Metaphysical Club, Chapter 6

In this chapter, it introduces William James and his admiration for Louis Agassiz and his teachings when attending his lectures on the methods of study in Natural History. James begins to change his study from chemistry to natural history and biology and later in 1864 he enrolls to medical school. At this time, Agassiz decides to plan a trip to Brazil to prove that the Ice Age went down to South America. This trip became known as the Thayer Expedition that lasted 16 months and was to complete three things: research the Ice Age in South America, counter the Confederate influence in South America, and open the market for trade. Within a week on the expedition, James becomes bored and describes Agassiz “as a politician and so self-seeking and liberal to others that it sadly diminishes one’s respect for him.” James didn’t think of Agassiz as a true scientist because Agassiz used his own beliefs as a starting point for research instead of an objective hypothesis.

            The second part of the chapter then introduces Darwin and his “Origin of Species.” Through Darwin’s piece on the “Origin of Species,” the theory of natural selection and the geographical distribution of species are introduced. This becomes a problem for Agassiz because his claim to describe the geographical points of species were set forth because God had put them there; however, it did not explain why certain plant species were found in Eastern Asia and North America. One of Darwin’s correspondents was Asa Gray who helped researched this distribution of plant species and later on holds a debate with Agassiz, resulting in a “direct slap at Agassiz.” This debate explained the theory that migration had to be a factor in this distribution compared to Agassiz’s argument that God created them to be put there and that they were actually different species.

-Suzi Lee