2008 Woodie Awards
Darwin's popularity captured in new light
April Wright
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: News
In celebration of this year's theme of Science and the Liberal Arts, historian of science Betty Smocovitis visited campus on Thursday, Sept. 25 to deliver a lecture discussing the image of famed biologist Charles Darwin, 1809 - 1882, and its implications for the theory of evolution in music.
In a lecture room in the new Regents Hall, Smocovitis delivered her lecture, "Singing his Praises: Darwin and his Theory in Song and Musical Production," to a nearly full house.
Smocovitis, a professor of history and zoology at the University of Florida, began the evening by illustrating the prominent place Darwin holds in the history of science.
According to Smocovitis, Darwin's image has been in flux over the past half-century, with over 70 major biographies emerging covering a multitude of different viewpoints.
"Lately, we've seen a more genteel Darwin," Smocovitis said.
In light of all the focus on Darwin as an individual, Smocovitis decided to investigate a different facet of the scientist's history.
"I wanted to explore the part of Darwin that remains virtually unknown … the popular Darwin," she said.
Smocovitis went on to illuminate how Darwin became one of the only scientists to be commonly associated with his theory. She asserted that Darwin's ability to pay to be photographed, a rarity in the 19th century, helped him gain a considerable advantage on the public's perception of him because photographs are much easier to proliferate than portraits.
"This face became associated rapidly with Origin of the Species [Darwin's famous first work on evolution] and his exciting and revolutionary new theory," she said.
The immediate dissemination of Darwin's visage in the popular media meant that he became a representative for his ideas in art and music. Coupled with the rising demand for music from a middle class that had more leisure time, Darwin and his theory started to become a popular theme in song.
In a lecture room in the new Regents Hall, Smocovitis delivered her lecture, "Singing his Praises: Darwin and his Theory in Song and Musical Production," to a nearly full house.
Smocovitis, a professor of history and zoology at the University of Florida, began the evening by illustrating the prominent place Darwin holds in the history of science.
According to Smocovitis, Darwin's image has been in flux over the past half-century, with over 70 major biographies emerging covering a multitude of different viewpoints.
"Lately, we've seen a more genteel Darwin," Smocovitis said.
In light of all the focus on Darwin as an individual, Smocovitis decided to investigate a different facet of the scientist's history.
"I wanted to explore the part of Darwin that remains virtually unknown … the popular Darwin," she said.
Smocovitis went on to illuminate how Darwin became one of the only scientists to be commonly associated with his theory. She asserted that Darwin's ability to pay to be photographed, a rarity in the 19th century, helped him gain a considerable advantage on the public's perception of him because photographs are much easier to proliferate than portraits.
"This face became associated rapidly with Origin of the Species [Darwin's famous first work on evolution] and his exciting and revolutionary new theory," she said.
The immediate dissemination of Darwin's visage in the popular media meant that he became a representative for his ideas in art and music. Coupled with the rising demand for music from a middle class that had more leisure time, Darwin and his theory started to become a popular theme in song.
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