Evolution for the People

In a compelling new study of popular evolutionism over two centuries, Peter Bowler uses the growing interest in popular science to reinterpret how evolutionary ideas have shaped modern culture. He demonstrates how Darwinism and its rivals sought public attention via mass media, and their resulting impact on popular consciousness.

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From Darwin's The Origin of Species to the twenty-first century, Peter Bowler reinterprets the long Darwinian Revolution by refocussing our attention on the British and American public. By applying recent historical interest in popular science to evolutionary ideas, he investigates how writers and broadcasters have presented both Darwinism and its discontents. Casting new light on how the theory's more radical aspects gradually grew in the public imagination, Evolution for the People extends existing studies of the popularization of evolutionism to give a more comprehensive picture of how attitudes have changed through time. In tracing changes in public perception, Bowler explores both the cultural impact and the cultural exploitation of these ideas in science, religion, social thought and literature.