Huh! I keep the exact same set of journals that Darwin maintained except for “Experiments on Worms.” Weird!
Seriously, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my notes. Too many ideas to follow up on and things to read and stuff to listen to! But at least I have not tasked myself with the job of gathering evidence to refute an entire society’s world view of creation.
Loved “Better than a dog anyhow.” I wonder if he felt the same after he married? Dogs are pretty great!
Fantastic read! I always cite this quote from Darwin to my students:
‘I had, also, during many years, followed a golden rule, namely, that whenever a published fact, a new observation or thought came across me, which was opposed to my general results, to make a memorandum of it without fail and at once; for I had found by experience that such facts and thoughts were far more apt to escape from memory than favourable ones.’
Lotsa fun included in this one Jillian. I love Darwin's flip-it notebook of books to read and books read. Cool!!! Early on in my posting I wrote about CD. I consider him the rarest of people. Most all scientific work largely builds on the past and tweaks it. He was a rare figure that b/c he documented so many details over such a long period he largely built his thesis upon all of his own iterative work. I remember when I tried to understand him better it was all about the copious notes and your writing here captured that SO WELL. What I marvel at is the sheer breadth of his conclusions! All of what he purported becomes a somewhat simple story to tell once genetics arrives and DNA is discovered but that was NEARLY 100 YEARS LATER. It is simultaneously a remarkable set of conclusions a person could wrestle out of their own mind and notes absent the understanding of genetics and DNA.
In an explosive period of innovation, there only a handful of people whose work seems to be a century ahead of its time. I group him with Newton, Einstein, and Tesla at least in those other branches of science. While I liked your post a lot more than mine, I think mine is fun meander from Darwin to dogs to corn. A little silly and lighthearted. When someone engages over evolution and seems to want to argue, I usually talk about dogs and corn. They are pretty cool examples of MASTERY we've managed in the intervening 200 years to map out evolutionary change that can now be readily directed.
I avoid linking in comments but if you are interested, drop me a message. Congratulations on the deserved success of your Newsletter.
Was Notebook B (Cambridge DAR 121) the one that went missing for many years, only to show up recently? Great post, Jillian. So happy that you're off the California to look at notebooks in the Huntington!
Such a fascinating post - thanks, Jillian! Down House is well worth a visit - Darwin's study still looks remarkably similar to how it's depicted in the illustration in your post! My favourite part of the garden is the 'sandwalk', which was Darwin's 'thinking path'.
This is electrifying! I am stealing his "Books to Read/Books Read" notebook idea. It must be wonderful to handle these journals, even just as physical objects; that little red journal looks beautiful.
Another great post Jillian! Thanks! Loved the pic of Darwin's study. It is fascinating how much of his thinking he felt should be recorded. Most of our thoughts never make it to paper, unless it is a focused project. Or we just chat about them to a friend. Of course it makes perfect sense that he recorded all the factual information acquired. So funny regarding the dog/wife! lol
Really happy you are getting a chance to travel to explore more archives. Looking forward to hearing about your findings! xx
Sometimes I get self-conscious about my journaled thoughts being rambly and inelegant. It’s good to know that Darwin also loved punctuational emphasis 😂.
Huh! I keep the exact same set of journals that Darwin maintained except for “Experiments on Worms.” Weird!
Seriously, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my notes. Too many ideas to follow up on and things to read and stuff to listen to! But at least I have not tasked myself with the job of gathering evidence to refute an entire society’s world view of creation.
Loved “Better than a dog anyhow.” I wonder if he felt the same after he married? Dogs are pretty great!
Fantastic read! I always cite this quote from Darwin to my students:
‘I had, also, during many years, followed a golden rule, namely, that whenever a published fact, a new observation or thought came across me, which was opposed to my general results, to make a memorandum of it without fail and at once; for I had found by experience that such facts and thoughts were far more apt to escape from memory than favourable ones.’
Memories are frail - notes are much better!
Interesting, thank you. It’s especially interesting that he didn’t trust his memory. (As an aside, I have found that a dog is better than a husband.)
Lotsa fun included in this one Jillian. I love Darwin's flip-it notebook of books to read and books read. Cool!!! Early on in my posting I wrote about CD. I consider him the rarest of people. Most all scientific work largely builds on the past and tweaks it. He was a rare figure that b/c he documented so many details over such a long period he largely built his thesis upon all of his own iterative work. I remember when I tried to understand him better it was all about the copious notes and your writing here captured that SO WELL. What I marvel at is the sheer breadth of his conclusions! All of what he purported becomes a somewhat simple story to tell once genetics arrives and DNA is discovered but that was NEARLY 100 YEARS LATER. It is simultaneously a remarkable set of conclusions a person could wrestle out of their own mind and notes absent the understanding of genetics and DNA.
In an explosive period of innovation, there only a handful of people whose work seems to be a century ahead of its time. I group him with Newton, Einstein, and Tesla at least in those other branches of science. While I liked your post a lot more than mine, I think mine is fun meander from Darwin to dogs to corn. A little silly and lighthearted. When someone engages over evolution and seems to want to argue, I usually talk about dogs and corn. They are pretty cool examples of MASTERY we've managed in the intervening 200 years to map out evolutionary change that can now be readily directed.
I avoid linking in comments but if you are interested, drop me a message. Congratulations on the deserved success of your Newsletter.
Was Notebook B (Cambridge DAR 121) the one that went missing for many years, only to show up recently? Great post, Jillian. So happy that you're off the California to look at notebooks in the Huntington!
Looks like a new level to attain!
The iterative nature of his note-taking seems so wise. That happens for me when I'm at my best. In other words, rarely!
Such a fascinating post - thanks, Jillian! Down House is well worth a visit - Darwin's study still looks remarkably similar to how it's depicted in the illustration in your post! My favourite part of the garden is the 'sandwalk', which was Darwin's 'thinking path'.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/things-to-do/
This is excellent. Thank you! I’m working on a project in which Darwin’s writing method occupies part of a chapter.
This is electrifying! I am stealing his "Books to Read/Books Read" notebook idea. It must be wonderful to handle these journals, even just as physical objects; that little red journal looks beautiful.
Another great post Jillian! Thanks! Loved the pic of Darwin's study. It is fascinating how much of his thinking he felt should be recorded. Most of our thoughts never make it to paper, unless it is a focused project. Or we just chat about them to a friend. Of course it makes perfect sense that he recorded all the factual information acquired. So funny regarding the dog/wife! lol
Really happy you are getting a chance to travel to explore more archives. Looking forward to hearing about your findings! xx
Another fantastic post, Jillian. I’m so excited about Octavia Butler, can wait to hear about your trip and what you discover!
“If not marry
Travel. Europe, yes?
America????”
Sometimes I get self-conscious about my journaled thoughts being rambly and inelegant. It’s good to know that Darwin also loved punctuational emphasis 😂.
Another terrific post, Jillian. I've shared it on Twitter. Thanks for all your research, it's fascinating.
Ha, yes! As far as I’m concerned, anything goes when it comes to journaling:)