Main Office: 1017 Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: 412-624-5896
Charles Darwin: The Origin of the Origin
Comprehensive Course Guide
Hybrids, Varieties and Species
The Origins of Biogeography
Unity of Type vs. Conditions of Existence
Charles Darwin Pre-Beagle (1808-1830)
Darwin on the Beagle (1830-1836)
Darwin (1836-1838)
Darwin: Between Origins (1838-1858)
The Darwin-Wallace Encounter (1854-1858)
Arguing for a Theory
Responding to Problems
Evidence for a Theory
In this seminar we will look into some elements of the philosophical and scientific context which may have influenced Darwin’s thinking about species and their origins. The hope is that this approach will give us a better chance of answering such questions as: ‘What were the problems On the Origin of Species was intended to solve?’ ‘Where did the idea of writing a treatise on the origin of species come from?’ ‘In what respects is this work part of an established research program, and in what respects does it strike out on its own?’ ‘What are Darwin’s views about philosophical concepts such as explanation, causation, and evidence, and where did they come from?’ ‘What is his attitude toward functional and teleological explanation?’ ‘What sort of ‘species concept’ does he work with, and to what extent does it break with traditional notions of species?’ The investigation of these themes in Darwin’s work will be developmental, moving from his earliest private notebooks on the questions through to the first edition of On the Origin of Species.
Linnaeus, Lamarck & Lyell
1.Lamarck, J.B. Zoological Philosophy (trans. Hugh Elliot), London, Macmillan and Co., limited, 1914. Ch.. 1-3;
2. Larson, J. L. Reason and experience; the representation of natural order in the work of Carl von Linné. University of California Press, 1971. ch. 4.
3. Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, First Edition, Vol. II, Chicago, 1991. Chs. 1-3.
Linnaeus, Koelreuter, & Gaertner
1. Olby, Robert. Origins of Mendelism (2nd Edition) University of Chicago Press, 1985. Chs. 1, 2, Appendices; Appendix to ch. 6;
2. Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, First Edition, Vol. II, Chicago, 1991. Chs. 4.
1. Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, First Edition, Vol. II, Chicago, 1991. Chs. 5-8.
2. von Humboldt, A. Personal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of the New continent, during the years 1799-1804. Translated into English by Helen Maria Williams.AMS Press, 1966.
1. Rudwick, Martin. The Meaning of Fossils (2nd edition). Selections: Chap. 3
2. Cuvier, G. Georges Cuvier, fossil bones, and geological catastrophes : new translations & interpretations of the primary texts, by Martin Rudwick. University of Chicago Press, 1997.
2. E. J. Browne, Charles Darwin: A Biography. Vol. 1: Voyaging. Princeton, 1995. Chs. 1-6;
3. David Kohn, ed., The Darwinian Heritage, Princeton, 1985. Ch. 3, 7
1. Paul H. Barrett, P. J. Gautrey, S. Herbert, D. Kohn, and S. Smith eds., Charles Darwin’s notebooks, 1836-1844, London, 1987. Notebook B, C, D, E
2. Darwin. "Essay of 1844". In The works of Charles Darwin, edited by Paul H. Barrett & R.B. Freeman. New York University Press, 1987-1989. Vol 10.
3. Darwin. "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs [1842]". In The works of Charles Darwin, edited by Paul H. Barrett & R.B. Freeman. New York University Press, 1987-1989. Vol 10.
4. Darwin. "A Monograph on the Sub-Class Cirripedia [1851-54]."In The works of Charles Darwin, edited by Paul H. Barrett & R.B. Freeman. New York University Press, 1987-1989. Vol 11-14. Selections..
2. David Kohn, ed., The Darwinian Heritage, Princeton, 1985.
3. David Kohn, ed., The Darwinian Heritage, Princeton, 1985. Ch. 14.