Natural Selection: theory origin (Evolution)

by David Turell , Monday, May 02, 2016, 21:59 (2936 days ago) @ dhw

Not with Darwin: - http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/who-will-debunk-the-debunkers/ - "Sutton's allegations are explosive. He claims to have found irrefutable proof that neither Darwin nor Alfred Russel Wallace deserves the credit for the theory of natural selection, but rather that they stole the idea — consciously or not — from a wealthy Scotsman and forest-management expert named Patrick Matthew. - *** - "Some context: The Patrick Matthew story isn't new. Matthew produced a volume in the early 1830s, “On Naval Timber and Arboriculture,” that indeed contained an outline of the famous theory in a slim appendix. In a contemporary review, the noted naturalist John Loudon seemed ill-prepared to accept the forward-thinking theory. He called it a “puzzling” account of the “origin of species and varieties” that may or may not be original. In 1860, several months after publication of “On the Origin of Species,” Matthew would surface to complain that Darwin — now quite famous for what was described as a discovery born of “20 years' investigation and reflection” — had stolen his ideas. - "Darwin, in reply, conceded that “Mr. Matthew has anticipated by many years the explanation which I have offered of the origin of species, under the name of natural selection.” But then he added, “I think that no one will feel surprised that neither I, nor apparently any other naturalist, had heard of Mr. Matthew's views.” - "That statement, suggesting that Matthew's theory was ignored — and hinting that its importance may not even have been quite understood by Matthew himself — has gone unchallenged, Sutton says. - *** - "After all his months of research, Sutton says he found clear evidence that Matthew's work did not go unread. No fewer than seven naturalists cited the book, including three in what Sutton calls Darwin's “inner circle.” He also claims to have discovered particular turns of phrase — “Matthewisms” — that recur suspiciously in Darwin's writing. - "In light of these discoveries, Sutton considers the case all but closed. He's challenged Darwin scholars to debates, picked fights with famous skeptics such as Michael Shermer and Richard Dawkins, and even written letters to the Royal Society, demanding that Matthew be given priority over Darwin." - Comment: Interesting history, nothing more.