CAS Colloquium: Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Last Tuesday Christopher Pearson, Rick Essner, and Aldemaro Romero hosted a cross disciplinary lecture discussing Charles Darwin’s, “On the Origin of Species,” The three part presentation discussed the importance of Darwin’s work, the changes it underwent as it was developed, and the logic processes used by Darwin.
Essner’s presentation focused on how Darwin’s earlier observations didn’t focus on the finches initally but rather on other species like the mocking birds that eventually led him to looking at the finches. Pearson’s lecture discussed the argumentative strategies used in the origin as well as the key concepts Darwin relied on while writing about evolution. Romero’s presentation demonstrated the changes made to the origin throughout it’s various editions in relation to Lamarckism, and how these changes were influenced by academic and political forces in Darwin’s time.
This presentation was part of the 2013 CAS Colloquium titled, “Thinking About the Book.” The ninth CAS colloquium this year focused on the importance of books to society, the future of books in an increasingly digital age, and the history of the written word.
Filed Under: Biological Sciences • Philosophy