The Reception of Darwin’s Theory

Flashcards covering the historical reception of Darwin's theory, including key figures, objections, and the transition to the Modern Synthesis.

LOUIS AGASSIZ ($1807-1873$)

A key figure in the debate regarding the fact of evolution alongside J.W. Dawson.

J. W. DAWSON ($1820-1899$)

A Nova Scotia-born professor at McGill and founder of the Redpath Museum who believed in the miraculous creation of species and viewed natural selection as self-contradictory.

Lord (William Thompson) Kelvin ($1824-1907$)

A scientist who raised objections to Darwin's theory based on his calculations of the Age of Earth.

Archeopteryx ($1861$)

A fossil found in Bavaria that serves as the first transitional fossil between dinosaur and bird, addressing objections about the lacking fossil record.

Horse Evolution Sequence

A series of transitional forms including: 1. Eohippus, 2. Mesohippus, 3. Merychippus, 4. Pliohippus, and 5. Equus.

Fleeming Jenkins

An objector to the mechanism of natural selection who proposed the concept of blending inheritance using the example of white and red daisies.

Non-adaptive traits

Biological features such as the colorful feathers of male birds or the large antlers of the Irish Elk that were used as objections to the mechanism of natural selection.

Eclipse of Darwinism

A period where natural selection was less favored than other mechanisms like Neo-Lamarckism, Orthogenesis, and Saltationism (large mutations).

Saltationism

An alternative evolutionary mechanism preferred during the eclipse of Darwinism that emphasizes large mutations.

Modern Synthesis

The resolution of the debate between mutationists and Darwinists, highlighted by the rediscovery of Mendel and Julian Huxley's book Evolution: The Modern Synthesis ($1942$).

T. H. HUXLEY ($1825-1895$)

A professional, anti-clerical scientist who coined the term Agnostic and participated in a legendary showdown at Oxford in $1860$.

Bishop «Soapy» Samuel Wilberforce

The individual who debated T. H. Huxley at the legendary showdown at Oxford in $1860$.

Redpath Museum

The museum founded by J. W. Dawson at McGill University.