Descended From Darwin

Joe Cain and Michael Ruse have edited a volume, Descended from Darwin: Insights into American Evolutionary Studies 1925-1950, that has been published by the American Philosophical Society. Thanks to a grant from the APS, the complete volume is available for free at Cain's website. Some really interesting papers from a bunch of folks I know well. As Cain notes:

This volume began at a conference, held 22â23 October 2004 at the American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia. The main focus was on evolutionary studies in America before, during, and after the famous âevolutionary synthesisâ of the 1930s and 1940s. The synthesis period has been the focus of substantial new research and important new thinking. This volume brings together fifteen specialists to explore these developments and to press further. Questions shaping these essays focus on the following broad themes:

  • continuity and breaks across generations
  • emerging narratives for the period
  • new research opportunities at the APS
  • new ideas from the research front
  • placing evolutionists in the broader context of biology
  • future directions

In addition to fifteen original essays, this volume includes a thoughtful introduction by Michael Ruse.

This conference was made possible by the generous support of the Barra Foundation and given in honour of the late Professor Frederick H. Burkhardt.  

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