HIS109Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 33: Louis Pasteur, Carl Linnaeus, Spontaneous Generation
Ibraheem Aziz Feb 10/2016
HIS109Y – L0101 Lec 33
Darwinism
• On The Origin of Species was written in 1859
• Charles Darwin (1809-82) was a British naturalist who hypothesized evolution
• Attacks were against sense of natural privilege in European society and were carried out by
socialists and communists
o Directed against social, political and economic control of upper classes in Europe
• Struggle from essence of middle class success itself – came from science
o This revolution was began by Charles Darwin
o Challenged traditional worldview of traditional Europe
o Presented a scientific challenge on the livelihoods of others
o Science altered the baggage in the western mind; changed relationship between
humans, divine, and universe
• Role of science was not only the structure of the way we think, but is an instruments and tool
used to improve the world and our understanding of it
• Scientists of 19th century offered proof and evidence from the scientific method that could not
be refuted
• Increases in GNP, wealth created a whole new world and established a new system of thought in
society
• By the mid-19th century, the feeling of rejecting science and belief that truth could be refuted
was the same as rejecting the modern world
• Science was the instrument for how the world was going to improve
• Science was progress and the intellectual/cultural world accepted this
• Some people rejected either science or religion; the two were mutually exclusive
• Louis Pasteur (1822-95) invented pasteurization and was an active scientist
o Proved that any form of life can only be created from the same form of life
▪ Disproves the Book of Genesis
▪ Challenged Christianity
o Beliefs fit both common sense and observation
o Spontaneous generation was seen to produce observable effects
o Ideas were based on observation and common sense
o By locating sources of bacteria, Pasteur disproved older theories and helped the
improvement of public health in Europe
• Previously believed that bacteria was a symptom as opposed to the cause of disease
• Educated opinion celebrated Pasteur and the universe was seen as comprehensible – could
make the universe a better place to live
• Newton gave God the existential role of prime mover/engineer and acknowledged the existence
of God
• Darwin believed that there was no design and a series of random forces ultimately changed the
nature of all living creatures without their input
o Forces that create them are all outside their control
o Creation is a fable and man can change his environment
• During the 18th century, Buffon accelerated the idea of evolution and Carl Linnaeus advanced it
as well
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