page_title: The Botanic Garden
section_title: The Economy of Vegetation
hierarchical_section_title: The Botanic Garden / The Economy of Vegetation
caption_attribution_description: English: The Official Medallion of the British Anti-Slavery Society
context_page_description: The Botanic Garden is a set of two poems, The Economy of Vegetation and The Loves of the Plants, by the British poet and naturalist Erasmus Darwin. The Economy of Vegetation celebrates technological innovation, scientific discovery and offers theories concerning contemporary scientific questions, such as the history of the cosmos. The more popular Loves of the Plants promotes, revises and illustrates Linnaeus's classification scheme for plants.
  One of the first popular science books, the intent of The Botanic Garden is to pique readers' interest in science while educating them at the same time. By embracing Linnaeus's sexualized language, which anthropomorphizes plants, Darwin intended to make botany interesting and relevant to the readers of his time. Darwin emphasizes the connections between humanity and plants, arguing that they are all part of the same natural world and that sexual reproduction is at the heart of evolution.
context_section_description: While The Loves of the Plants celebrates the natural world and advances several scientific hypotheses regarding the formation of the cosmos, the moon and the earth, The Economy of Vegetation celebrates scientific progress and technological innovation, such as the forging of steel, the invention of the steam engine and the improvements to gunpowder. It depicts scientists and inventors, such as Benjamin Franklin, responsible for this progress as the heroes of a new age; he “mythologizes” them. The poem at some points goes further, into what would now be called science fiction, forecasting that the British Empire will have giant steam-powered airships ("The flying-chariot through the fields of air. Fair crews triumphant, leaning from above") and far-ranging submarines ("Britain's sons shall guide | Huge sea-balloons beneath the tossing tide; The diving castles, roof'd with spheric glass, Ribb'd with strong oak, and barr'd with bolts of brass, Buoy'd with pure air shall endless tracks pursue").
  Although the two poems seem separated, they both endorse an evolutionary view of the world. Darwin did not see a distinction between nature and culture; industrialization and technological progress were part of a single evolutionary process.
  Much of The Economy of Vegetation deals with mining and the use of minerals. For example, Darwin describes the great mining capability of the steam engine:
  The Giant-Power [that] forms earth's remotest caves
  
  Lifts with strong arm her dark reluctant waves;
  
  Each cavern'd rock, and hidden den explores,
  
  Drags her dark Coals, and digs her shining ores.
  As such examples demonstrate, The Economy of Vegetation is part of an Enlightenment paradigm of progress while The Loves of the Plants, with its focus on an integrated natural world, is more of an early Romantic work.
  Darwin also connected scientific progress to political progress; “for Darwin the spread of revolution meant that reason and equity vanquished political tyranny and religious superstition.” Criticizing slavery, he writes:
  When Avarice, shrouded in Religion's robe,
  
  Sail'd to the West, and slaughter'd half the globe:
  
  While Superstition, stalking by his side,
  
  Mock'd the loud groan, and lap'd the bloody tide;
  
  For sacred truths announced her frenzied dreams,
  
  And turn'd to night the sun's meridian beams.—
  
  Hear, Oh Britannia! potent Queen of isles,
  
  On whom fair Art, and meek Religion smiles,
  
  Now Afric's coasts thy craftier sons invade,
  
  And Theft and Murder take the garb of Trade!
  
  —The Slave, in chains, on supplicating knee,
  
  Spreads his wide arms, and lifts his eyes to Thee;
  
  With hunger pale, with wounds and toil oppress'd,
  
  'Are we not Brethren?' sorrow choaks the rest;
  
  —Air! bear to heaven upon thy azure flood
  
  Their innocent cries!--Earth! cover not their blood! (I.ii.414-430)
caption: Medallion of the British Anti-Slavery Society, designed by Darwin's friend and fellow Lunar Society member, Josiah Wedgwood
exif: {"Image Software": "Google"}