Darwin and Religion
Supplement: The Darwin–Gray Correspondence
This is a supplement to Darwin and Religion, listing readings for three classes on the debate between Charles Darwin and Asa Gray on chance, teleology and natural selection. Primary sources have been assembled from citations in Lennox (2010).
Meeting Twenty Three (Monday 16 April)
Primary Reading
- Asa Gray. 1860. “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, in American Journal of Science and Arts, March 1860. Reprinted in Darwiniana: Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism, D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1876, pp. 9–61.
Secondary Reading
- Letters 2125, 2129, and 2136.
- Letter 2704.
- Asa Gray. 1861. Natural Selection not Inconsistent with Natural Theology: A Free Examination of Darwin’s Treatise On The Origin of Species, and of its American Reviewers, Trübner and Company, London. Reprinted from essays in the Atlantic Monthly in July, August and October 1960. Reprinted in Darwiniana: Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism, D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1876, pp. 87–177.
- Letters 2855, 2930, 2998, and 3176.
Meeting Twenty Four (Wednesday 18 April)
Primary Reading
- Darwin, Charles. 1862. On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing, John Murray, London, Chapter 7, pp. 346–360.
- Darwin, Charles. 1868. The Variation in Animals and Plants under Domestication, John Murray, London, Volume 2, Chapter 28, pp. 420–432.
Secondary Reading
- Letters 4056, 4196, and 4234.
- Asa Gray, “Review of Charles Darwin, Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication”, in The Nation, Vol. 6, 19 March 1868, pp. 234–236.
- Letters 6167, 6206.
Meeting Twenty Five (Thursday 19 April, Morey 504 at 4pm–6pm)
Primary Reading
- Lennox, James G. 2010. “The Darwin/Gray Correspondence 1857–1869: An Intelligent Discussion about Chance and Design”, in Perspectives on Science, Vol. 18, No. 4, Winter 2010, pp. 456–479. [URI] [PDF]
Secondary Reading
- Lennox, James G. 1993. “Darwin was a Teleologist”, in Biology and Philosophy, Vol. 8, No. 4, Oct. 1993, pp. 409–421. [URI] [PDF]
- Michael T. Ghiselin. 1994. “Darwin’s Language may Seem Teleological, but his Thinking is Another Matter”, in Biology and Philosophy, Vol. 9, No. 4, Oct. 1994, pp. 489–492. [URI] [PDF]
- Lennox, James G. 1994. “Teleology by Another Name: A Reply to Ghiselin”, in Biology and Philosophy, Vol. 9, No. 4, Oct. 1994, pp. 493–495. [URI] [PDF]
- Asa Gray. 1874. “Scientific Worthies III. Charles Robert Darwin”, in Nature, Vol. 10, 4 June, pp. 79–81.
- Letter 9483.
Updated: 13 April 2012