Darwiniana

Essays, Volume 02

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Pages: 216

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About this book

Darwiniana by Thomas Henry Huxley gathers pieces on the ancient doctrine of Evolution, criticisms of the Origin of Species, and impressions of Mr. Darwin's personality and work. The preface describes the writer's privilege and happiness in enjoying Mr. Darwin's friendship for some thirty years. A discussion of natural selection presents Mr. Darwin's claim to have discovered its existence and operation, keeping the condition that the explanation holds if he is right.

The account of the struggle for existence describes seeds unable to become seedlings and seedlings competing for air, light, and water, with the strongest robbing and extinguishing competitors. A discussion of geology recalls the teaching that every geological epoch ended in a cataclysm, with all living beings swept away and replaced by a new creation.

About the author

Thomas Henry Huxley

Thomas Henry Huxley was a Victorian biologist, comparative anatomist, educator, and prominent defender of evolutionary science. Evidence as to Man’s Place in Nature, published in 1863, brought together essays comparing humans with other primates and considering fossil evidence.