Skip to content

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins Paperback - 2011

by Adrian Desmond; James Moore


From the publisher

There has always been a mystery surrounding Darwin: How did this quiet, respectable gentleman come to beget one of the most radical ideas in the history of human thought? It is difficult to overstate what Darwin was risking in publishing his theory of evolution. So it must have been something very powerful--a moral fire, as Desmond and Moore put it--that helped propel him. That moral fire, they argue, was a passionate hatred of slavery.

In opposition to the apologists for slavery who argued that blacks and whites had originated as separate species, Darwin believed the races belonged to the same human family. Slavery was a "sin," and abolishing it became his "sacred cause." By extending the abolitionists' idea of human brotherhood to all life, Darwin developed our modern view of evolution.

Drawing on a wealth of fresh manuscripts, family letters, diaries, and even ships' logs, Desmond and Moore argue that only by acknowledging Darwin's abolitionist heritage can we fully understand the development of his groundbreaking ideas.

Details

  • Title Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
  • Author Adrian Desmond; James Moore
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition First PB Edition
  • Pages 485
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of Chicago Press
  • Date 2011-04
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Maps, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780226144511 / 0226144518
  • Weight 1.55 lbs (0.70 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.96 x 6.11 x 1.33 in (22.76 x 15.52 x 3.38 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Library of Congress subjects Human evolution - Philosophy, Slavery - Philosophy
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2010031798
  • Dewey Decimal Code 306.362

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times Book Review, 05/08/2011, Page 24

About the author

Adrian Desmond is an honorary research fellow in the biology department at University College London and the author of seven other books on evolution and Victorian science, including an acclaimed biography, Huxley. James Moore's books include The Post-Darwinian Controversies and The Darwin Legend. He has taught at Harvard, Notre Dame, and McMaster University, and is professor of the history of science at the Open University. Desmond and Moore's Darwin (1991) won the James Tait Black Prize as well as three other awards; it has been widely translated.
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Darwin's Sacred Cause : Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

Darwin's Sacred Cause : Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

by James R. Moore; Adrian J. Desmond

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 9.49
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2011. Paperback. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
SGD 9.49
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause : Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause : Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

by Desmond, Adrian J., Moore, James R

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 10.08
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
SGD 10.08
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery, and the Quest for Human Origins

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery, and the Quest for Human Origins

by Desmond, Adrian; Moore, James

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 12.32
SGD 6.78 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2009. Trade Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
SGD 12.32
SGD 6.78 shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

by Adrian Desmond; James Moore

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 14.20
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University Of Chicago Press, 2011-04-30. Paperback. Good.
Item Price
SGD 14.20
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

by Adrian Desmond, James Moore

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - VG-
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 14.87
SGD 6.16 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, April 2011. Trade Paperback. VG-.
Item Price
SGD 14.87
SGD 6.16 shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

by Adrian Desmond, James Moore

  • Used
  • Paperback
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 35.59
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University Of Chicago Press, 2011-04-30. Paperback. Used:Good.
Item Price
SGD 35.59
FREE shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery, and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery, and the Quest for Human Origins

by Desmond, Adrian J./ Moore, James R.

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 60.23
SGD 17.19 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Univ of Chicago Pr, 2011. Paperback. New. 485 pages. 9.25x6.25x1.25 inches.
Item Price
SGD 60.23
SGD 17.19 shipping to USA
Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Darwin's Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins

by Desmond, Adrian; Moore, James

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780226144511 / 0226144518
Quantity Available
1
Seller
San Diego, California, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
SGD 84.47
SGD 7.46 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
University of Chicago Press, 2011-04-30. Paperback. New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title!
Item Price
SGD 84.47
SGD 7.46 shipping to USA