Darwin Obituaries

Darwin’s obituary, as written by Huxley, emphasizes the reasoning behind LB 492’s partial dedication to the storied scientist.  As Huxley says, from his scientific work to his social conduct, Darwin is the “ideal of a man of science.”  It is Huxley’s writing that finally connects some of the key ideas that we’ve seen through Franklin, Darwin, and the survey discussed in class last week.  Buzz words like “investigation” and “devoted” evoke ideas of the virtuous scientist.  Thinking back on the class survey, I can’t help but agree that curiosity must be a requirement for the exemplary scientist.  A scientist must not only pursue knowledge, but also contain the inner motivation to do so.  He must have, as Huxley calls it, the “central fire” that represents passion in the pursuit of knowledge.  The Times obituary brings another perspective to Darwin’s history.  Full pages of university representatives, political figures, colleagues, friends, and family definitively prove that Darwin flourished as a social scientist and human being as a whole.  As these relationships retain such respect at the end of life, I believe it speaks volumes of Darwin’s character.  On another hand, the tone of the Times obituary is much different.  Acute observations of the funeral procession and extensive lists of the mourners allude to the methods of observation that Darwin spoke of in his autobiography.  In doing so, Times employs a subtle tribute to the great scientist.  
Einstein's obituary from Times takes a different tone altogether.  In Einstein's, we see a stark individualism.  Although Einstein definitely was an individual thinker, generating theory in physics while wearing wrinkled clothing, his individualism was remarkable and admirable.  Einstein's obituary focuses greatly on his sense of morality, quoting directly his thoughts on equality and free thinking.