Joseph McCabe: A Forgotten Early Populariser of Science and Defender of Evolution

Joseph McCabe (1867–1955) was one of the most prolific and gifted polymaths of the twentieth century. Long before such a thing was thought respectable, and almost a century before any university established a chair in the public understanding of science, McCabe made a living as a populariser of scie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science & education 2010-05, Vol.19 (4-5), p.461-484
Main Author: Cooke, Bill
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Authors
Biographies
Criticism
Cultural Influences
Education
Evolution
History
Philosophy
Philosophy of Science
Religion
Science and Society
Science Education
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Summary:Joseph McCabe (1867–1955) was one of the most prolific and gifted polymaths of the twentieth century. Long before such a thing was thought respectable, and almost a century before any university established a chair in the public understanding of science, McCabe made a living as a populariser of science and a critic of philosophical and religious obscurantism. Through the first half of the twentieth century he wrote countless cheap and widely distributed books and pamphlets for those whose thirst for knowledge exceeded the money or time they could devote to such pursuits. This article will detail, and give some assessment of, McCabe’s career as a populariser of science and expositor of evolutionary theory and its philosophical, religious and cultural ramifications.
ISSN:0926-7220
1573-1901
DOI:10.1007/s11191-009-9194-6