The Tragic Death Of Charles Darwin's Oldest Daughter

The Tragic Death Of Charles Darwin's Oldest Daughter

For over a century, Darwin and his writings have been the bane of a subset of Christians. Specifically, some believe that humans didn't evolve from a common ancestor shared with chimpanzees and other primates, but rather were created by a benevolent God, in accordance with the narrative in the Old Testament Book of Genesis.

According to authors John Van Wyhe and Mark J. Pallen, via PubMed.gov, something of an historical urban legend exists that suggests that Darwin, who was raised a Christian, gave up his religion after the death of his daughter Annie — the "Annie Hypothesis," as Wyhe and Pallen call it.


However, the two researchers aren't buying it.


"There is little or no supporting evidence. Furthermore, we argue, there is sufficient evidence that Darwin's loss of faith occurred before Annie's death," they wrote, noting that Darwin himself had written, years before Annie was even born, that he was having second thoughts about the religious dogma in which he'd been raised and educated.