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SUMMARY:Erasmus Darwin: Poet of Progress - Dr Patricia Fara  - Clare Colle
 ge &amp\; Department of History and Philosophy of Science 
DTSTART:20141014T164500Z
DTEND:20141014T181500Z
UID:TALK54359@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Graham Allen
DESCRIPTION:Erasmus Darwin – Charles’s grandfather – was well-known 
 among his eighteenth-century contemporaries\, highly respected by many but
  reviled by others. Energetic and sociable\, this corpulent tee-totaller w
 rote best-selling poems on plants\, technology and evolution. He also ran 
 a successful medical practice\, was a Fellow of the Royal Society and prom
 oted industrialization by sponsoring science\, innovation and entrepreneur
 ship in the Midlands. In her research\, Patricia Fara has explored fresh w
 ays of thinking about this champion of Enlightenment thought. More than fi
 fty years before his famous grandson\, Erasmus Darwin dared to publish con
 troversial ideas about evolution that put his medical text on the Vatican
 ’s banned list. Politically radical\, he campaigned for the abolition of
  slavery\, supported the French Revolution\, promoted education for women\
 , and challenged Christian orthodoxy. 
LOCATION:Gatsby Room\, Wolfson College
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