Darwinism and the Linguistic Image: Language, Race, and Natural Theology in the Nineteenth Century - Couverture rigide

Alter, Stephen G.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0801858828 ISBN 13 : 9780801858826

Editeur : Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999

Synopsis

In the 19th century, philology - especially comparative philology - made impressive gains as a discipline, thus laying the foundation for modern linguistics. While not a philologist himself, Charles Darwin drew striking comparisons to contemporary linguistic theories at key points in "The Origin of Species" and "The Descent of Man". But since such analogies supplied no real scientific evidence for his theory of evolution, why did Darwin use them? In this volume, the author examines how comparative philology provided a genealogical model of language that Darwin, as well as other scientists and language scholars, used to construct rhetorical parallels with the common-descent theory of evolution. He analyzes the argumentative strategy implicit in such comparisons and weighs their effectiveness, both theoretically and historically. Finally, he considers the long-term consequences of this interdisciplinary parallelism, noting its profound influence in both biology and the humanities. Drawing on texts that range from Darwin's "The Origin of Species" to letters, notebooks and book reviews, the work details the role of philological theory in 19th-century Darwinian debates.

A propos du livre

À propos de l?auteur

Stephen G. Alter is assistant professor of history at Augustana College in Illinois.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Date d'édition: 1999
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0801858828
• ISBN 13: 9780801858826
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 227
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible