In Evolution: The History of an Idea, Peter J. Bowler examines the historiography about evolution, synthesizing the work in a form that he intends as an undergraduate textbook. Bower begins with a warning about misconceptions of evolutionary theory, writing, “Evolution is a bush rather than a tree: each branch has moved in its own direction, and we cannot present lower forms of life as merely relics of early stages in the ascent toward humankind” (pg. 12). Addressing objectivity, Bowler writes, “Historians dealing with the development of evolution theory are in an excellent position to see why the traditional image of objectivity has broken down” (pg. 13). Finally, he warns, “All too often, cultural historians have meekly accepted the Darwin-centered view of history arising from the older historiography of science. Instead of projecting modern ideologies onto the past, we should recognize that the context of debates over the social implications of biology has changed” (pg. 26).
Examining the years prior to Darwin’s publication, Bowler writes, “To understand the complex relationship between Darwinism and the rest of nineteenth century science, we must first understand the visions of nature proposed by his fellow scientists” (pg. 96). He continues, “A coherent scientific community had emerged which could lobby for public support, and within which the rival groups could compete for influence. But with the growth of an educated readership, scientists and others interested in important scientific concepts could also appeal directly to the general public. This was an age in which geology texts sold as well as the most popular novels” (pg. 98). To this end, “Darwin not only was a scientist but also took a lively interest in the social world in which he lived, so to understand his work we must be willing to take both areas into account” (pg. 142).
Bowler writes, “Darwin was able to catch the imagination of his age because his theory did include metaphors of struggle and competition that reflected the ideology of the rising middle classes. And his is remembered today, while Spencer is forgotten, because he framed his vision within a particular scientific context which led him in a direction Spencer could not have followed” (pg. 144). Bowler continues, “Why Darwin was led to propose a different model can best be understood in terms of his scientific interests, which were by no means the same as those of most of his contemporaries. This model also helps us understand why natural selection remained problematic among scientists for so long despite the widespread assumption that social Darwinism became popular in late-nineteenth-century thought. We should never forget that our modern fascination with how Darwin developed the selection theory would not have been shared by many scientists around 1900” (pg. 144-145). To avoid portraying Darwin as too much of a futurist, as many have, Bowler writes, “Darwin was a radical thinker, but he could not leap at one bound into the modern world, and to impose modern ideas on him for the sake of apparent clarity obscures his true creativity. This is most obvious in the case of Darwin’s ideas about heredity, which did not anticipate Mendelian genetics, yet were an integral part of his thinking” (pg. 156). Despite this, Bowler writes, “By the mid-1870s, the Darwinians were the dominant force in the British scientific community” as well as most of Europe (pg. 180).
Further examining the social work in which Darwin worked, Bowler writes, “Although the Victorian period is often depicted as obsessed with the ideology of progress, these applications of the latest developments in physics [such as the heat death of the universe] suggest that there was a darker side to the Victorians’ worldview…Evolution might have progressed toward humanity, but in the long run, all life was doomed to decline into the darkness and the cold. Such pessimistic speculations link with Lankester’s warning about evolutionary degeneration to show that the idea of progress did not go unchallenged” (pg. 235). He continues, “The idea of progress was central to the anthropologists’ vision, as it was to many nineteenth-century philosophies, and the assumption that social and cultural progress were inevitable would form the basis for many attempts to see a parallel between biological and social evolution” (pg. 292). Finally, looking at the role of debate among modern scientists, Bowler writes, “Most scientists see the debates as signs of vitality indicating that they are still grappling with significant issues and trying to resolve their differences. But to anyone not actively engaged in scientific research, an admission that theories cannot be immediately verified looks like a sign of weakness” (pg. 348). ( )

Essential for understanding Darwin's theory ( )