GET1020 Notes (12-20) PDF

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Warning: TT: undefined function: 32 Warning: TT: undefined function: 32 Lecture 12: Reception of the Origin of species Part.Possible questions What was Charles Babbage trying to prove with his machine? What did the Architecture of the heavens (1837) suggest? What did phrenology show? Which book was ...

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Lecture 12: Reception of the Origin of species Part.2

Possible questions -

What was Charles Babbage trying to prove with his machine? What did the Architecture of the heavens (1837) suggest? What did phrenology show? Which book was the best selling in the 1800s? What did John Tyndall tell his audience in his speech in Ireland? What did George Combe’s Constitution of Man write about mainly?

Victorian Naturalism (19th C) ➢ Just a general label used nowadays to refer to the consistence kind of interest and the arrangement of ideas. ➢ Named after Queen Victoria ruled 1837-1901 = not the duration where Victorian Naturalism exists ➢ Without proviso in mind, means something like they adhere to natural laws that outruns nature than supernatural ones ➢ ONLY natural laws and forces exist in nature = Only natural laws and forces can be detected in nature ➢ They may or may not doubt whether god is behind nature – this is a different matter ➢ In this era, scholars came to believe in naturalism ➢ Darwinism is a part of this change, but not all of it! French revolution (Before Victorian naturalism) ➢ In 1780s-1790s – Asium(?) regime ➢ Turned churches into palaces of reasons – make people to worship logics and reasons ➢ What happened in France, a lot of scientific developments took a taint for other European countries and Britain become more conservative (Afraid lead to revolutions like such) ➢ Any anti-church beliefs are linked to French radicalism are unpopular = making Britain more conservative and old fashioned. ➢ French Revolution is a crazy period with many radical thinking. → radical movements led to backlash ➢ Principle: Against old regime ruled by King, church and aristocracy (any form of gov) were a thing of the past ➢ Religion in French republic was ban for a short period ➢ Abolish churches and chop off heads of royals. (big pendulum of heads getting cut off) Turn temples and churches into places to reason ➢ Replace by science, naturalistic thinking Pierre-Simon Laplace vs Napoleon (emperor of that time) ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

Great French astronomer who introduced the solar system in astronomy. Young corporal from copsicum (?) Does some good and bad Napoleon had reputation of being the same as hitler – evil figure Undertakes coup and stabilize govt and makes his own dictatorship The eminent published a great work on heaven bodies how it moves (planets) – wanted to present his work to Napoleon 1

➢ Latest mathematical understanding & theory to predict how moon, planets, etc. move (Impressive position where the rocks will be in the future) → Power of science ➢ Myth: Pierre gave book to Napoleon - “Why book didn’t mention God?” – by Napoleon - Laplace answered that his version of how planets and universe work, by natural laws, works by itself and there is no need for a place for God - Very radical statement Jean-Baptiste Lamarck ➢ Associated with French Revolution: His idea of evolution was considered very radical, no such thing as extinction = deeply unfashionable and contradicts Cuvier that living things gets extinct by a catastrophic ➢ He was religious but his theory was deeply irreligious ➢ Reputation were trashed by Cuvier (Evolution was tinted so badly for a period) ➢ Seen as an example of French access that things could go to if you left out God / too far down naturalist thinking = any idle idea of evolution was named under Lamarck and are unpopular = since if we descended from animals, our morality will be destroyed ➢ Fiery French radical were stereotype: made a laughing stock for generations until now ➢ French radicals o Destroying the establishment o Symbols of church and monarchy – all cut off blood dripping o Blood thirsty drunken hillbillies More conservative thinking (Don’t need to be 2 extremes) i.

The argument from design ➢ John Ray (1627-1705) ➢ Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) ➢ Rev. William Paley (1743-1805) - “There cannot be a design without a designer” - Study of the natural world to back up deity (Natural world’s complexity, smart, etc.) - This was considered old-fashioned in Europe but then it hung on for long in Britain due to the reactionary movement against all this secular ideas coming from the French revolution - Safe science = reading paley’s book = people thought that study of natural world led to confirmation of belief of god (not because of god) because study of nature world is so complicated and intricate that it fits perfectly well tgt and that there must be a divine intervention - Studying natural world = gives confirmation that divine design must be behind nature

(Recall The Bridgewater Treatises 1833-1840) → Also conservative thinking = type of theology that provides arguments for the existence of God based on reason and ordinary experience of nature. ➢ Series of book funded by Bridgewater who got stinky rich and felt a bit guilty for being a religious man for being so wealthy ➢ Thus left a fund of cash for ppl to write books but with a point that each book has a reference to the benevolence and magnificence and wisdom (forethought) of god as found in nature, as found in creation ➢ On the Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God, as manifested in the Creation ;' illustrating such work by all reasonable arguments, as, for instance, the variety and formation of God's creatures in the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms ➢ Funded by William Buckland (wrote the 6th book)– Super-duper rich man in canal industry 2

➢ Paleyism - Show the amazing work by God (Natural theology) ➢ Look from the outside – Britain might be conservative but as always there is reaction (Not everyone as conservative) Charles Babbage – Secular minded ➢ Wrote “the 9th Bridgewater treatises”; Criticize (spoof) the scientific establishment in England as backwards thinking and primitive – anti-bridgewater ➢ London based naturalist and mathematician ➢ Credited as inventor of computer and gave interesting reactions of the books ➢ He had a smart way of critic the shallow reliance of the relationship btw natural law and supernatural (link to deity) ➢ Inventor of “computer”, a calculating engine = machine that crank count mathematical table without human brain = power of science ➢ He held huge soiree (session in evening) for people interested in science & tech - Party game to impress his visitors - Show a working model of his calculator - At first goes up by increment of 5 for a lot of times. Then suddenly goes up by 27. Broke the law? - Yes, he said according to conventional language, if something doesn’t perform the way it supposed to be = but does it equate to a miracle? - But Babbage was against that. ▪ He explains the reason it seems like his machine broke the law is because ppl thought they understood how the machine work (which is increment of 5) but he purposely program it. ▪ He says the people had incomplete and insufficient understanding of the law. They assumed it’s a miracle because people are ignorant and people want to believe in miracles ▪ Used this trick to show ppl they assumed that observing the laws of nature would teach us mind of god – this is being hasty – just going superficial appearance – there might be a lot of depth and ongoing behind the scenes that we dk – make things look like laws have been broken and is a miracle - Vestiges used this for his own version of evolution in which living things makes their offspring (evolution is innate) ➢ Similarly, Nature law may look like there's a miracle but they were actually just law of nature. ➢ Thinks there’s a God who designed everything

Commented [WKQ1]: Charles Babbage tried to use his machine to prove that what seemed like miracles are in fact higher laws of nature.

Nebular hypothesis (Creation theory) ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

John Pringle Nichol’s Architecture of the heavens (1837) Scottish astronomist Friend of author of vestiges – his writing absorbs vestiges The shapes in space which they call nebular – but they didn’t have high resolution camera Just this time, higher tech telescope was being invented. Can see new things that were never known to humans Solar systems formed from spinning discs of “dust” and “gas”. - All the rocks and materials circulate, stick together, eventually form planets, moon, stars They all believe that nature work by itself = naturalistic explanation instead of creation by god. giant spinning shapes in space seems like there were different series of states – explanation of origin of solar system they were on plane and going one direction Biggest example fund that can explain things forms simply by the acts of natural law and not the supernatural being. He argues that this is how solar system forms slowly and naturally according to natural laws – trying to show that it works by itself – u don’t need god to create one of these systems from nothing to what seems to be forming by itself – thus vestiges was so keen in this 3

Commented [WKQ2]: Architecture of the heavens (1837) suggest that solar system was born from spinning disc of gases and dusts.

➢ By at end of 1830s, still widely assumed that our world and solar system was created from nothing by God ➢ But these people see a whole solar system being created solely by nature

Franz Joseph Gall ➢ Inventor of Phrenology (New science of mind and brain) – Wallace believed in this ➢ German doctor and invented this brain science psychology hybrid and became hugely popular ➢ Numbered diff parts of brain. Diff organs of brains do diff things and the proportion. The bigger that part, the more efficient ➢ Bigger chunk in that faculty = more active at that part = You can read of someone’s character just by using this ➢ All wrong, except for one organ, faculty of speech ➢ The mind is like a soul, it’s immaterial. - Gall claim brain is the physical instrument to connect with the physical world ➢ Gall ran into Cuvier in Paris - A science community was set up to decide the work of Dr Gall - Cuvier again trash Gall’s theory (Either not new or wrong) Johann Gaspar Spurzheim ➢ Gall’s assistant ➢ Think he not getting enough glory. Went to Britain and publish a book as if the theory was his own after the tour. ➢ Set up societies devoted to this topic ➢ Radical laws of nature controlling humans, cannot break out of their personality since you are born with a certain set of qualities scientifically ➢ Thought its science of mind, mind can be described by numbers but was never universally accepted ➢ Brought the new philosophy to Britain, particularly to Edinburgh - He converted a number of middle class gentlemen (lawyers, doctors) - He had amazing power of phrenology Later, phrenology has been dropped from much debated subject to a subject of ridicule. -

Phrenology itself existed throughout the 19th C but by the beginning of 20th C, it had completely died out before ww2, reached high point in 1840s Comparison to Mesmerism as it has a shred of validity in surgery (anesthesia) even though it may not be actually true

George Combe ➢ Recall Spurzheim brought Phrenology into Britain ➢ The number one convert into this new science and believed in it a lot = Foremost advocate of phrenology ➢ A lawyer and a phrenologist - Combe become the leader of Phrenology in Britain - Co-founder of phrenological society - Was also interested in naturalism ➢ Phenology as a naturalistic way of looking at humans - Victorian thought very radical 4

Commented [WKQ3]: Phrenology show that the bumps on the skull determine characteristics.

Use of science to determine character, morality, etc. Seem to be another encroachment for naturalistic and scientific thinking into areas that was previously preserved as religious thinking ➢ MORE IMPORTANTLY, he published a book: The Constitution of Man - Some ppl often mistakenly address it as phrenology but it is a book about human beings and laws of nature and how this 2 are interrelated – the constitution/what makes up human beings = by laws of nature - Aim at his rival; “Religious” side of the phreno society, phreno is naturalistic. - Book was anti-religious = chemical compounds are what make up human = laws of nature is running things - Thought the laws of nature was organised in certain way thought there were 3 kinds and human had 3 kinds which was plagiarized (schzeim) - Used example: o Ships full of religious moral good people but not well-maintained ship and it sinks (did not adhere to the laws of nature) in the ocean but they die and drown even though had good morals. What can God do? o Another ship w nasty people and not religious at all but their ship is well maintained and nth happens o This example shows that what basically is the case of one artsmanship – is god going to save you because you have morals or should u pay attention to the laws of nature = maintaining the ship well o Whether you live or die is not based on your morals but whether you can adhere to the laws of nature. Pointless being on a moral high ground. - Man is as subject to natural laws as the rest of Nature -Physical, Organic, and Moral. - Ignorance of or disobedience to the natural laws led to "punishment" ▪ Whether people drown or not depends on the natural law instead of the people’s religion, virtue and morality = attending to nature is the highest ▪ Good things happen to bad people, bad thing happen to good people -

Commented [WKQ4]: George Combe’s Constitution of Man mainly write about Doctrine of natural laws, not measurement of bumps.

➢ Aim at his rival who thinks God oversees everything and could stop anytime he want – tries to argue that laws of nature are top ➢ Surprisingly, a best seller in Edinburgh; VERY POPULAR. Sold more copes than Vestiges and OOS ➢ The book is hugely CONTROVERSIAL! Evangelicals literally founded societies to oppose the book, even burn it in public. ➢ He was so incautious about the way he write although he on the surface pretends he is religious – attacking religion and god Sales of Constitution of Man

Commented [WKQ5]: Constitution of Man was the bestselling book in the 1800s.

➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢

Influence was extremely wide – a copy of this book in every household Promotes version of naturalism and attempt to laws of nature for good life - popular philo at that time Public wanted to be good Following it was a cascade of it – long trial of influence The sales even dwarf sale of Vestiges & Origin combined Influence of the book is huge but Combe’s influence was small because he’s a phrenologist - Lots of people like his doctrine and philosophy - It was copied and adopted a lot. By other article and books. Became vastly influential but not many know it was from him - People dk Combe, a phrenology was the originator of the naturalistic philosophy that they liked so much

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When he died – this was written “No book published within the memory of man…has effected so great a revolution in the previously received opinions of society... The influence of that unpretending treatise 5

has extended to hundreds of thousands of minds which know not when they derived the new light that has broken in upon them…” •

Writer stands that he likes that new philosophy and idea presented = a lot of other people were influenced and wrote books about it = movement spread outwards although source was forgotten.

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Readers were more sympathetic towards the idea of natural laws which helped supplement Darwin’s OOS book which was published soon after

Effect of Vestiges (1844) and Constitution of Man (1843) ➢ Robert Chambers is a friend of Combe & a member of the phrenological society ➢ Loves Constitituion of man by Georges ➢ Combe was not an evolutionist but vestiges was a book about a kind of evolution (law of progression, cosmic evolution with development) ➢ Vestiges: The book argued that in latest modern science – Everything in nature works by natural law God DOES NOT intervene / isn’t in control of nature = The most important law – Progress / Development ➢ Natural laws in charge of nature (not god, book was hugely controversial) – that’s what vestiges was about ➢ All of universe is one whole long series of laws of nature, earth changing slowly overtime, living things evolving in a way like that calculating engine ➢ Discussion of phrenology is an example of influential naturalistic thinking which was very popular – a new way of naturalist thinking of human – human beings as natural obj because they were actly seen as separate obj – divine created by god ➢ Out of that community – split of this constitution of man and this new mvmt became way more influential = Wallace loved this book and vestiges – showed how the way ppl thought in 19th century was changing ➢ People influence by Combe’s thinking without even knowing ➢ Vestiges brings back all the things that are hated about the French Revolution radical period. There is also phrenology in it. ➢ Laws of nature lead inevitably to progress upwards, using the nebular theory (creation of solar system) = disorder move towards order, geology of earth as one progressing (evolution of whole universe is not run by god) ➢ Many said it leads to The Victorian crisis of faith = People start doubting their faith in God = struggle to understand if science favours the work of god/gives no evidence on the influence of god Biblical Scholarship – Another way of thinking ➢ Late 18th C, where scholars began to study the bible, particularly in Germany, not only as a sacred & religious text but as a historical document. - Not naturalist at all - Isn’t about nature or science but still influential area of study that has huge impact about how ppl thought about god and evolution and nature – even Darwin himself was influenced by this - Scholars mostly in Germany came to analyse the book and these scholars were religious man - Books eg odeyss – no one rly carefully analysed and study the text between the lines and lots of secret was uncovered, they learn these kind of lessons by analysing in critical scholarly manner - Some ppl turned to analyse the bible in similar ways and some discoveries turned out to be very shocking ▪ Eg the Christians had a book that breaks out into 2 parts – old testaments and new ones – part of that is divided into 4 main stories about life of Jesus - From which one can derived clues and find out things that won’t be discovered based on daily pious reading 6

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The Bible was written by many writers = different variation of writing style Some texts were not written at the time of the events described, contains many inconsistencies. ▪ Some text were not sign by the authors. ▪ Some in Greek and the English version was in the word of translator ➢ Not all biblical scholars were against Christian but some were. - Higher criticism and analysis of the Bible by German Biblical scholars ▪ Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834) ▪ David Friedrich Strauss (1808-1874) ▪ Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872). ➢ Story of woman who committed adultery – most famous story o According to Jewish law, she should be stoned to death but it conflicts w what he preaches and the laws o But the scholars discovered that there was no such story in the oldest book as compared to the modern version, found that this story was added much later o If you took the story out, the bible flows more fluently o Some of this could be unsettling to different kinds of christian – some is like the text of bible is more important but some is the faith and belief o This kind of findings start to get put into pop book who are attacking religion – no real historical basis evidence is poor and inconsistent o Challenged the faith of some people whose faith was shaking – seems that some ppl gave up their faith based on this = analysis of the text origin undermines their faith ➢ It is not criticizing bible. It means scholarly study. ➢ It spread to other countries such as Britain and people started to realise that the bible is just an old book. ➢ They want their religion to be scientific. Well substantiated with evidences. ➢ Many educated people read these thinking and the basic finding of the biblical scholarships dented their faith in Christ - Recall those in UK, eg. Darwin that had follow Paley. (Foster his Ch...