Thomas Henry Huxley
Thomas Henry Huxley born May 4th, 1825, and died the 29th of June, 1895 in Eastbourne, was an English biologist, known for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Huxley's famous 1860 debate with Samuel Wilberforce was a scientific revolutionary moment in the
wider acceptance of evolution, and in his own career. Huxley had been about
to leave Oxford on the previous day but after an encounter with Robert Chambers,
he changed his mind and decided to go along with the debate where Huxley also debated
whether humans were closely related to apes or not.
Huxley was slow to accept some of Darwin's ideas, such as gradualism, and was
undecided about natural selection, but despite this he was wholehearted in
his public support of Darwin. In 1869 Huxley coined the term'agnostic' to
describe his own views on theology, a term whose use has continued to the
present day and is still said he is one of the best self taught anatomist of the
latter 19th century. He worked on invertebrates, clarifying relationships between groups previously little understood. Later, he worked on vertebrates, especially on the relationship between apes and humans. After comparing
The characteristics of snails, he concluded that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs, a theory widely accepted
today. The tendency has been for this fine anatomical work to be overshadowed by his energetic and controversial
activity in favor of evolution, and by his extensive public work on scientific study, both of which had significant
effects on society in Britain and elsewhere for the new contributions to human evolution.
wider acceptance of evolution, and in his own career. Huxley had been about
to leave Oxford on the previous day but after an encounter with Robert Chambers,
he changed his mind and decided to go along with the debate where Huxley also debated
whether humans were closely related to apes or not.
Huxley was slow to accept some of Darwin's ideas, such as gradualism, and was
undecided about natural selection, but despite this he was wholehearted in
his public support of Darwin. In 1869 Huxley coined the term'agnostic' to
describe his own views on theology, a term whose use has continued to the
present day and is still said he is one of the best self taught anatomist of the
latter 19th century. He worked on invertebrates, clarifying relationships between groups previously little understood. Later, he worked on vertebrates, especially on the relationship between apes and humans. After comparing
The characteristics of snails, he concluded that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs, a theory widely accepted
today. The tendency has been for this fine anatomical work to be overshadowed by his energetic and controversial
activity in favor of evolution, and by his extensive public work on scientific study, both of which had significant
effects on society in Britain and elsewhere for the new contributions to human evolution.