Word got round that the great John Herschel called natural selection the law of higgledy piggledy. "What exactly this means I do not know," wailed Darwin, "but it is evidently very contemptuous."
-Charles Darwin: The Power of Place, Janet Brown, pg 107.
Monday, January 12, 2009
By Means of Higgledy Piggledy
Apparently, some criticisms of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection were as sophomoric in the 19th century as they are today. Darwin's response to one such criticism is typical of his own good humor.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Thought you might enjoy this piece on words like higgledy-piggledy:
http://www.good.is/?p=14517
cool article!
Post a Comment