The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1864.12. D. of Argyll has advanced beauty. CUL-DAR47.20. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 7.2022. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR47 contains notes for Natural selection chap. 7 'Laws of Variation'.

Darwin's notes refer to the Duke of Argyll's opening address at the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1864. See: Duke of Argyll, On Darwin's theory of development. Scotsman: CUL-DAR226.1.157-159

[20]

Dec. 1864. D. of Argyll has advanced beauty — Humming Birds — does not say males alone— How complex beauty is — geogretrical drawing circles intersecting — diamond within diamond. Now laws of symmetrical growth will give this kind of beauty— What more glorious object in universe than the firmament with its stars in clear frosty night.— Was this created for man,—he who thinks so may argue that many animals which existed before man appeared were created beautiful for his eyes—

(Beauty) No arguments advanced to show this is end.─

Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)