Evolution for the People
Shaping Popular Ideas from Darwin to the Present
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Published:28th Nov '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£25.99(9781009448994)
Peter Bowler reassesses the impact of evolutionary ideas on modern culture through growing historial interest in popular science.
In a compelling new study of popular evolutionism over two centuries, Peter Bowler uses the growing interest in popular science to reinterpret how evolutionary ideas have shaped modern culture. He demonstrates how Darwinism and its rivals sought public attention via mass media, and their resulting impact on popular consciousness.From Darwin's The Origin of Species to the twenty-first century, Peter Bowler reinterprets the long Darwinian Revolution by refocussing our attention on the British and American public. By applying recent historical interest in popular science to evolutionary ideas, he investigates how writers and broadcasters have presented both Darwinism and its discontents. Casting new light on how the theory's more radical aspects gradually grew in the public imagination, Evolution for the People extends existing studies of the popularization of evolutionism to give a more comprehensive picture of how attitudes have changed through time. In tracing changes in public perception, Bowler explores both the cultural impact and the cultural exploitation of these ideas in science, religion, social thought and literature.
'Peter Bowler is today's most distinguished historian of evolutionary theory. Every time you think there can be no more to say, he guides us through the huge literature around evolutionary biology, as he produces yet another fascinating, well-written account of some hitherto-unexplored area of interest and importance. This time, in Evolution for the People, relating discussion to everyday issues of the present, Bowler sees how people like George Bernard Shaw and Julian Huxley explored the new vision of the past, particularly as found in Charles Darwin's Origin of Species. Very highly recommended.' Michael Ruse, University of Guelph
'A pacy historical panorama of evolutionary ideas that appeared in books intended for a broad non-specialist readership. Bowler is at his very best in covering three centuries of popular science, ranging from science fiction, images of apes and dinosaurs, to museum displays and radio broadcasts, and shows how Darwin's views – and the evolutionary views of many others – were perceived.' Janet Browne, Harvard University
'Focusing on popular science through an inspiring range of media over a long time, Bowler has brilliantly added an illuminating dimension to our understanding of the dynamic history of evolutionary theory. Evolution for the People is lively even as it is erudite. It is a joy to read. Highly recommended.' Constance Clark, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
ISBN: 9781009448970
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
308 pages