THE JBAKER DARWIN/WALLACE REPORT.
What the Scientific World has been waiting for . In 5 parts. Part 1 of 5. My objectives and sources
A ‘Dyathinkeesaurus’ at Oxford Natural History Museum and below the Giant elk found in an Irish bog and donated to Bristol Museum long ago. MY OBJECTIVE. Like everyone I was taught that the world around us evolved and things,creatures and plants got better and better because only the fit, beautiful,smart ones survived and got to do some jiggy-jiggy and thus have faster,fitter babies. The only evolved creature this didn't seem to work for was humans. BUT also like a lot of people I didn't care how the world came into being. It's here,it's now,it's beautiful. I don't care. God made it. That is sufficient for me. No one was ever going to test me on my knowledge of the ecology. But I knew the right things to think about the web of life and evolution because not only had I been taught it at school,probably in one half hour lesson - like the Norman Conquest but Id read books in which it was implicit in the background and most significant I'd seen TV shows presented by hosts with knowledge and authority and gravitas. So just like WW2 I'd had it all explained to me - and it all made sense. End of story. But one time a presenter presented us with a curious fact. Some renegade dingbat out in the jungle thought of Evolution and was all set to publish a book on his theory and this galvanized old Darwin into action,the sort of action that a waking from hibernation tortoise feels is crazy mad fast. But this weird dingbat was also a vicar and he wanted to include God in the process so it's a No from us,the scientific mafia..err Establishment. So I sometimes idly wondered if there were two candidates to be first with Evolution why was it so important it be Darwin. That's my question. I decided to at last research it and at the very least learn more about the BACKGROUND to this issue,the cast of characters,the political era,I havent come up with ALL THE ANSWERS but I'm now sure it was a FIX,and I've got an idea HOW they fixed it. And why. I will reveal this in due time. I've very much relied on other peoples research but I can see that was top class and comprehensive. BOOKS. Charles Darwin - Victorian Mythmaker by A.N Wilson publ. John Murray 2017.
Origin Story - The trials of Charles Darwin by Howard Markel. publ. Norton 2024. ( Audible version for me).
Infinite Tropics: an Alfred Russel Wallace Anthology publ. Verso 2002
My Life: a record of Events and Opinions.by Alfred Russel Wallace publ Chapman + Hall 1908 ( I have Kindle version).
The Darwin Correspondence Project. Hundreds of letters to and from Charles Darwin,the text of which all available to read online for free.
Lastly,I want to recommend a tv series that is ASTONISHINGLY GOOD in its own right and it's now available on DVD. A box set. This tv series was made as long ago as 1978 and it stars Malcolm Stoddard as Charles Darwin and Andrew Burt as Capt Fitzroy. Both leading actors look remarkably LIKE the characters they play. I didnt see thus tv series in 1978. I saw it about 20 years later when the BBC aired it one episode each day at 7am over the Christmas /New Year period. It was totally addictive and engaging. It was filmed in conjunction with The Natural History Unit so we saw young Darwin (Stoddard) at the places Darwin was at,doing or pretending to do the things Darwin did. This series had everything,top class acting that you forgot was acting,exotic scenes,a real sailing ship,whatever you think about Darwin/Evolution et al this is worth watching in it's own right.
Part Two will be all about Darwin. But my view remember.
Part Three will be about Wallace,once again my view but you may know less about Wallace so some of my information may be new to you.
Part Four will be about the science scene prior to Darwin + Wallace,at the time,and later. I will talk about the ‘image or idea’ of Scientists. And the way our British Class Structure allowed some and excluded others. In fact a number of interlinked issues.
Part Five. In this last part I will reveal what I see as The Fix. And Why. And I hope round off all the stray lines of thought. My report is NOT the last word on the debate over Evolution but it's yet another thing we shouldn't just accept the official version of





Ok, I'm moving to the front of the classroom.............
What was the tv series called?