Negotiating Darwin: The Vatican Confronts Evolution, 1877-1902

by Mariano Artigas, Thomas F. Glick, Rafael A. Martínez

Overview

Drawing on primary sources made available to scholars only after the archives of the Holy Office were unsealed in 1998, Negotiating Darwin chronicles how the Vatican reacted when six Catholics—five clerics and one layman—tried to integrate evolution and Christianity in the decades following the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species.

As Mariano Artigas, Thomas F. Glick, and Rafael A. Martínez reconstruct these cases, we see who acted and why, how the events unfolded, and how decisions were put into practice. With the long shadow of Galileo's condemnation hanging over the Church as the Scientific Revolution ushered in new paradigms, the Church found it prudent to avoid publicly and directly condemning Darwinism and thus treated these cases carefully.

The authors reveal the ideological and operational stance of the Vatican and describe its secret deliberations. In the process, they provide insight into current debates on evolution and religious belief.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801883897
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	09/22/2006
Series:	Medicine, Science, and Religion in Historical Context
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.95(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mariano Artigas is a professor of philosophy at Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.

Thomas F. Glick is a professor of history at Boston University and has written widely on Darwin. Among his many books are Negotiating Darwin: The Vatican Confronts Evolution, 1877–1902, also published by Johns Hopkins; The Reception of Darwinism in the Iberian World; and The Comparative Reception of Darwinism.

Rafael A. Martínez is a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. The New Documents
Chapter 2. An Ineffective Decree
Chapter 3. Retraction in Paris
Chapter 4. Americanism and Evolutionism
Chapter 5. Condemned for Evolutionism?
Chapter 6. "The Erroneous Information of an Englishman"
Chapter 7. Happiness in Hell
Chapter 8. The Church and Evolution: Was There a Policy?
Notes
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Giuliano Pancaldi

Negotiating Darwin provides an assessment of the Vatican's policy toward evolutionism during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Within the context of six case studies, the book displays painstaking knowledge of documents from the Vatican's archives and a thorough awareness of the interpretive issues involved. This is a major, scholarly contribution to the field.

From the Publisher

Negotiating Darwin provides an assessment of the Vatican's policy toward evolutionism during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Within the context of six case studies, the book displays painstaking knowledge of documents from the Vatican's archives and a thorough awareness of the interpretive issues involved. This is a major, scholarly contribution to the field.
—Giuliano Pancaldi, University of Bologna

Editorial Reviews

A well-documented scholarly work.
—Choice

This is a fine study of the Church's response to Darwin and evolutionism in the late-nineteenth century . . . The work will appeal to a wide readership.
—John F. Pollard and Peter James, Reviews in History

This book is both a cautionary tale and a welcome piece of historical research.
—Commonweal

Negotiating Darwin is a very important book.
—Michael Ruse, Church History

Those interested in the history of science and religion and Catholic scholars will find this book useful.
—S. O'M., Southeastern Naturalist

A well-researched and insightful study.
—Don O'Leary, Catholic Historical Review

Negotiating Darwin currently offers the only detailed picture based on the Vatican archive of the actions of the Catholic Church towards authors of evolutionary tracts . . . should be read by anyone interested in the reception of Darwinism or the relationship between science and religion.
—Juliana Adelman, British Journal for the History of Science

Historians will enjoy its meticulous scholarship, and even non-historians will find this a useful book.
—Peter MJ Hess, Reports of the National Center for Science Education

A painstaking study of the archival material that will stand as a basic reference for the history of the Catholic Church's official response to attempts to reconcile Catholicism and evolutionism in the late nineteenth century.
—Barry Brundell, Isis

Negotiating Darwin is an important work of archival scholarship.
—Richard Rosengarten, Journal of Religion

From the Publisher

A well-documented scholarly work.

Choice

Negotiating Darwin is an important work of archival scholarship.

Journal of Religion - Richard Rosengarten

Historians will enjoy its meticulous scholarship, and even non-historians will find this a useful book.

Reports of the National Center for Science Education - Peter MJ Hess

This is a fine study of the Church's response to Darwin and evolutionism in the late-nineteenth century . . . The work will appeal to a wide readership.

Reviews in History - John F. Pollard and Peter James

A well-researched and insightful study.

Catholic Historical Review - Don O'Leary

A painstaking study of the archival material that will stand as a basic reference for the history of the Catholic Church's official response to attempts to reconcile Catholicism and evolutionism in the late nineteenth century.

Isis - Barry Brundell

Those interested in the history of science and religion and Catholic scholars will find this book useful.

Southeastern Naturalist - S. O'M.

Negotiating Darwin currently offers the only detailed picture based on the Vatican archive of the actions of the Catholic Church towards authors of evolutionary tracts . . . should be read by anyone interested in the reception of Darwinism or the relationship between science and religion.

British Journal for the History of Science - Juliana Adelman

This book is both a cautionary tale and a welcome piece of historical research.

Commonweal

Negotiating Darwin is a very important book.

Church History - Michael Ruse

Negotiating Darwin is an important work of archival scholarship.

— Richard Rosengarten

Journal of Religion

A painstaking study of the archival material that will stand as a basic reference for the history of the Catholic Church's official response to attempts to reconcile Catholicism and evolutionism in the late nineteenth century.

— Barry Brundell

Isis

Historians will enjoy its meticulous scholarship, and even non-historians will find this a useful book.

— Peter MJ Hess

Reports of the National Center for Science Education

Negotiating Darwin currently offers the only detailed picture based on the Vatican archive of the actions of the Catholic Church towards authors of evolutionary tracts... should be read by anyone interested in the reception of Darwinism or the relationship between science and religion.

— Juliana Adelman

British Journal for the History of Science

A well-researched and insightful study.

— Don O'Leary

Catholic Historical Review

Those interested in the history of science and religion and Catholic scholars will find this book useful.

— S. O'M.

Southeastern Naturalist

Negotiating Darwin is a very important book.

— Michael Ruse

Church History

This is a fine study of the Church's response to Darwin and evolutionism in the late-nineteenth century... The work will appeal to a wide readership.

— John F. Pollard and Peter James

Reviews in History