There are two important reasons for studying the reception of Darwinian concepts in Russia in the 19th century. First, very little is generally known in England about Russian biology and geology of that century and the period is especially interesting since it precedes that of modern Soviet science. Second, the differences and similarities of the reception of Darwinism in Russia with its reception elsewhere throw light on the general progress of acceptance and rejection of a scientific theory. Darwin's theory of evolution affected man's whole conception of himself. Since it was a philosophy as well as a scientific theory the quality of its reception in Russia as in other countries was to a certain extent dependent on the cultural mores of that country as well as on the force of scientific argument. In order to understand the reception of Darwinian concepts in Russia in its totality it was necessary to deal with the background in some detail. An outline of the cultural, social and political traditions in Russia in the 19th century provides a background against which the reception of Darwinian concepts can be seen in its perspective and in its relation with the various intellectual discussions and cultural movements taking place during that time. A detailed description of the organisation of science and of the actual content of the sciences of biology and geology in the first half of the 19th century provides the necessary historical back. ground to the state of science in Russia at the time of the dissemination of Darwin's book the Origin of Species, a background especially essential for the English reader. The actual steps by which Darwin's ideas were disseminated and the reaction from the reading public throughout the second half of the 19th century forms a skeleton in which the impact of the theory of evolution and of Darwinian concepts on Russian biology and geology and on its social and cultural ideas and of their impact in turn on the interpretation and emphases given to the theory and its concepts in Russia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:623161 |
| Date | January 1968 |
| Creators | White, Sarah Swinburne |
| Publisher | Imperial College London |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/16150 |
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