The Constitution of Man
Encyclopedia
The Constitution of Man is the classical exposition of phrenology
, written by George Combe
and published in 1828. It furthered the popularity of phrenology by finding a pathway to a personal philosophy which was in tune with the scientific understanding of the time. The Constitution bridged the early anatomical science of the nineteenth century with evolutionary concepts. Its central argument is that the laws of the physical universe are as active in the human brain - and therefore in the mind (because of its role as a process of the brain) - as in the external, "physical" universe. Human behaviour is, therefore, usefully comprehended in neurological - rather than religious or philosophical - terms.
The book was an international bestseller, exerting enormous influence on educated and intellectual people in the 1830s and 1840s. In 1844, the same audience was targeted - and enchanted - by the rather unorthodox Edinburgh phrenologist Robert Chambers
with his Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
which - with its historical and evolutionary perspectives - did much to prepare the way for Darwin's On The Origin of Species in 1859. The Constitution of Man sold extremely well, with 300,000 copies purchased by 1859.
Phrenology
Phrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules...
, written by George Combe
George Combe
George Combe , was a Scottish lawyer and writer on phrenology and education. In later years, he devoted himself to the promotion of phrenology. His major work was The Constitution of Man .-Early life:...
and published in 1828. It furthered the popularity of phrenology by finding a pathway to a personal philosophy which was in tune with the scientific understanding of the time. The Constitution bridged the early anatomical science of the nineteenth century with evolutionary concepts. Its central argument is that the laws of the physical universe are as active in the human brain - and therefore in the mind (because of its role as a process of the brain) - as in the external, "physical" universe. Human behaviour is, therefore, usefully comprehended in neurological - rather than religious or philosophical - terms.
The book was an international bestseller, exerting enormous influence on educated and intellectual people in the 1830s and 1840s. In 1844, the same audience was targeted - and enchanted - by the rather unorthodox Edinburgh phrenologist Robert Chambers
Robert Chambers
Robert Chambers was a Scottish publisher, geologist, proto-evolutionary thinker, author and journal editor who, like his elder brother and business partner William Chambers, was highly influential in mid-19th century scientific and political circles.Chambers was an early phrenologist, and was the...
with his Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation is a unique work of speculative natural history published anonymously in England in 1844. It brought together various ideas of stellar evolution with the progressive transmutation of species in an accessible narrative which tied together numerous...
which - with its historical and evolutionary perspectives - did much to prepare the way for Darwin's On The Origin of Species in 1859. The Constitution of Man sold extremely well, with 300,000 copies purchased by 1859.