Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism, 1861-1864

B. Kamran Swanson, Dann Siems, Elizabeth E. Dunn, Marsha Driscoll

Description

Since its appearance in 1859, Darwin's long-awaited treatise in "genetic biology" had received reviews both favorable and damning. Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce presented arguments for and against the theory in a dramatic and widely publicized face-off at the 1860 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Oxford. Their encounter sparked a vigorous, complex debate that touched on a host of issues and set the stage for the Royal Society's consideration of whether they ought to award Darwin the Copley Medal, the society's most prestigious prize. While the action takes place in meetings of the Royal Society, Great Britain's most important scientific body, a parallel and influential public argument smolders over the nature of science and its relationship to modern life in an industrial society.

A significant component of the Darwin game is the tension between natural and teleological views of the world, manifested especially in reconsideration of the design argument, commonly known through William Paley's Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity(1802) and updated by Wilberforce. But the scientific debate also percolated through a host of related issues: the meaning and purposes of inductive and hypothetical speculation in science; the professionalization of science; the implications of Darwinism for social reform, racial theories, and women's rights; and the evolving concept of causation in sciences and its implications for public policy. Because of the revolutionary potential of Darwin's ideas, the connections between science and nearly every other aspect of culture became increasingly evident. Scientific papers and laboratory demonstrations presented in Royal Society meetings during the game provide the backdrop for momentous conflict, conflict that continues to shape our perceptions of modern science.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History
• Science

Informations

• Publié par: The University of North Carolina Press
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781469672281
• Langue: English

Extrait

Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism, 1861-1864
REACTING TO THE PAST is an award-winning series of immersive role-playing games that actively engage students in their own learning. Students assume the roles of historical characters and practice critical thinking, primary source analysis, and argument, both written and spoken. Reacting games are flexible enough to be used across the curriculum, from first-year general education classes and discussion sections of lecture classes to capstone experiences, intersession courses, and honors programs.
Reacting to the Past was originally developed under the auspices of Barnard College and is sustained by the Reacting Consortium of colleges and universities. The Consortium hosts a regular series of conferences and events to support faculty and administrators.
Note to instructors: Before beginning the game you must download the Gamemaster s Materials, including an instructor s guide containing a detailed schedule of class sessions, role sheets for students, and handouts.
To download this essential resource, visit https://reactingconsortium.org/games , click on the page for this title, then click Instructors Guide.
Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism, 1861-1864
Marsha Driscoll, Elizabeth E. Dunn, Dann Siems, and B. Kamran Swanson
in consulation with
Frederick H. Burkhardt

The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill
2022 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
The University of North Carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Cover illustration: Herbert Rose Barraud, Albumen carte-de-visite of Charles Darwin , ca. 1881. Wikimedia Commons.
ISBN 978-1-4696-7077-5 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4696-7228-1 (e-book)
INFORMATION AND CREDITS
ABOUT THE GAME
Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism is part of the Reacting to the Past Series, a pedagogical initiative offered under the auspices of Barnard College. Faculty or college administrators interested in more information on the Reacting to the Past Series should send an e-mail to [e-mail] .
This packet constitutes one component of the Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism game. Other materials include access to a web site that provides additional information relevant to the game, as well as individual student roles for the game [the full version of the Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism includes 21 separate roles, for a total (maximum) class of 25 students]. These roles are not, and cannot be, publicly distributed. Other teaching materials include an Instructor s Manual for the game, and the Reacting Pedagogy Manual . Janet Brown s (2007) Darwin s Origin of Species : A Biography is highly recommended as background material.
The instructor s manual and roles can be obtained through the Pearson Education Instructor Resource Center or directly through the Reacting to the Past Program office at Barnard College (see http://www.barnard.edu/reacting for additional information).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism has benefited enormously from the suggestions, questions, and research of many faculty and students. Special thanks go to Keith Kester of Colorado College for his willingness to test play the game with the students in his Science and Religion course. The authors also wish to thank Douglas Allchin from the University of Minnesota for his unflagging support and many useful comments.
CONTENTS
THE GAME
Introduction: Welcome to Victorian England
The Natural Theologians
The Naturalists
The Social Reformers
Basic Principles
The Play of the Game
Game Setting
Royal Society Meetings
Your Role in the Royal Society
The Copley Medal
Special Roles in the Council of the Royal Society
Special Rules
Retention of Seat on the Council
Disqualification for reading aloud
Role of Gamemaster, Contact with Instructor
Student-Initiated Rule Modifications
A Word on The Use of Props
The Main Factions
A-Men (opponents of Darwin)
X-Men (supporters of Darwin)
Brief Sketches of Game Characters
Historical and Composite Factional Characters
Indeterminate Roles
Proceedings of the Royal Society
Podium Rule
Copley Nominations
Prelude to the Game
Detailed Agenda (Session by session)
Summary table of agenda and assignments:
Protocol and Parliamentary Procedure
Specific Written and Oral Assignments
Playing a Natural Philosopher or Man of Science in Victorian England
Introduction to the Philosophical Controversy
The Historical Context: Things You Should Know
APPENDICES
Appendix A. Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859)
Appendix B. Primary Source Documents
Samuel Wilberforce, Review of On the Origin of Species
John Lubbock, Tact
Francis Bacon s Novum Organum , 1620 (excerpts)
William Paley, Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity
Charles Kingsley, A Nation s Grief for a Nation s Loss
Sample Prayers from The Book of Common Prayer
Song Lyrics: God Save the Queen
Song Lyrics: All Things Bright and Beautiful
Appendix C. Additional Sources
The Game
INTRODUCTION: WELCOME TO VICTORIAN ENGLAND
It is early January, 1862. You are a member of the British elite, most likely either part of the gentry (property owning individuals who are independently wealthy) or the growing professional class. You have just traveled to London on one of the modern railway passenger cars from your home in one of the counties and you contemplate that the journey is certainly much easier than it was in your youth, when you would have endured at least two days of rutted toll roads, poorly sprung carriages, and the threat of highwaymen.
As you step off the railway car and onto the platform at Waterloo Station, you realize with amazement that, although the noisy steam engine has stopped running, you are still overwhelmed by the noise around you. London is teeming with people and the dark oppressive air is not the result of the train you have been riding; rather, it is the permanent haze that has been thickening around London for many years now. Since it is midday, you are not yet privileged to see the amazing effect of the new gas lamps that have apparently turned night into day in the heart of London, but you wonder if one ever actually sees the sun through this yellow-orange fog.
Deciding to walk rather than take a hackney cab through the crowd, you travel quickly across several city streets, pay a toll at the Waterloo Bridge (hoping you don t witness any suicides as you cross the Thames), and finally reach the busy Strand, home to a variety of shops, several publishing houses, and newspaper offices. You make a short detour to pass the Adelphi Theatre that is currently featuring the Anglo-Irish dramatist, Dion Boucicault. You hope to be able to see his adaptation of one of Charles Dickens s current works while you are in town.
You reach the Royal College of Surgeons and you dash up the steps to see which lectures are scheduled over the next few days. You are in luck! A student of Professor Richard Owen, the noted anatomist/paleontologist, will deliver an address on the comparative anatomy of Chinese Shanghai fowl and Sussex game fowl. Since this seems to be an ornithological session, you are hopeful that the esteemed professor, himself, may mention his latest fossil finds, which you have heard are of some type of flying dinosaur. The study of birds is a favorite of many men of science. The current president of the Royal Society, General Sir Edward Sabine, ventured away from his astronomy and geophysics to make a taxonomic study of birds of North America. And, recently, Charles Darwin used the many varieties of specially bred pigeons to support his case for common ancestry of various species. You make note of the time for the lecture tomorrow afternoon.
You also see a notice concerning the exhibit at the British Museum of the sculptures from the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos in Turkey. You re slightly irritated since they have been publicizing the same exhibit for the past two years and you weren t all that interested the first time you saw the sculptures. You would much rather see the rapidly expanding natural history collection, but the last time you visited it, the rooms were so crowded with skeletons and prepared specimens that you could hardly move about.
You decide not to spend your afternoon walking among the Egyptian and Asian artifacts that crowd the museum and instead you hail a cab and head toward Burlington House in Piccadilly. Burlington House is the site of the Royal Society, that venerable organization of men of philosophy and letters who are devoted to the study of science. (Although the word scientist is occasionally used by some in an effort to draw attention to the particular emphasis of such scholars, you find the term slightly derogatory, or at least somewhat lacking in gentility.) Technically, the Royal Society is considered a gentlemen s club, but, unlike White s or Boodle s, it is much more than a place to eat, drink, and gamble. Even the politically-charged Brooks, where many Whigs meet to discuss their reformist ideas, cannot compare to the serious nature of the scientific discussions at the Royal Society.
You are proud of Burlington House. It represents the progressive nature of Her Majesty Queen Victoria s government and especially of her late husband Prince Albert. If you were to continue west on Piccadilly Street, you would come to the Crystal Palace, the site of the 1851 Great Exhibition, which was built at the insistence of Prince Albert. Proceeds from the Great Exhibition supported the Royal Society, as well as the Natural History collection of the British Museum. In fact, a grant of 1000 from the government in 1850 allowed the Royal Society to provide funds to its members to do resea