ipl-logo

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

Show More
Related
831 Words | 4 Pages

Scientific research is a crucial part of human progress and discovery, which is a scarcely understood procedure for many. John M. Barry, author of The Great Influenza, describes the 1918 flu epidemic in order to analyze the impact of scientific research. This enlightening account of a vital part of human history maintains the reader’s interest by relating what naturally draws people in to a narrower topic. The author incorporates comparisons, contrasting key points, and clever rhetorical inquiries to give the reader a better comprehension of the practice of scientific research.

Read More
712 Words | 3 Pages

In the passage from John M. Barry’s The Great Influenza, Barry makes us of an extended metaphor of scientific research as an unexplored wilderness, a motif of uncertainty, a comprehensible diction and admiring tone, and bookended explanatory paragraphs to characterize scientific research as a courageous pursuit to bring order from chaos. Throughout the piece, Barry develops the metaphor in a fashion which closely parallels the steps of the scientific method, giving the reader a better understanding of the work of scientists. In an effort to promote scientific research to the general public, he focuses on its positive aspects and the character traits of scientists. In order to appeal to a wide audience, Barry uses an extended metaphor to compare the seemingly abstract and unreachable concept of scientific research to the mentally attainable image of pioneers settling a virgin wilderness.

Read More
1254 Words | 6 Pages

The Scientific Revolution between 1500 and 1700 led way to radical changes in people’s view of the universe and their place in it. New technology and discoveries changed the world for the better but also worse, simultaneously. Radical phenomenons at this time were secular views of how the Earth is created and managed, ruler’s afraid of uprising, heliocentric views. The secular views changed religion and the people apart of it, rulers affected the limitations of scientists politically, and heliocentric view changed how people were socially. Along with this new technology and methods of science and medicine were introduced.

Read More
492 Words | 2 Pages

Scientific research seems very factual and straight-forward. In reality, science deals with uncertainty, something that, when not used in the right way, creates weaknesses. The uncertainty of scientific research allows scientists to explore intellectually as well as creatively, and “venture into the unknown” to create the known. In his account from The Great Influenza, John M. Barry uses formal diction, strategically placed rhetorical questions, and an appeal to logos to characterize scientific research.

Read More
895 Words | 4 Pages

As time went from the 16th century to the 18th century, the Renaissance thinking transformed to the Scientific Revolution. Soon, it would enable a worldview in which people were not invoking the principles of religion as often as the Renaissance. As an example, these natural philosophers, known as scientists today, developed a new thinking in which the world was no longer geocentric. The thought of an Earth-centered universe as the Bible would say, transformed as heliocentric or in other words Sun-centered. Within this period, Scientists were starting to understand the world’s functions, for they created experiment methods incorporating discipline, mathematics, and the essential Scientist communication.

Read More
1552 Words | 7 Pages

The Scientific Revolution “refers to historical changes in thought & belief, to changes in social & institutional organization, that unfolded in Europe between roughly 1550-1700” (Hatch). This revolution was a time to replace

Read More
1806 Words | 8 Pages

Science often sparks many debates because of its controversiality. The scientific advancements that have occurred over the last few decades have received attention because of the funding and regulation from the government that is required. Although some people support government regulation of scientific advancements, others do not. Scientific advancements are the development of the natural world and its surroundings that are meant to enhance life. Government regulation is control by authorities to establish order.

Read More
1413 Words | 6 Pages

Together, Bacon and Darwin make up the dream team of the scientific world. Bacon’s four idols can be related to Darwin’s natural selection by: the idol of the tribe as the opinion of natural selection, the idol of cave relates to the impact natural selection has on man, the third idol, the marketplace, reflects the conversation about natural selection, and the idol is theater is the idea that natural selection suggests to the public. Charles Darwin is a crucial character in the history of scientific thought, his biggest role pertained to natural selection, and from then on the idea of evolution. Ed Grabianowski commented in his summary of natural selection that, “Natural Selection is the engine that drives evolution.” (Grabianowski)

Read More
1997 Words | 8 Pages

Topic 1 Discuss some of the ways that Darwin’s theory of natural selection was transformative to his society. Natural selection is “the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.” (What is natural selection, n.d.) In other words the strongest genes are passed to their offspring.

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

During the seventeenth century, many of Europe’s diverse and numerous countries were going through countless political, economic, and cultural transformations. The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment were two of the greatest, most important changes of the early modern era which greatly altered the course of history in most of Europe. People were starting to question and challenge widely accepted beliefs and applying approaches to knowledge rooted in human reason to the physical universe and human affairs. The study of history often focuses on these events and its effects on Europe, excluding or ignoring its effects on places outside of Europe. The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment both sparked interests in science in China and

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

First, Darwinism can be depicted as an entity emanating from variation and diversification of organisms due to acquired characteristics. Secondly, Darwinism can be viewed as a social science that entails struggle for survival, in all spheres of life. These two perspectives clearly elucidate the manner in which Darwinism is deeply rooted in the European culture. The concept of the struggle for survival is clearly evident through the

Read More
989 Words | 4 Pages

In “Evidence as to Man’s Place in Nature”, Huxley is considered the first to explicitly explain the “Origin of Man” via “Natural Selection”. Published only four years after “On The Origin of Species” Darwin’s ideas were gaining traction but had not yet taken its roots in people’s minds. There were still many sceptics and academic opponents of his “Theory of Natural Selection”. It was an admirable and ambitious move by Huxley to publish a book on a topic of such controversial nature, to explain modern Man’s origin.

Read More
898 Words | 4 Pages

There were scientific findings before the 16th century and there were more to follow the 18th century. Shapin’s thesis covers that there was no specific scientific distinction between the 17th century and the rest of time for this period to stand out and be a revolution but he explains that the Scientific Revolution is more of a process. Shapin still believes that the scientific findings of this time can be considered revolutionary. Shapin explains that “Science remains whatever it is-certainly the most reliable body of natural knowledge we have got” (165) to show that he still understands how important science and the findings in science are to the world and civilization.

Read More
486 Words | 2 Pages

Because of the ambiguity of Kuhn’s paradigm and scientific revolution, many scholars attempted to clarify its notion and definition for the better understanding (Kvasz, 2014; Tuboly, 2017). Thus, Kvasz (2014) categorized the scientific revolutions based on the Kuhnian principle into four types: idealizations, re-coding, relativizations, and re-formulations. The idealization is defined as “the change of ideal objects” (Kvasz, 2014, p.81); while the re-coding is the creation of the linguistic framework of idealitiesthe paradigm of representation (Kvasz, 2014). The relativization of scientific revolution represent the common unities and differences inside the framework of previous re-codingthe paradigm of reification, whereas the re-formulation is a change of formulation terms or language of science (Kvasz, 2014).

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

A scientist should adhere to the traditional work that is governed and guided by generally accepted paradigms. But at the same time he should be open-minded to recognize anomalies and be ready to abandon the tradition when an alternative one that is capable to solve the anomalies is introduced. " [T]he productive scientist must be a traditionalist who enjoys playing intricate games by preestablished rules in order to be a successful innovator who discovers new rules and new pieces with which to play

Read More

More about Why Darwin Was English Essay

Related Topics

Open Document