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Why Darwin Was English Essay

570 Words3 Pages

In this class, we have spent a good deal of time discussing scientific revolutions and how they have unfolded over the course of history. We've explored how scientific developments are very closely tied to the culture and society which bore them, and how this can act as either a hindrance or an advantage, depending on the circumstances. We've discuss the wide variety of obstacles and complications new scientific developments encounter before they can be successfully integrated into the scientific community and society as a whole. We've examined how vagueness or ambiguities in new scientific developments can lead to a wide variety of interpretations each with different philosophical implications. In this essay review I aim to explore the variety of obstacles that have been overcome in the development, establishment, and interpretation of new scientific developments. In doing so, we can gain a better understanding of how scientific revolutions gradually unfold as a result the array of …show more content…

Just as an astronomer uses a telescope to discover new galaxies, culture and society are the lens through which human beings perceive the world. In spite of all efforts to be truly objective, scientists are subject to many of the same socially and culturally views and perspectives on the world. One excellent example of this is thoroughly examined in Gabriel Finkelstein's article "Why Darwin was English". on the Finkelstein makes a very compelling hypothesis on the origins of the theories of evolution and natural selection. Here he examines the idea that the culture, institutions, and community of 19th century England were somewhat necessary for the development of theory of natural selection. Finkelstein feels that England's retardation of science in comparison with Germany, was precisely what paved the way for this progress rather than it holding them

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