Darwin’s Evolving Identity: Adventure, Ambition, and the Sin of Speculation

377 Pages·2018·4.6 MB·English

by  Alistair Sponsel

Darwin’s Evolving Identity

Darwin’s
Evolving Identity
Adventure, Ambition,
and the Sin of Speculation
Alistair Sponsel
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2018 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in
critical articles and reviews. For more information, contact the University of
Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637.
Published 2018
Printed in the United States of America
26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 52311- 8 (cloth)
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 52325- 5 (e- book)
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226523255.001.1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sponsel, Alistair William, 1978– author.
Title: Darwin’s evolving identity : adventure, ambition, and the sin of speculation /
Alistair Sponsel.
Description: Chicago ; London : The University of Chicago Press, 2018. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017031816 | ISBN 9780226523118 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN
9780226523255 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. | Darwin, Charles, 1809–1882—
Authorship. | Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882—Knowledge—Geology. | Lyell,
Charles, Sir, 1797–1875. | Geology—Great Britain—History—19th century.
Classification: LCC QH31.D2 S66 2018 | DDC 576.8/2092—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017031816
♾ This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48- 1992 (Permanence of
Paper).
Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
Themes 5
Plans 7
PART I THEORIZING ON THE MOVE 13
1 Darwin’s Opportunity 15
Coral Reefs as Objects of Fascination and Terror 19
Studying Reef Formation as an Objective of the
Beagle Voyage 24
Darwin’s Training in the Sciences 27
Enthusiasm for the South Sea Islands 30
2 An Amphibious Being 33
Darwin’s Approach to Scientific Work at the
Beginning of the Voyage 36
Hydrography Becomes a Resource for the Naturalist 37
An Ambitious Plan for Studying Zoophytes 41
3 Studying Dry Land with a Maritime Perspective 47
Applying the Lessons of Hydrography to the
Interpretation of Geology 50
Elevation and Subsidence 53
v
vi Contents
4 The Making of a Eureka Moment 63
The Dangerous Reefs of the Low Archipelago 65
The View from Tahiti 68
Theorizing Like Humboldt in a Floating Library 73
5 The Surveyor- Naturalist 81
Darwin’s Sea- Level Study of the South Keeling Reef 82
Seeing Underwater: The Hydrographic Survey at
South Keeling 91
Darwin’s Hydrographic Initiative at Mauritius 98
PART II TRAINING IN THEORY 103
6 Lyell Claims Darwin as a Student 105
Homeward Bound as an Aspiring Geologist 108
Lyell as an Author 112
Master and Student 114
The Primacy of Geology in Darwin’s Private, as Well as
Public, Activities 121
7 Darwin’s Audacity, Lyell’s Choreography 125
Going Public 126
Putting the Coral Theory to Work 131
Species 136
An Astonished Response from the Geological Elite 140
Darwin’s Emergence as a Practitioner of Lyellian
Geological Speculation 144
8 Burned by Success 149
Darwin’s New Persona 151
The Obligations of a Student to His Master 156
The Beginnings of Darwin’s Anxiety about Speculation 160
PART III A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO AUTHORSHIP 167
9 The Life of a Tormented Geologist (and Enthusiastic
Evolutionist) 169
Darwin’s Turn toward Empiricism and the Ideal of
Comprehensiveness 170
The Pressure of Public Expectations 173
Lyell’s Appropriation of the Coral Reef Theory 178
Studying Species as a Diversion from the Task at Hand 182
10 A Finished Task: Darwin’s Treatise on Coral Reefs 185
The Space between Lyell and Darwin 186
A Mountain of Facts 188
Contents vii
The Theory Emerges 192
The Immediate Reaction to Coral Reefs 203
A Theory in Use and in Memory 209
PART IV WRITING THE ORIGIN WITH HIS “FINGERS BURNED” 213
11 Atoning for the Sin of Speculation 215
Balancing Speculation with Facts 217
Rejecting Lyell’s Suggestion to Publish a “Sketch” 224
Lyell Choreographs Another Debut 230
Publishing an “Abstract” After All: On the Origin of Species 240
Dealing with Darwin’s “Recollections” 248
Conclusion 259
Lyell, Darwin, and Authorship 259
Studying Practices, Learning about Theories 264
Acknowledgments 269
Notes 277
Bibliography 329
Index 349
Gallery of color plates follows page 150.

Preface
I wrote this book with several audiences in mind. I want people
who have a personal or scholarly interest in the history of science
to find here an illustration of how our understanding of scientific
theories, in particular, may be enhanced by attention to the local
contexts of scientific practice. While I hope this book will be read
for its broader significance to the social studies of science, my fo-
cus on the genesis and development of Charles Darwin’s theories
led me to adopt a new perspective on his motivations and accom-
plishments. Therefore my second goal is that Darwin enthusiasts
of all types, including (but not limited to!) practicing scientists
and practicing historians, will find it rewarding to encounter new
perspectives on his youthful immersion in maritime culture, his
early zeal as an ambitious geological theorist, his anxieties about
publishing and about meeting the expectations of various intended
audiences (not least his scientific “master,” Charles Lyell), and his
reasons for keeping the idea of natural selection out of public view
for more than twenty years. Finally, and happily, because chronol-
ogy is important for my argument about various developments
over time, it is also possible for all sorts of readers to enjoy this
book as a narrative.
Historians seeking a speedy overview of my arguments might
proceed by reading the introduction, the condensed narrative of-
ix