Charles Darwin and his theory: Russian reception
The SPbU Representative Office in Spain invites you to the online lecture "Charles Darwin and his theory: Russian reception". The lecture will be given by Professor Maxim Vinarsky from St Petersburg University.
The controversies surrounding Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking theory of evolution reflected not only its scientific merits, but also the national scientific and cultural traditions of individual countries. The lecture will explore how Darwinism was received in pre-revolutionary Russia and then in the Soviet Union. Particular attention will be paid to how Darwin’s book was read and the significance it held for theologians, revolutionaries, Bolshevik ideologues and great Russian writers.
Although it is often claimed that "Darwinism found its second home in Russia", the real history of Darwin’s theory turned out to be much more complex and contradictory. Darwin’s name was often exploited for selfish purposes by people far removed from true Darwinism, such as the "people’s academician" Trofim Lysenko. Political leaders and radical publicists used his ideas, but often distorted them to suit their own beliefs.
Lecturer
Maxim Vinarsky is a specialist in invertebrate zoology and the history of biology, and head of the Laboratory of Invertebrate Macroecology and Biogeography at St Petersburg University. He conducts research on the taxonomy, biogeography and ecology of freshwater molluscs and is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Working Group on Rare and Threatened Species of Continental Molluscs.
A historian of biology, he works on the reception of Darwinism in Russia, the history of "Soviet creative Darwinism", and the development of zoology in Russia and the USSR. Maxim Vinarsky also promotes popular science and is the author of "The Dead Lion: The Posthumous Biography of Charles Darwin and His Ideas" (2024). He is a laureate of the Enlightenment Prize (2021). He has given numerous popular science lectures in various Russian cities and regularly participates in popular science festivals.
The lecture will be streamed online in Russian with simultaneous translation into Spanish as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of SPbU — Russia’s oldest university.