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The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809–82

Charles Darwin,

Nora Barlow (Editor)

3.84 · Rating details · 2,260 ratings · 189 reviews

Charles Darwin's Autobiography was first published in 1887, five years after his death. It was a bowdlerized edition: Darwin's family, attempting to protect his posthumous reputation, had deleted all the passages they considered too personal or controversial. The present complete edition did not appear until 1959, one hundred years after the publication of The Origin of Sp ...more

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Paperback, 224 pages

Published September 17th 1993 by W.W. Norton & Company (first published 1887)

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May 24, 2017 عماد العتيلي rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2017-reads, favorites, best-of-2017

‏

“If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.”

Oh, Darwin! I cannot understand how anyone could hate such a passionate and loving soul!
This memoir is a must-read for everyone. It teaches readers how the human-scientist should be: humble, honest and kind. Darwin is an excellent example of the true scientist.

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I admit that I have skipped some parts – especially those in which Darwin talked about the details of hi ...more

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May 04, 2020 Kevin Shepherd rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography, reviewed, classics, anthropology, own, evolution, science, darwin, history, non-fiction

"...I could not employ my life better than in adding a little to natural science. This I have done to the best of my abilities, and critics may say what they like, but they cannot destroy this conviction." ~Charles Darwin (pg 104)

A very atypical autobiography, written more for the benefit of his children and grandchildren than for public consumption. He was indeed a very modest man, even his most prestigious achievements are recounted with gratitude and humility. He speaks very frankly about the ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Roy Lotz rated it really liked it

Shelves: anglophilia, history-of-science, biography-memoir-travel

I have attempted to write the following account of myself, as if I were a dead man in another world looking back at my own life. Nor have I found this difficult, for life is nearly over with me. I have taken no pains about my style of writing.

This is the quintessential scientific autobiography, a brief and charming book that Darwin wrote “for nearly an hour on most afternoons” for a little over two months. Originally published in 1887—five years after the naturalist’s death—it was somewhat censored, the more controversial religious opinions being taken out. It was only in 1958, to celebrate the centennial of The Origin of Species, that the full version was restored, edited by one of Darwin’s granddaughters, Nora Barlow.

The religious opinions that Darwin expresses are, nowadays, not enough to raise eyebrows. In short, his travels and his research slowly eroded his faith until all that remained was an untroubled agnosticism. What is interesting is that Darwin attributes to his loss of faith his further loss of sensitivity to music and to grand natural scenes. Apparently, in later life he found himself unable to experience the sublime. His scientific work also caused him to lose his appreciation for music, pictures, and poetry, which he heartily regrets: “My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts,” he says, and attributes to this the fact that “for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry.”

The most striking and lovable of Darwin’s qualities is his humility. He notes his lack of facility with foreign languages (which partially caused him to refuse Marx’s offer to dedicate Kapital to him), his terrible ear for music, his difficulty with writing, his incompetence in mathematics, and repeatedly laments his lack of higher aesthetic sensitivities. His explanation for his great scientific breakthrough is merely a talent for observation and dogged persistence. He even ends the book by saying: “With such moderate abilities as I possess, it is truly surprising that thus I should have influenced to a considerable extent the beliefs of scientific men on some important point.” It is remarkable that such a modest and retiring man should have stirred up one of the greatest revolutions in Western thought. Few thinkers have been more averse to controversy.

This little book also offers some reflection on the development of his theory—with the oft-quoted paragraph about reading Malthus—as well as several good portraits of contemporary thinkers. But the autobiography is not nearly as full as one might expect, since Darwin skips over his voyage on the Beagle (he had already written an excellent book about it) and since the second half of his life was extremely uneventful. For Darwin developed a mysterious ailment that kept his mostly house-bound, so much so that he did not even go to his father’s funeral. The explanation eluded doctors in his time and has resisted firm diagnosis ever since. But the consensus seems to be that it was at least in part psychological. It did give Darwin a convenient excuse to avoid society and focus on his work.

The final portrait which emerges is that of a scrupulous, methodical, honest, plainspoken, diffident, and level-headed fellow. It is easy to imagine him as a retiring uncle or a reserved high school teacher. That such a man, through a combination of genius and circumstance—and do not forget that he almost did not go on that famous voyage—could scandalize the public and make a fundamental contribution to our picture of the universe, is perhaps the greatest argument that ever was against the eccentric genius trope. ...more

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May 07, 2020 Udit Nair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography, 5-stars, self-help, evolution, non-fiction, nature

First of all for me Charles Darwin is indeed one of the most influential person to walk on this earth. And what makes this book extremely enjoyable is the fact that it is compiled from the letters which he himself wrote. Now the good part is that he has written this in hindsight and hence there is a sense of continuity and progress. ( pretty much like evolution)
He talks about several things such as early life, his publications, criticisms and further introspection.

There are some candid admissio First of all for me Charles Darwin is indeed one of the most influential person to walk on this earth. And what makes this book extremely enjoyable is the fact that it is compiled from the letters which he himself wrote. Now the good part is that he has written this in hindsight and hence there is a sense of continuity and progress. ( pretty much like evolution)
He talks about several things such as early life, his publications, criticisms and further introspection.

There are some candid admissions like-
# "Considering how fiercely I have been attacked by the orthodox, it seems ludicrous that I once intended to be a clergyman."

# As far as I can judge of myself, I worked to the utmost during the voyage from the mere pleasure of investigation, and from my strong desire to add a few facts to the great mass of facts in Natural Science.

# Another element in the success of the book was its moderate size; and this I owe to the appearance of Mr. Wallace's essay; had I published on the scale in which I began to write in 1856, the book would have been four or five times as large as the 'Origin,' and very few would have had the patience to read it.

# "My views have often been grossly misrepresented, bitterly opposed and ridiculed, but this has been generally done, as I believe, in good faith. On the whole I do not doubt that my works have been over and over again greatly overpraised. I rejoice that I have avoided controversies, and this I owe to Lyell, who many years ago, in reference to my geological works, strongly advised me never to get entangled in a controversy, as it rarely did any good and caused a miserable loss of time and temper. " ( Is this true hahaha. Darwin would have been amused with the stupidity we see around. I mean evolution still remains the most controversial topic. Well I guess it has to be because it challenges the very basis of creation plots propagated by religious groups)

# Therefore my success as a man of science, whatever this may have amounted to, has been determined, as far as I can judge, by complex and diversified mental qualities and conditions. Of these, the most important have been—the love of science—unbounded patience in long reflecting over any subject—industry in observing and collecting facts—and a fair share of invention as well as of common sense. With such moderate abilities as I possess, it is truly surprising that I should have influenced to a considerable extent the belief of scientific men on some important points. ...more

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Apr 16, 2009 Erik Graff rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Erik by: Bill Ellos

Shelves: biography

One of the best ways to disarm critics of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection would be to get them to read his posthumous autobiography, originally edited by his son, then rereleased in an unexpurgated version by his granddaughter. Whatever one might believe about the bible, or punctuated equilibrium for that matter, one cannot read this memoir without coming to like this man. This was, after all, a fellow who dug an enormous hole in order to calculate earthworm distributions under ...more

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Mar 21, 2017 Robert rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, biology, evolution, non-fiction, science

Reading this feels a bit voyeuristic, in that it was intended as a family document rather than a public one. It's short and not a very good biography; it talks in little detail about Darwin's life or character, whilst rambling about the personalities of various other contemporary scientists, Darwin's religious views and his own books. It's nevertheless of some interest and so short as to hardly allow for getting bogged down. It's nowhere near as fun as The Voyage of the Beagle or as important as ...more

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Nov 09, 2017 Tyler Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, nature

There were several pleasant surprises for me in this book, the first of which was how engaging a writer Darwin was. He had a natural, easy flow to his writing that pulled me along and I found it hard to stop reading. There are many very amusing anecdotes (the story of how he tried to carry three rare beetles at once made me snort with glee) and Darwin does a wonderful job balancing serious reflection and scientific exploration with the human interest story.

The second surprise for me was just ho ...more

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Oct 09, 2019 Milan rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

I found Darwin's writing to be quite engaging. This autobiography was written by Darwin exclusively for his children and grand-children and was published posthumously. He writes his life's story with brevity but it gives a good sense of his life. Darwin's ability to self-reflect is one of the factors that lead to his profound insights on natural selection. His power of observation and critical analysis changed the course of science and how people looked at the world. Reading this short book is a ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 Bogdan Teodorescu rated it liked it

Shelves: borrowed_kg, all_science, science

Good book overall, although not really what I expected. You know you're reading about a genius, but the book doesn't really show that. Still, I had in mind who I'm reading about, so I guess it was enjoyable ...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Andrea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

I'm a bit fascinated by Darwin, though most of the interest in this is that it is what he himself chose to record for his descendants. It doesn't cover the Beagle voyage, as those journals were published elsewhere, so it's a rather general account of his growing up and his life upon return from his voyage. It gives a good sense of the man though, and the appendices are truly brilliant. Not so much the letters surrounding the ridiculously blown-up spat between himself and Samuel Butler, but the v ...more

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Jun 14, 2013 Charlene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, philosophy, general-science, biography, geology, top-20-of-all-time

It should be essential for anyone who has ever heard someone say, "Darwin said (insert Darwinism here)" to read not only Origin of Species but what Darwin thought of his life and work, in his own words.

This is possibly one of the best books I have ever read. Darwin's ability to self reflect is unmatched by anyone I have read to date. What a treat it is to be allowed to travel through the mind of a humble, compassionate, genius or a man who wrote with his whole heart. This book was originally in ...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Caitlin rated it liked it

This was a great little book to aid my quest to learn a bit about Charles Darwin.

Darwin's actual autobiography is pretty short and makes up only half of the volume. Not a riveting autobiography, but his rambles were pleasant enough, and there were a couple amusing anecdotes. I enjoyed it.

The remaining half is mostly devoted to letters and articles about some controversy between Darwin and Butler which I had absolutely no interest in, and the rest are a couple of Darwin's personal notes, which wa ...more

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Aug 13, 2018 Peter A. van Tilburg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biography

Very interesting insight in the mind and work of Darwin. His zeal for understanding what he saw and time to think it over for possible explanations is impressive. He also was humble and has a realistic view on his strong and weak points.

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Dec 18, 2013 Armin rated it it was amazing

I just finished reading the 'Autobiography of Charles Darwin' a few minutes ago. Darwin portrays himself as an ordinary man with an extraordinary zeal for science. As he put it,

"My chief enjoyment and sole employment throughout life has been scientific work; and the excitement from such work makes me for the time forget, or drives quite away, my daily discomfort."

Darwin was a humble, mild-mannered Englishman whose great power of observation and critical analysis revolutionised our view of the wo ...more

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Oct 30, 2014 Feisty Harriet rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, evolution, science, charles-darwin

I kind of have a thing for Charles Darwin, so it was inevitable that I would want to read his autobiography. I loved reading his own words and some of his own thoughts on science, evolution, his friends, family, and slavery (he was adamantly anti-slavery). That being said, this autobiography was written by Darwin, exclusively for his children and grand-children. And as such, it doesn't cover much of his life, especially when compared to the 1200 page, 2-part biography by Janet Browne that I read ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Rohit Amberker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A humbling read

It was a real pleasure to read this book. It truly felt like the legend himself in his frail voice is narrating his life story. It's a very short book and it talks to the ingenuity of Charles Darwin to deliver the message in a most concise manner. A lot to learn in this book and it left me humbled. LOVED IT!!! ...more

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Dec 24, 2020 Muhammad Kamal added it · review of another edition

A simultaneously abstract and detailed read, that reverently maintains a poise between modesty, and absolute candour. "Nunc dimittis", we have some beetles to thank. ...more

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Apr 25, 2013 Bjorn rated it liked it

Shelves: uk

When Darwin sat down to write his autobiography - more for his children's sakes than because he thought anyone outside his immediate family would be interested - he was 67 years old. He had travelled around the world, he had met the elite of 19th century English thinkers, he had published a number of books including at least two which would still be widely read 150 years later, and revolutionised the field of science in general and biology in particular.

After all this, he managed 120 pages of au When Darwin sat down to write his autobiography - more for his children's sakes than because he thought anyone outside his immediate family would be interested - he was 67 years old. He had travelled around the world, he had met the elite of 19th century English thinkers, he had published a number of books including at least two which would still be widely read 150 years later, and revolutionised the field of science in general and biology in particular.

After all this, he managed 120 pages of autobiography, almost half of which describes his childhood and teen years.

In other words, Autobiography neither is nor tries to be the ultimate word on the life of Charles Darwin. For most of the book, he simply relates the facts of his life, his friends and family and his work, without doing much to try and put it in context, draw conclusions or reveal secrets - or even discern between harmless anecdotes and important events; he spends almost as much on stealing apples as a child as he does on his 5-year trip around the world on the Beagle. (Though to be honest, the latter is because he'd already published an account of that and didn't want to repeat himself.)

Darwin comes across as a genuinely humble guy, who acknowledges that he's done something huge but isn't out to defend his conclusions or parade his knowledge; he's already done that in his other books, and now he just briefly tells us why he came to be interested in biology, how he started questioning prevailing attitudes, and how he drew his conclusions and wrote his books (and he says very little about the 20-year wait before he dared publish Origin of Species). He's as calmly objective about himself as he is about his findings; it's all in a day's work.

Whenever I have found out that I have blundered, or that my work has been imperfect, and when I have been contemptuously criticised, and even when I have been overpraised, so that I have felt mortified, it has been my greatest comfort to say hundreds of times to myself that "I have worked as hard and as well as I could, and no man can do more than this." I remember when in Good Success Bay, in Tierra del Fuego, thinking (and, I believe, that I wrote home to the effect) that I could not employ my life better than in adding a little to Natural Science. This I have done to the best of my abilities, and critics may say what they like, but they cannot destroy this conviction.

The result is a well-written, if not terribly fascinating book; the kind of autobiography that tells you more about its subject by what it leaves out than by what it includes. I'm sure there are better accounts of his life and the importance of his work; hearing ol' Chuck himself tell it, you'd almost think he did no more than invent a better mousetrap. But hey, if you're interested in a look inside the mind of the man who basically came up with the idea that mice could be caught at all, you could do a lot worse. ...more

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Jun 27, 2017 James Cloyd rated it really liked it

Shelves: modern-era, science-philosophy-read, science-philosophy-own, evolution-own, evolution-read

Before he made his big discovery, Darwin intended to become a pastor. Fortunately for us, his passion for knowledge ultimately led him towards science and away from theology, though his thoughts on both are certainly worth reading. Though he was bold, even daring, he was never arrogant or condescending, but displayed great humility and grace in his writing: "I have steadily endeavored to keep my mind free so as to give up any hypothesis, however much beloved (& I can't resist forming one on ever Before he made his big discovery, Darwin intended to become a pastor. Fortunately for us, his passion for knowledge ultimately led him towards science and away from theology, though his thoughts on both are certainly worth reading. Though he was bold, even daring, he was never arrogant or condescending, but displayed great humility and grace in his writing: "I have steadily endeavored to keep my mind free so as to give up any hypothesis, however much beloved (& I can't resist forming one on every subject), as soon as the facts are shown to be opposed to it."

"I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men."

"I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother and almost all my best friends, will be everlastingly punished."

"Another source of conviction in the existence of God, connected with the reason and not with the feelings, impresses me as having much more weight. This follows from the extreme difficulty or rather impossibility of conceiving this immense and wonderful universe, including man with his capacity of looking far backwards and far into futurity, as the result of blind chance or necessity. When thus reflecting I feel compelled to look to a First Cause having an intelligent mind in some degree analogous to that of man; and I deserve to be called a Theist.
This conclusion was strong in my mind about the time, as far as I can remember, when I wrote the Origin of Species; and it is since that time that it has very gradually with many fluctuations become weaker. But then arises the doubt—can the mind of man, which has, as I fully believe, been developed from a mind as low as that possessed by the lowest animal, be trusted when it draws such grand conclusions? May not these be the result of the connection between cause and effect which strikes us as a necessary one, but probably depends merely on inherited experience? Nor must we overlook the probability of the constant inculcation in a belief in God on the minds of children producing so strong and perhaps an inherited effect on their brains not yet fully developed, that it would be as difficult for them to throw off their belief in God, as for a monkey to throw off its instinctive fear and hatred of a snake.
I cannot pretend to throw the least light on such abstruse problems. The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an Agnostic."
...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Aurélien Thomas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biology, science-history

Darwin portrays here himself in a short and humble autobiography, in fact not even intended to be published but, written above all for the sole benefits of his descendants.

We learn about his childhood's interest in (already!) insects, the authoritative figure of his father, and his calling as a clergyman up to the crucial turn in his life: the journey onboard the HMS Beagle. He then moves on to talk about his career and the social prestige he benefited, describing some high intellectual figures ...more

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Apr 28, 2016 Ross rated it really liked it

I found this work very interesting and charming, but as I read it I kept thinking if I were not a huge fan of the author and his life's achievements, this book would be colossally boring.
So I am happy to give it 4 stars, but if Charles Darwin is not a great man for you, then this would not be a good book for you.
I rate Charles Darwin as one of the two greatest men who has ever lived, along with Abraham Lincoln. I never get over the incredible coincidence that these two greatest of men were born ...more

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Jan 13, 2017 Jack rated it really liked it

Interesting read. Not too long, but enlightening. He said he was pleased that his many works were not treated with controversy because his only concerns were the pursuit of his passion for science, and how his peers and mentors viewed him. He ignored the criticisms of any who had no scientific credentials, and was gratified by the public response, measured largely in great book sales of virtually all of his many esoteric works on science and related studies.

His self proclaimed best qualities we ...more

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Oct 12, 2014 Bcoghill Coghill added it

A nice biography but lacks the insights we would like from such a genius, a man who changed the world. He did have a charming modesty and I think was likable fellow.
I wonder what he would have been like in the day of modern science. Probably, he would still be outstanding.

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Mar 23, 2015 Paleoanthro rated it really liked it

You cannot know Charles Darwin without reading his Autobiography, which, combined with some other great works on this great scientist, will only help highlight his life, thoughts, and scientific achievements.

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Jan 31, 2016 muthuvel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: auto-biography

It's one of the most successful autobiographies ever written as it satisfies the core purpose of getting inside the author's head and his thoughts very clearly! I would highly recommend it to science lovers and geeks. ...more

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Jul 18, 2008 Charles rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfic-science, nonfic-biography

Very readable. Great insight into the life of this amazing scientist, and into his times.

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Feb 05, 2019 Brittany rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, honors

Interesting dude.

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Jul 08, 2017 Joie rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography-memoir, 2016, 2017, history

I'm sad to say that on my first trip through a History of Psychology course, I wasn't super interested in Darwin. A little older and a little wiser when I took a similar grad school course, that all changed. I was assigned a presentation on Darwin's early life through his voyage on the Beagle, which led me to reading some snippets of his own writing. His writing was charming, often full of wit, and sometimes deeply moving (his letter on the death of his daughter Annie is particularly touching). I'm sad to say that on my first trip through a History of Psychology course, I wasn't super interested in Darwin. A little older and a little wiser when I took a similar grad school course, that all changed. I was assigned a presentation on Darwin's early life through his voyage on the Beagle, which led me to reading some snippets of his own writing. His writing was charming, often full of wit, and sometimes deeply moving (his letter on the death of his daughter Annie is particularly touching). Soon enough I found myself ordering this fully restored edition (edited by his granddaughter). I read a decent chunk in 2016 before life got in the way, and I've just devoured the rest of it in 2 days.

Perhaps it's my own ignorance, but Darwin's autobiography didn't read at all like I would expect something from a 19th century man of science would read. Perhaps this is because his autobiography was initially written for his family, but the tone is conversational, detailed without being boring, and full of humor. This edition includes passages previously removed by his family, including his then-controversial thoughts on religion (well, maybe now-controversial too in some circles). I lost a bit of steam in the appendices when passages detailing a semi-feud between Samuel Butler* and Darwin seemed to go on a bit longer than needed, but the original letters from Darwin's friends and families - full of their advice to him on dealing with a bully - were completely enchanting. I did not expect to laugh out loud multiple times at letters from the 1880s today, but hey, there you have it.

You can actually read this whole she-bang through Darwin Online, but it was well worth the money to own my own copy. Given how much my attitude toward Darwin changed in just 5 years, I'd love to reread this again in the future and see how my perspective has changed again.

* Edit 7/9/2017: In my first review I accidentally wrote Samuel Barber instead of Samuel Butler. To clarify, Darwin did not feud with one of the most important American music composers who lived a century after Darwin. ...more

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May 29, 2018 Brett rated it liked it

Shelves: science, autobiography

Darwin's autobiography is a personal document, not written with the intent to be a published book for all the world to read. As such, it's interests tend to be more personal--Darwin's boyhood, his children, his professional development, and his relations with other scientists of his era. Though it touches on some of the controversies his work ignited, that's not really the point. Though I found the book vaguely interesting, it's hardly the defining word on Darwin's life or the meaning and impact Darwin's autobiography is a personal document, not written with the intent to be a published book for all the world to read. As such, it's interests tend to be more personal--Darwin's boyhood, his children, his professional development, and his relations with other scientists of his era. Though it touches on some of the controversies his work ignited, that's not really the point. Though I found the book vaguely interesting, it's hardly the defining word on Darwin's life or the meaning and impact of his work.

The few scant pages devoted to his thoughts on the intersection of his scientific work with religious dogmas were to me the most engaging part of the book. Darwin fully accepts the consequences of his chain of logic, and doesn't in his own mind soft peddle the meaning of evolution. However, this is really only a small fragment of the whole, and doesn't give us a full context or extended treatment of any of the issues involved.

Reading about Darwin's childhood, relationship with his parents, search for a fulfilling career, and other parts of his personal life is interesting in the same sense that reading any thoughtful person's journal might be interesting, but there is little that is really striking. Perhaps Darwin's utter ordinariness is the most surprising thing you'd learn. He felt driven in his work. He loved his kids. He seemed like a genuinely nice person. But Darwin is not a great writer and, truth be told, my patience was often stretched.

In my version of the book, the last section is devoted printing a great number of letters regarding a quarrel with another scientist, Richard Owen. The reasons for the quarrel are really too small of potatoes to matter to anyone in the present day--mostly it comes down to Owen being mad about the way an article was edited. Evidently, the disagreement with Owen caused Darwin great personal stress during his life, though why it should occupy such a large chunk of the book is a mystery to me. It has no relevance to the modern reader.

Darwin's autobiography is informative and pleasant, but it is hardly illuminating. For those wishing to delve into the deeper significance of his work, I'd look elsewhere. ...more

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Dec 31, 2017 Kevin Mackey rated it really liked it

A quick, easy, illuminating view into the beautiful, messy, diligent and earnest mind and habits of Charles Darwin. (Having been taught some untruths about Darwin in my childhood, I still feel compelled to make up for lost time.)

One of the most interesting facts I learned in this autobiography is that Darwin did not publish The Origin of Species until 15-20 years AFTER having compiled his key observations, notes and findings. As a result, The Origin of Species has stood up to 157 years of subseq ...more

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About Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

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Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, eminent as a collector and geologist, who proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selec Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, eminent as a collector and geologist, who proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery remains the foundation of biology, as it provides a unifying logical explanation for the diversity of life.

Darwin developed his interest in natural history while studying medicine at Edinburgh University, then theology at Cambridge. His five-year voyage on the Beagle established him as a geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles Lyell’s uniformitarian ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author. Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and conceived his theory of natural selection in 1838. Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time for extensive research and his geological work had priority. He was writing up his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories.

His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolution by common descent as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. He examined human evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined earthworms and their effect on soil.

In recognition of Darwin’s pre-eminence, he was one of only five 19th century UK non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton.

Her was the father of naturalist Francis Darwin, of astronomer George Darwin, and of politician, economist and eugenicist Leonard Darwin.

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Books by Charles Darwin

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

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“If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.” — 2812 likes

“...Whilst on board the Beagle I was quite orthodox, and I remember being heartily laughed at by several of the officers... for quoting the Bible as an unanswerable authority on some point of morality... But I had gradually come by this time, i.e., 1836 to 1839, to see that the Old Testament from its manifestly false history of the world, with the Tower of Babel, the rainbow at sign, &c., &c., and from its attributing to God the feelings of a revengeful tyrant, was no more to be trusted than the sacred books of the Hindoos, or the beliefs of any barbarian.

...By further reflecting that the clearest evidence would be requisite to make any sane man believe in the miracles by which Christianity is supported, (and that the more we know of the fixed laws of nature the more incredible do miracles become), that the men at that time were ignorant and credulous to a degree almost uncomprehensible by us, that the Gospels cannot be proved to have been written simultaneously with the events, that they differ in many important details, far too important, as it seemed to me, to be admitted as the usual inaccuracies of eyewitnesses; by such reflections as these, which I give not as having the least novelty or value, but as they influenced me, I gradually came to disbelieve in Christianity as a divine revelation. The fact that many false religions have spread over large portions of the earth like wild-fire had some weight with me. Beautiful as is the morality of the New Testament, it can be hardly denied that its perfection depends in part on the interpretation which we now put on metaphors and allegories.

But I was very unwilling to give up my belief... Thus disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete. The rate was so slow that I felt no distress, and have never since doubted even for a single second that my conclusion was correct. I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother and almost all of my friends, will be everlastingly punished.

And this is a damnable doctrine.” — 172 likes

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