ScienceNatural Sciences

The Darwin Library

Charles Darwin

In this library of natural inquiry, the works of Charles Darwin are read in full, that the patient listener may accompany him across seas, gardens, islands, and fields of observation. From the voyage of the Beagle to the intricate contrivances of orchids, from the descent of man to the humble labour of worms, these volumes reveal a world not fixed and silent, but ever changing, connected, and wonderfully adapted.

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English

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S4 · E15
Yesterday · 29 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter V - On Development of Intellectual & Moral Faculties Part 2
In which the intricate interplay of intellect, morality, and social habits is examined through the lens of natural selection, demonstrating how various forces influence the propagation of both superior and inferior qualities within human societies....
S4 · E14
Sunday · 30 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter V - On Development of Intellectual & Moral Faculties Part 1
In which the gradual perfection of man’s intellectual and moral faculties is observed as chiefly governed by natural selection, aided by imitation, social instincts, and the approbation of one’s fellows, thus favouring tribes endowed with such...
S4 · E13
Saturday · 26 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter IV - Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and Lower Animals cont. Part 3
In which the moral sentiments and social instincts of man are carefully examined through the lens of savage and civilised tribes, revealing how sympathy and virtue initially concern only the welfare of the tribe and gradually expand toward wider...
S4 · E12
Friday · 27 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter IV - Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and Lower Animals cont. Part 2
In which the intricate interplay of social instincts, such as sympathy and self-command, is observed to guide the actions of both animals and mankind, revealing how these impulses have been shaped and strengthened through natural selection to benefit...
S4 · E11
Thursday · 29 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter IV - Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and Lower Animals cont. Part 1
In which the moral sense or conscience is examined as the highest distinction between man and the lower animals, with careful consideration given to how social instincts, sympathy, and habitual practices among animals might naturally give rise to a...
S4 · E10
Wednesday · 30 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter III - Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and Lower Animals Part 3
In which the curious origins and development of language are explored through analogies with the vocal habits of animals, demonstrating how speech likely arose from imitation, emotional expression, and gradual improvement of vocal organs, interwoven...
S4 · E9
October 6 · 36 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter III - Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and Lower Animals Part 2
In which various instances are observed and recounted illustrating the faculties of reason, memory, and feeling shared between man and higher animals, drawing attention to their similar instincts, emotions, and capacity for association and...
S4 · E8
October 5 · 29 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter III - Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and Lower Animals Part 1
In which the mental faculties of man are carefully weighed against those of the lower animals, revealing a gradual continuum rather than a sharp divide, with a shared capacity for emotions, memory, imitation, and reason. We observe, with a gentle...
S4 · E7
October 4 · 29 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter II - On Manner of Development of Man from some Lower Form Part 4
In which the gradual increase and modification of the human skull and brain are carefully examined, alongside the peculiar loss of bodily hair and the disappearance of the tail, all considered through the lens of natural selection and functional...
S4 · E6
October 3 · 27 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter II - On Manner of Development of Man from some Lower Form Part 3
In which the reader is invited to observe the delicate balance of prolificacy and survival among mankind’s rudest tribes, where natural checks such as famine, infanticide, and warfare temper the increase of numbers, whilst the gradual evolution of...
S4 · E5
October 2 · 23 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter II - On Manner of Development of Man from some Lower Form Part 2
In which the curious phenomena of arrested development and reversion in human anatomy are examined with delicate attention, revealing occasional reappearances of ancestral traits such as double uteri, distinct malar bones, and ape-like muscles that...
S4 · E4
October 1 · 21 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter II - On Manner of Development of Man from some Lower Form Part 1
In which the manifold variations of the human form and mind are carefully examined, revealing that man, like the lower animals, manifests diversity in bodily and mental traits influenced by inheritance, environmental conditions, and use or disuse of...
S4 · E3
September 30 · 33 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter I - Evidence of the Descent of Man from some Lower Form Part 2
In which the curious vestiges of human anatomy—such as the shape of the ear, the semi-functionless nictitating membrane, and the scattered hairs upon our bodies—are tenderly examined as faint echoes of our ancestral forms. These humble remnants, from...
S4 · E2
September 29 · 29 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Chapter I - Evidence of the Descent of Man from some Lower Form Part 1
In which the manifold correspondences between man and other mammals are carefully examined, ranging from similarities in bodily structure and embryonic development to shared maladies and rudimentary organs, all suggesting a common descent. The chapter...
S4 · E1
September 28 · 16 min
The Descent of Man Volume 1 Preface & Introduction
In which Mr. Darwin reflects upon the reception and revision of his work concerning the descent of man, thoughtfully considering critiques and new information gathered since its first publication. He clarifies misunderstandings about the roles of...
S3 · E27
September 27 · 16 min
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Chapter XIV - Concluding Remarks and Summary Part 2
In which the intricate interplay between nervous excitation and muscular movements is explored to elucidate the physical manifestations of intense emotions, drawing upon a variety of anatomical observations and recorded behaviours in both man and...
S3 · E26
September 26 · 15 min
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Chapter XIV - Concluding Remarks and Summary Part 1
In which the manifold movements of expression in man and animals are carefully examined and explained through inherited habit, antithesis, and the direct influence of the nervous system, revealing their deep-seated origins and universal presence...
S3 · E25
September 25 · 26 min
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Chapter XIII - Self-Attention Shame Shyness Modesty - Blushing Part 3
In which the delicate phenomenon of blushing is carefully examined as a manifestation arising from a sensitive regard to the opinions of others, particularly affecting the face through hereditary and habitual channels of nerve and blood circulation....
S3 · E24
September 24 · 23 min
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Chapter XIII - Self-Attention Shame Shyness Modesty - Blushing Part 2
In which the intricate sensations and outward manifestations of blushing are explored with keen attention to the physiological and psychological underpinnings that accompany emotions such as shame, shyness, and modesty. We observe how...
S3 · E23
September 23 · 27 min
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Chapter XIII - Self-Attention Shame Shyness Modesty - Blushing Part 1
In which the singular and involuntary phenomenon of blushing is carefully examined, revealing its physiological underpinnings and its occurrence across various races and ages, notably more frequent and pronounced in the young and in women. The...

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