Remembering the Other Guy: Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace, died on this day, the 7th of November, in 1823.

After Charles Darwin there are two figures I think are counted as critical to the development of modern evolutionary thought. Darwin resisted the public forum, disliked the rough and tumble of public disputation, and feared the challenge to his position in society publication could lead to.

If it weren’t for the fact that Wallace had come up with pretty much the same idea and would have published, forcing Darwin’s hand, a frankly much weaker proponent would have articulated the theory. The other, of course, is Thomas Huxley. After publication it took a firebrand like Huxley to defend the whole thing in public.

I had an old friend who used to launch into reveries of conniption about how Darwin stole Wallace’s fire. (He also had significant doubts about who wrote Shakespeares’ plays…) The truth as regards the evolution of evolutionary theory is vastly more complicated than my friend would allow. I think most fairminded folk can acknowledge that both Darwin and Wallace came up with the idea independently. And, fairly, Darwin had posited it first, if not in a published paper, and more importantly, worked it out better. Darwin’s On the Origin of Species not only makes the argument, it does it in lucid and beautifully written prose.

But Wallace had most of it, and was almost the first to publish.

And he really is interesting. He was born on the 8th of January, 1823 to an English family in Wales. His father was a non-practicing lawyer who owned some income producing property. But a series of bad investments meant young Alfred had few prospects growing up. He did not attend university, instead became a surveyor. He was no doubt brilliant, attending lectures and reading deeply. He also discovered the radical politics of Robert Owen and Thomas Paine.

Later he taught drawing, mapmaking, and surveying at the Collegiate School in Leicester. From there he became a civil engineer. Achieving some financial success, and inspired by Darwin and other naturalists he traveled to the Amazon where he spent four years. Unfortunately there was a disaster on his return voyage and his vast collection was destroyed as the ship burned. He was only able to save some notes. From memory assisted by his scant notes he was able to publish six academic papers. And he was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.

Wallace was then able to continue his researches in the Malay archipelago. Out of this experience he wrote the wildly popular narrative, the Malay Archipelago, which he dedicated to Darwin.

About this time he became interested in Spiritualism. He also continued his radical politics.

Like Darwin and a handful of others Wallace was deep on the trail of what would become the theory of Evolution.

Darwin had outlined what we understand as Evolution in conversations. This is well documented. But he was reluctant to publish, knowing there would be a firestorm. When Wallace said he was ready to publish this forced Darwin’s hand. They agreed to make a presentation together. Fairly or not, questions of class have always hung over this, Darwin was given the lead and Wallace was called “co-discoverer.”

Wallace’s developing theory was partially influenced by his Spiritualism and he was convinced evolution was driving toward a specific place, which for him was ultimately spiritual. Darwin could not see any such obvious directionality to evolution. And this would be a critical difference going forward. On the other hand his other major difference with Darwin’s developing theory, which emphasized the changes in individuals, while Wallace was interested in environmental factors, which anticipated systems theory. Which I find important.

Not much later it was Darwin’s Origin of Species that laid out the argument that would win the intellectual day. And Wallace’s part would over time fade from the popular imagination. Well, the half life of it has Darwin stealing Wallace’s rightful thunder. Although they were in fact friends and colleagues, and Darwin was critical in obtaining a needed pension for Wallace.

Now evolution is the way things are, biologically speaking. And if neither of these guys had been born eventually it would have been figured out by someone, just with different words.

But it was Darwin, and it was Wallace. And, yes indeed, it was Huxley. (Actually, my favorite of the lot…)

So, a quick pause. A tip of the hat. A bow. And a thank you, Mr Wallace.