opposed to Lyell. What Lyell did was groundbreaking, but I just thought that without Wallace's work it's very possible Darwin may never have had the courage to make his work known. All great theories have to start somewhere, and no doubt that Lyell's work is that somewhere. And, as Dr. Rodriguez mentions science does not exist in a vacuum. I just thought Wallace's work gave Darwin that critical push he so desperately needed to get himself published.
Very good discussion on Lyell's work and his influence on Darwin. There are many parallels between Darwin's and Lyell's work and you outline these clearly.
ReplyDelete"I do not believe his hypothesis could be supported without the acceptance of the vastness of time, or the ever-changing environment."
That issue of time is crucial and, without it, I agree that Darwin likely would not have been able to develop his ideas and make them work. Natural selection requires lots and lots of time. He needed Lyell to demonstrate that the earth also developed over an immense amount of time in order for natural selection to be possible.
The final question doesn't ask about how his theory was accepted after he published. It asks how the church (and society in general) influenced his decision to publish in the first place. Darwin delayed publishing for more than 20 years. Why? What were his concerns? And how might the church have played a role in this delay, even if the church itself was not aware of his theory just yet?
Other than this final point, good post.
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ReplyDeleteHello Robert,
ReplyDeleteone thing I find very interesting is that although Lyell and Darwin were friends and respected colleagues, Charles Lyell didn't subscribe to Darwin's theory in that he felt Darwin didn't have enough evidence to support it. Darwin was also unhappy with how Lyell frequently suggested that Darwin's theory was just a modified version of Jean Baptiste Lamarck's theory in which Darwin vehemently denied and rejected throughout his career. However, I do believe that Darwin would've eventually come to the same scientific conclusions as Lyell it would've just taken longer. But Lyell's work lent credence to Darwin's theories and helped propell it to the next level.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI like how you discuss in detail of how Lyell influenced Darwin. Lyell's Principle of Geology influenced Darwin to believe that evolution is a slow process and gradual changes that over a long period of time changes everything greatly.