Tracing The Theory of Evolution to Benjamin Franklin

[Ian David]

Tracing The Theory of Evolution to Benjamin Franklin
How Franklin’s musings made their way to Darwin
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 | By: Alan Houston | Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things: founding libraries and organizing fire companies, investigating electricity and inventing bifocals, printing newspapers and proclaiming revolution. But evolution?

Could Franklin also be the father - or at least the grandfather - of the doctrine of natural selection? Hard to conceive, perhaps, but the evidence is intriguing.

From an early age, Franklin was fascinated by patterns of population growth and decline. Puzzles abounded: What determines birth rates? Are there limits to the number of people a nation can support? Is population affected by immigration?

Franklin’s interest in these questions was civic as well as scientific. Then, as now, population was relevant to many aspects of society: laws governing reproduction; budgets for schools and hospitals; wage rates and job distribution; and the movement of people within and between nations.

More:
http://reasonweekly.com/society/tracing-the-theory-of-evolution-to-benjamin-franklin

[drm604]

1. Very interesting.

I grew up in the Philly area and I've always been fascinated by Franklin. He's a cultural icon around here.

[Tumbulu]

2. Thanks for posting; I enjoyed reading this. (nt)

[silverweb]

3. Very interesting!

Franklin has always been a character of great fascination to me, a man of diverse and prolific interests... almost like our own colonial da Vinci.