Loren Eiseley

Loren Corey Eiseley (September 3rd, 1907–July 9th, 1977) was a highly respected anthropologist, science writer, ecologist, and poet who published books of essays, biography, and general science, in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. He is best known for the poetic essay style, called the "hidden essay', he used to explain complex scientific ideas, such as human evolution, to the general public, and for his writings about humanity's relationship with the natural world, which helped inspire the environmental movement. Among his books are The Immense Journey (1957), Darwin's Century (1958), The Unexpected Universe (1969), The Night Country (1971), and the memoir All the Strange Hours (1975).

Eiseley's Essays and Writings

In addition to his scientific and academic work, in the mid 1940s Eiseley began to publish the essays which brought him to the attention of a wider audience. His first book, The Immense Journey, a collection of writings about the history of humanity, was published in 1957, and was the rare science book to appeal to a mass audience. His book Darwin?s Century won the Phi Beta Kappa prize for best book in science in 1958.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The hallmark of Eiseley's writing was to combine scientific explorations with a deep sense of humanism and poetry. Instead of simply seeing the world as a set of scientific facts and figures, Eiseley used science to look for the deeper meaning of life, even while freely admitting that science could not answer all of the mysteries of existence. This led to Eiseley's recasting of the term magician from the merely metaphysical to that of the creative Muse.

Related Topics:
Humanism - Poetry - Science - Magician - Muse

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~