Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation and Other Evolutionary Writings

About this book

Originally published anonymously in 1844 Vestiges proved to be as controversial as its author expected. Integrating research in the burgeoning sciences of anthropology geology astronomy biology economics and chemistry it was the first attempt to connect the natural sciences to a history of creation. The author whose identity was not revealed until 1884 was Robert Chambers a leading Scottish writer and publisher. Vestiges reached a huge popular audience and was widely read by the social and intellectual elite. It sparked debate about natural law setting the stage for the controversy over Darwins Origin. In response to the surrounding debate and criticism Chambers published Explanations: A Sequel in which he offered a reasoned defense of his ideas about natural law castigating what he saw as the narrowness of specialist science. With a new introduction by James Secord a bibliography of reviews and a new index this volume adds to Vestiges and Explanations Chamberss earliest works on cosmology an essay on Darwin and an autobiographical essay raising important issues about the changing meanings of popular science and religion and the rise of secular ideologies in Western culture.