RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1870-1871]. Draft leaf of Descent vol. 1, p. 288. Christies-16082. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 11.2022. RN1
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of William Huxley Darwin. With thanks to Christine Chua. 167 x 210mm, the lower half of a folio leaf (carefully torn at upper margin)…Provenance: John Drake (sold to:) – Halsted B. Vander Poel (his sale, Christie's, 3 March 2004, lot 168). Sold for $90,000 in 2018 at Christie's New York. "On auction at Bonhams 5 November 2020, 26078 Lot 2. Not Sold.
This draft fragment is presumably very early because it differs almost entirely in wording from the text published in Descent 1: 228. "The question whether mankind consists of one or several species has of late years been much agitated by anthropologists, who are divided into two schools of monogenists and polygenists. Those who do not admit the principle of evolution, must look at species either as separate creations or as in some manner distinct entities; and they must decide what forms to rank as species by the analogy of other organic beings which are commonly thus received. But it is a hopeless endeavour to decide this point on sound grounds, until some definition of the term "species" is generally accepted; and the definition must not include an element which cannot possibly be ascertained, such as an act of creation." "Dealing, as it does, with Darwin's views on the unity of the human species in words not previously published, this draft is highly significant." Darwin later inserted the title of the book and his signature to make a gift of the manuscript.
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[top of page excised]
[in another hand:] w3198
being be aggregated
the same genus,
[later insertion in Darwin's hand:] The Descent of Man. Ch. Darwin
(The multiple or single origin of mankind has recently been much discussed by polygenists & monogenists. For This question is at once settled for them who do not admit the common descent of allied species, the question is settled by determining whether or not the existing kinds of men should be ranked as species or as races, & this This point, however, can be settled only or arbitrarily, as long as no definition or test of of what is meant by the term species is universally accepted. We may see that how impossible it is to decide on the value of the term
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 30 October, 2023