Relatively few peple are aware that alongside Charles Darwin, another Scientist was busily working with the idea of natural selection. Alfred Russell Wallace not only spent even ore time than Charles Darwin collecting specimens, but pushed Darwin into publishing his Theory of Evolution by writing up his own findings on natural selection.
While Darwin has become a posthumous champion of skeptics, Wallace dabbled in spiritualism and pseudoscience. His ideas of natural selection also differed quite a bit from Darwin’s, as this biography shows.
Intriguing…
I always felt sorry for Alfred Russel Wallace. He goes to Darwin for some advice on his paper about evolution, they go to the Linnaean Society and Darwin finally publishes his results. Darwin gets on the £10 note and Alfred Russel Wallace doesn’t really get remembered.
If what my lecturer told us on my Environmental Science Course was correct, Wallace was high a lot of the time which may have caused his credibility to suffer – even if he did have the right idea. Might also explain the spiritualism and pseudoscience!!
oh come now, i saw the mind-brain interface on dr. who…so it must be true!
Also bought with Blade Runner!
Wallace’s portrait hangs next to Darwin’s at the Linnean Society. He’s not forgotten by anyone with a serious interest in evolution…..
I meant remembered by general members of the public. Walk down the street and ask 100 people if they know of Darwin and they’ll mostly answer yes. Now ask the same question about Wallace…..