Before Darwin
Keith Stewart Thomson
Reading Time
at 250 WPM5h 36m
The average reader, reading at a speed of 250 WPM, would take 5h 36m to read Before Darwin.
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12
days at 30 min/day
336
total minutes
Before Darwin
Published
August 28, 2007
Publisher
Yale University Press
Pages
336
ISBN-13
9780300126006
ISBN-10
030012600X
Description
From the Publisher: For 200 years before the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, findings in the sciences of the earth and of nature threatened religious belief based on the literal truth of the Bible. This book traces out the multiple conflicts and accommodations within religion and the new sciences through the writings of such heroes of the English Enlightenment as David Hume, Robert Hooke, John Ray, Erasmus Darwin (Charles' grandfather), Thomas Burnet, and William Whiston. Keith Thomson brings us back to a time when many powerful clerics were also noted scientific scholars and leading scientists were often believers. He celebrates the force and elegance of their prose along with the inventiveness of their arguments, their certitude, and their not infrequent humility and caution. Placing Charles Darwin's work in the context of earlier writers on evolutionary theory, Thomson finds surprising and direct connections between the anti-evolutionary writings of natural theologians like William Paley and the arguments that Darwin employed to turn anti-evolutionist ideas upside-down. This is an illuminating chronicle of an important period in the history of ideas and one that casts interesting light on the anti-evolution/creationist controversies of our own time.
Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pages are in Before Darwin?
This edition of Before Darwin has approximately 336 pages. Please note, this is an estimate and the exact page count can vary between hardcover, paperback, and e-book versions.
How long does it take to read Before Darwin?
For most readers, Before Darwin typically takes between 7h 0m and 4h 40m to complete. This is based on the book's length of approximately 84,000 words and common reading speeds.
Here's a detailed breakdown: • Continuous reading at 250 WPM: approximately 5h 36m of focused reading • Casual reading (30 minutes/day): you could finish in roughly 12 days • Estimated word count: 84,000 words
Your individual reading time will vary based on your personal reading pace, the amount of daily reading time, and your familiarity with the subject matter.
What is the word count of Before Darwin?
The estimated word count for Before Darwin is approximately 84,000 words. This figure is calculated using industry-standard methods that consider genre-specific word density patterns, typical formatting and layout characteristics, and standard words-per-page ratios for published books.
This is an approximation — actual word count may vary based on font size, formatting, edition, and the presence of illustrations or charts.
Who is the author of Before Darwin?
Before Darwin was written by Keith Stewart Thomson.
When was Before Darwin published?
The publication date for this specific edition is August 28, 2007. The original work may have been published on a different date.