George John Romanes

George John Romanes FRS was a Canadian-Scottish evolutionary biologist and physiologist who pioneered comparative psychology by proposing that humans and other animals share cognitive processes and mechanisms. He was the youngest of Charles Darwin's academic friends, and his ideas about evolution are historically significant. He is regarded to originate the phrase neo-Darwinism, which in the late 19th century was seen as a theory of evolution that concentrates on natural selection as the main...See more

George John Romanes FRS was a Canadian-Scottish evolutionary biologist and physiologist who pioneered comparative psychology by proposing that humans and other animals share cognitive processes and mechanisms. He was the youngest of Charles Darwin's academic friends, and his ideas about evolution are historically significant. He is regarded to originate the phrase neo-Darwinism, which in the late 19th century was seen as a theory of evolution that concentrates on natural selection as the main evolutionary force. However, Samuel Butler used this term with a similar meaning in 1880. George Romanes was born in Kingston, Canada West, in 1848, as the youngest of three boys from a wealthy and highly developed family. His father, Rev. George Romanes (1805-1871), was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor. Two years after his birth, his parents relocated to Cornwall Terrace in London, United Kingdom, paving the way for Romanes' fruitful and long-lasting association with Charles Darwin. Romanes spent time growing up in Germany and Italy, where he became fluent in both languages. His early education was erratic, taking both in public schools and at home. He developed an early interest in poetry and music, at which he excelled. See less