The purpose of this study is to show and describe the influence Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution had on general scientific worldview in the United Kingdom, using two scientists as example. The first is Darwin’s friend, a politician, banker, natural scientist and polymath, Sir John Lubbock (1834–1913), whose work is pervaded with the spirit of natural selection. Lubbock was probably the first to apply the principles of natural selection to humans. The second part of this study is dedicated to William Crookes, a physicist and chemist (1832–1919), who applied the theory natural selection to the origin and evolution of chemical elements.
Charles Darwin; John Lubbock; William Crookes; natural selection; evolution of culture and society; evolution of chemical elements; Victorian era
ISSN 0300-4414 (print)
ISSN 2788-3485 (online)
founded 1968
Published by Society for the History of Sciences and Technology http://www.sdvt.cz
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