Cambridge Library Collection - Darwin, Evolution and Genetics
1 primary work • 3 total works
Volume 2
Born in the state of New York, Asa Gray (1810-88) abandoned a medical career to pursue his true interest in botany. He sought the mentorship of the influential American botanist John Torrey, and their collaborative efforts in classifying North American flora according to biological similarities paved the way for Gray's professorship at Harvard University after years of research. Gray was also one of the few scientists to whom Charles Darwin revealed his early ideas of evolutionary theory. After Gray's death, his fellow botanist Charles Sprague Sargent (1841-1927) compiled the lesser-known writings of a prolific author whose user-friendly Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States and other works inspired generations of botany enthusiasts. The two-volume collection appeared in 1889. Covering the period from 1841 to 1886, Volume 2 contains essays on botanical topics and biographical sketches of influential naturalists.
Born in the state of New York, Asa Gray (1810-88) abandoned a medical career to pursue his true interest in botany. He sought the mentorship of the influential American botanist John Torrey, and their collaborative efforts in classifying North American flora according to biological similarities paved the way for Gray's professorship at Harvard University after years of research. Gray was also one of the few scientists to whom Charles Darwin revealed his early ideas of evolutionary theory. After Gray's death, his fellow botanist Charles Sprague Sargent (1841-1927) compiled the lesser-known writings of a prolific author whose user-friendly Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States and other works inspired generations of botany enthusiasts. The two-volume collection appeared in 1889. Volume 1 contains Gray's reviews of important botanical and other scientific publications between 1834 and 1887. Covering the period from 1841 to 1886, Volume 2 contains essays on botanical topics and biographical sketches of influential naturalists.
Darwiniana is a collection of critical essays on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution that were originally published in scientific journals by his friend and correspondent Asa Gray, Professor of Botany at Harvard. Gray was one of Darwin's strongest supporters in the American scientific community; he was also a Presbyterian and discussed questions of natural theology, design and teleology, including an earlier version of Chapter 3 of this book, with Darwin by letter over several years. Darwiniana (1876) was intended to provide a balanced assessment of Darwin's theory of evolution and to familiarise readers with the different aspects of Darwinism and its implications. The opening essays of the volume focus on the scientific and philosophical features of the theory, others analyse the reactions of Darwin's contemporaries and, most famously, argue for a reconciliation of religion and science in the light of Darwin's theory.