Abstract
ON Thursday, December 8, the Herbert Spencer lecture at Oxford was delivered by Prof. Meldola, F.R.S., the title of the lecture being “Evolution: Darwinian and Spencerian.” Prof. Meldola began by pointing out that while Oxford had influenced Darwin through Lyell (whose reputation, however, was made by throwing over the doctrine of his old master at Oxford, Buckland), it had also influenced Spencer through both Lyell and Mansel. Evolution, the lecturer proceeded, did not stand or fall with natural selection, but the prominence given by Darwin to the latter principle availed to convert Spencer from exclusive Lamarckism. Darwin and Spencer approached the problem of evolution with different types of mind, and addressed themselves to different audiences; the special task of Spencer was to show that organic evolution was a particular case of general evolution. In this he entirely succeeded, points of objection that might be taken to his views being of minor importance. Selection, so far, had only been shown to prevail in relation to the phenomena of life. Darwin's influence in departments where selection is not found was only indirect.
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Evolution: Darwinian and Spencerian . Nature 85, 220 (1910). https://doi.org/10.1038/085220a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/085220a0