01 - English Men of Science- Their Nature and Nurture by Sir Francis Galton

Dive into the findings of Galtons intriguing survey that sought to uncover the distinctions and similarities among the eminent men of his era. This podcast features a wealth of biographical details, biometric data, and thought-provoking quotations from these distinguished individuals. Summarized by Niobium.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Preface of English Men of Science, Their Nature and Nurture
by Francis Galton. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Leon Harvey. Preface.
I undertalk the inquiry of which this volume is result

(00:22):
after reading the recent work of M. D. Candole, in
which he analyzes the saline events of the history of
two hundred scientific men who have lived during the two
past centuries, deducing there from many curious conclusions which will
repay the attention of thoughtful readers. It also happened that
I myself had been leisurely engaged on a parallel by
more extended investigation, namely as regards men of ability of

(00:45):
all descriptions, with the view of supplementing at some future
time I work on herreditary genius. The object of that
book was to assert the claims of one of what
may be called the pre efficients of eminent men, the
importance of which I had been previously overlooked. I yet
to work out more fully its relative efficiency as compared
with those of education, tradition, fortune, opportunity, and much else.

(01:09):
It was therefore with no ordinary interest that I studied M. D.
Cantell's work, finding it many new ideas and much confirmation
of my own opinions, also not a little criticism, supported,
as I can see by very imperfect biographical evidence of
my published views on hereditary I thought it best to
test the value of this dissent at once by limiting
my first publication to the same field as that on

(01:32):
which M. D. Candell had worked, namely, to the history
of men of science, and to investigate their sociology from
wholly new, ample and trustworthy materials. This I have done
in the present volume, and I am confident that one
effect of the evidence he collected will be to strengthen
the utmost claims I ever made for the recognition of

(01:53):
the importance of hereditary influence. A few of my results
and some of the evidence on which they were based,
were given to me at a Friday evening lecture February
eighteen seventy four before the Royal Institution. I have incorporated
parts of that lecture into this volume, with emendations and
large editions. It has been my wish to work up

(02:14):
the materials I possess with much minuteness but some months
of careful labor made it clear to me that they
were not sufficient to bear a more strict or elaborate
treatment than I have now given to them. The pleasant
ditty remains of acknowledging a debt to my friend mister
Herbert Spencer for many helpful suggestions and for his encouragement
when I was planning this work, And to reiterate my

(02:36):
deep sense gratitude to numerous correspondents, which I have expressed
elsewhere in the following pages. I may add that four
other scientific men who replied to my questions had passed
away since I began to write of these till it
sent me complete returns, namely Professor Phillips, the geologist, and
Sir William Fairbarron, the engineer. As regards the other two,

(02:57):
Sir Henry Holland the physician, have published his order biography,
but it gave me much help colloquially and promised more.
And Sir Edmund, better known as Count Stressiliki, the Australian
traveler and meteorologist, furnished me with very suggestive information, but
two incomplete for statistical use. Francis Skelton forty two rutligate

(03:18):
November eighteen seventy four, p. S. I have to apologize
for some false style in the earlier pages, due to
my not having had as full an opportunity as I
had counted upon of correcting that portion of the press.
After I had sent the above to the printer, a
friend having to point out to me the following passage

(03:38):
in the Sato Recitus of Carlyle, Book two, Chapter two.
It expresses sentiments so nearly akin to those which induced
me to write this book that I am glad to
quote it. It is maintained by Helvitius and his set
that an infant of genius is quite the same as
any other infant, only that certain surprisingly favorable influences accompanying

(04:01):
him through life, especially through childhood, and expand him, while
others lay close, folded and continued dunces, with which opinion
cries Tufelstruck, I should as soon agree, as with this other,
that an acorn might, by favorable or unfavorable influences of
soil and climate, be nursed into a cabbage, or the
cabbage seed into an oak. Nevertheless, continues he I had

(04:24):
to acknowledge the all but omnipotence of early culture, and nurture.
Hereby we have either a doored dwarf bush or a
high towering, wide shadowing tree, either a sick yellow cabbage
or an edible, luxury green one of a truth. It
is a duty of all men, especially of all philosophers,
to note down, with accuracy, the characteristic circumstances of their education.

(04:45):
What furthered, what hindered, what in any way modified it?
End of Preface to english Men of Ants.