The Romantic Conception of Robert J. Richards

In his new book, The RomanticConception of Life: Science and Philosophyin the Age of Goethe, Robert J. Richardsargues that Charles Darwin's trueevolutionary roots lie in the German Romanticbiology that flourished around thebeginning of the nineteenth century. It isargued that Richards is quite wrong in thisclaim and that Darwin's roots are in theBritish society within which he was born,educated, and lived.