Naturalists

I’m planning to attend on Thursday. A couple of naturalist heroes!! Humboldt & Darwin

Austin Water Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend

Center for Environmental Research Lunchtime Lectures

Alexander von Humboldt: Culture, Science, and the Geography of Nature

By Kevin M. Anderson

August – The Evolution of Nature: Humboldt, Darwin, and Biogeography

Humboldt was a role model for 19th century biologists who followed the path of Humboldtian science – explore, collect, measure, connect, and theorize with no role for God in scientific explanation. In particular, his influence on Darwin was profound both in setting Darwin’s life course and in fostering his idea of evolution. The Origin of Species was published in 1859, the year Humboldt died, and, in America, the reaction to the theory of evolution divided Humboldt’s scientific disciples. The debate over evolution marked the great shift from natural theology to evolutionary biology in America. But soon after, Humboldtian science was eclipsed by the entrenchment of specialization in biology, reductive scientific explanation, and Social Darwinism. This lecture will trace the arc of transition from Humboldt to Darwin to the science of biology as we know it today.

Presented twice this week –