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Making Heredity Matter: Samuel Butler's Idea of Unconscious Memory.
- Source :
-
Journal of the history of biology [J Hist Biol] 2018 Mar; Vol. 51 (1), pp. 7-29. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Butler's idea of evolution was developed over the publication of four books, several articles and essays between 1863 and 1890. These publications, although never achieving the success expected by Butler, proposed a psychological elaboration of evolution (robustly enforced by Lamarck's philosophy), called 'unconscious memory'. This was strongly in contrast with the materialistic approach suggested by Darwin's natural selection. Starting with a historical introduction, this paper aspires to ascertain the logic, meaning and significance of Butler's idea of 'unconscious memory' in the post-Darwinian physiological and psychological Pan-European discussion. Particular attention is devoted to demonstrating that Butler was not only a populariser of science but also an active protagonist in the late Victorian psychological debate.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1573-0387
- Volume :
- 51
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of the history of biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 28247258
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-017-9469-8