Deconstructing Darwin

The paper considers Charles Darwin's physical and intellectual journeys in Tierra del Fuego. In this account, there are really two Darwins. There is the young, brash, ambitious Darwin (D1) - an ugly cultural chauvinist who perceives the indigenous peoples of Tierra del Fuego as ‘savages of the lowest grade'. However, there is another side to Darwin - indeed, there is metaphorically another Darwin. This is the older, mature, wise Darwin (D2) - an enlightened scientist and cultural pluralist who concludes that all men and women are members of a single species and that all religious beliefs and cultural practices are entitled to respect. This Darwin is also a part of an encounter with South America