Darwin’s Love of Life: A Singular Case of Biophilia

In this slim but mighty debut, journalist Harel explains the role biophilia—a “love of life”—played in Charles Darwin’s life and work. Seven essays draw on Darwin’s personal notebooks to make a case that his scientific views on evolution specifically were “shaped by biophilia,” and “much of what he saw was biophilia in action.” In “It’s Dogged as Does It,” Harel writes that Darwin had a serious affinity for dogs; he cared for at least 21 in his lifetime and observed them as he would other creatures. He “was fascinated by the yawn of the dog” even as he “pondered the blush of the octopus, the feather of the peacock, and the sex life of the barnacle.” “The Glories and Limits of Facts” traces Darwin’s “fastidious and inventive” search for the truth, and “The One Great Love of Two True Minds” takes Darwin’s relationship with his wife, Emma Wedgwood, as an example of his biophilia, contending that in her he found somebody with “an innate joy,” and that while raising their kids, “biophilia suffused the Darwin enclave.” Harel’s lyrical musings delight, and they make for an original approach to a familiar topic. The science- and literary-minded alike will relish this thoughtful collection. (Oct.)