Charles Darwin: The Life and Legacy of the 19th Century’s Most Famous Scientist

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Jim D. Johnston

"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." (Charles Darwin)

"We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities...still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." (Charles Darwin)

Ever since the human mind developed the capacity for thought, people have pondered not just the meaning of life, but the genesis of the world, the universe, and all the natural marvels and precious forms of life within it. To this day, all of these intricate subjects continue to be matters of great contention, and they are often best encapsulated in the debate between creationism and evolution.

On the one hand are those who are adamant that it was God, or some other supreme being, that designed and crafted every detail of the universe, as evidenced by the plethora of creation myths from various creeds and traditions. On the other hand are those who subscribe to the belief of, or as they would say, "accept" evolution and scientific processes as fact.

The kindler of this impassioned existential dispute, of course, is none other than Charles Darwin, who himself devised the term "creationists" and propelled the controversial theory of evolution to prominence. Given that he went against the grain with his scientific work, he was clearly one of the most polarizing men of his age, and he wouldn’t hesitate to question one of the central tenets of Western civilization in print: "I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars."

Bearing this in mind, while it was indeed Darwin who stoked the fire, he is not the hardcore, deity-despising atheist who obsessed about disproving God that most presume him to be. What lies within this fascinating man is a complicated, neurotic, and somewhat tortured individual, which, needless to say, only makes this pioneer all the more compelling.

©2018 Charles River Editors (P)2018 Charles River Editors