[Rarebooks] fa: THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY on EVOLUTION AND ETHICS - 1893

[Ardwight Chamberlain]

Listed now, along with other science and mathematics titles, auction ending Sunday, October 6. More details and images can be found at the URL below or by searching under the seller name arch_in_la.

http://tinyurl.com/o8jk43a

Thanks again,
Ardwight Chamberlain
L.A.

Thomas H. Huxley: The Romanes Lecture 1893. Evolution and Ethics. Delivered in the Sheldonian Theatre, May 18, 1893. London: Macmillan and Co., 1893. FIRST EDITION. Tall 8vo in original blue printed wraps; [4], 57, [1] pp. Wraps with browning and wear to the edges, early owner's penciled signature on the front cover; leaves mildly toned with foxing and light wear to the deckled edges.

Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) was a renowned biologist, anatomist, and educator. A free-thinker who opposed the more hidebound traditions of established religion, he coined the term "agnostic." Huxley "was one of the first adherents to Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, and did more than anyone else to advance its acceptance among scientists and the public alike… A passionate defender of Darwin's theory… he has been called 'Darwin's Bulldog'…" (University of California Museum of Paleontology). "During his life, and especially in the last ten years after retirement, Huxley wrote on many issues relating to the humanities. Perhaps the best known of these is Evolution and Ethics, which deals with the question of whether biology has anything particular to say about moral philosophy… For a start, Huxley dismisses religion as a source of moral authority. Next, he believes the mental characteristics of man are as much a product of evolution as the physical aspects. Thus,  our emotions, our intellect, our tendency to prefer living in groups and spend resources on raising our young are part and parcel of our evolution, and therefore inherited…" (Wikipedia).