Article ID: CBB335016637

Trees, Coral, and Seaweed: An Interpretation of Sketches Found in Darwin’s Papers (2020)

unapi

The sole diagram in On the Origin of Species is generally considered to be merely an illustration of Darwin’s ideas, but such an interpretation ignores the fact that Darwin himself expressly stated that the diagram helped him to discover and express his ideas. This article demonstrates that developing the so-called “tree diagram” substantially aided Darwin’s heuristics. This demonstration is based on an interpretation of the diagram and of 17 sketches found in Darwin’s scientific papers. The key to this interpretation is the meaning that Darwin assigned to the graphic elements (points, lines, and spaces) he used to construct the preliminary sketches and the diagram. I argue that each of the sketches contributed to the shaping of Darwin’s ideas and that, in their succession, each added new elements that ultimately resulted in the fully developed published diagram.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB335016637/

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Authors & Contributors
Shilo, Benny
Priest, Greg
Lo, Melissa
Scholl, Raphael
Lorenat, Jemma
Law, Jules
Concepts
Visual representation; visual communication
Scientific illustration
Diagrams
Communication of scientific ideas
Communication within scientific contexts
Teaching; pedagogy
Time Periods
19th century
Renaissance
20th century, late
17th century
21st century
16th century
Places
France
England
Japan
Italy
Venice (Italy)
Great Britain
Institutions
Università di Pisa
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