Blog #6

This section was particularly interesting as we are further exposed to Darwin’s life and how he wanted to present himself to the public eye. This section first begins with Darwin’s internal conflict with his religion, as he was originally orthodox, but through a slow and gradual process grew to become an agnostic. This journey was especially fascinating as we are exposed to the factors that played a part in his decision; for example, he mentioned how deeply his young daughter’s death affected him as well as how his findings regarding natural selection stood at odds with the long-standing beliefs of his orthodox religion. As a result, I sense that this chapter definitely helped humanize Darwin, which is much like that of Franklin’s autobiography. Both stories illustrate that there is more to scientists than their names merely attached to a list of successes. As a result, this section regarding Darwin’s spiritual journey. It is also important to note that such a transition was not an easy process for Darwin; more importantly he experienced moments of self-doubt. In one particular passage, Darwin delves deep into whether or not one should trust the intellect of man, who has originated from lowly animals–therefore, as the reader, we have the opportunity to visualize a scientist struggle to balance his empirical evidence versus spiritual beliefs, in other words, science and philosophy of religion.

Furthermore, this chapter explores Darwin’s journey into the world of research as Darwin begins to depict himself as a scientist. What I found to be particularly interesting in this section was that he explicitly stated how the most important aspect of his life is his work in science, in the form of publications. As a scientist, he even applies aspects of his research in his family life. For instance, he notes of his child’s birth, and how he immediately began observing facial expressions, etc. to further understand development in the human species compared to other organisms. This again is similar to that of Franklin, who when assumed the role of a publisher, began to dress, act, and approach others in a way that further added to his credibility as one. On an overarching note, this section illuminated Darwin’s personal journey as a scientist and the multitude of ways that brilliant minds from different times, are more similar than previously thought.