SOURCE: “Erasmus Darwin's View of Evolution,” in Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 32, No. 2, April - June, 1971, pp. 247-64.

In the following essay, Harrison focuses on Darwin's emerging ideas on the evolutionary process.

Every historian of evolutionary ideas dutifully acknowledges Erasmus Darwin's distinguished right to be included in the roll of those who anticipated The Origin of Species in some way; even his grandson includes him in a footnote to his prefatory Historical Sketch.

It is curious how largely my grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, anticipated the views and erroneous grounds of opinion of Lamarck in his Zoonomia (vol. I, pp. 500-510), published in 1794.¹

Most, however, follow Charles Darwin in describing his grandfather as purely Lamarckian in his views, without any very extensive examination of what Erasmus Darwin actually wrote. The latest full-length study of him,² while making more than ample amends in some respects, still does not...