Keith Stewart Thomson (1938–2025) was a distinguished evolutionary biologist, historian, and writer. He was emeritus professor of natural history at the University of Oxford and had served as director of the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Peabody Museum at Yale University, where he was also a professor and dean. He wrote many books and essays on history, history of science, evolution, and paleontology, including The Common but Less Frequent Loon and Other Essays; Before Darwin: Reconciling God and Nature; The Young Charles Darwin; The Legacy of the Mastodon: The Golden Age of Fossils in America; and Jefferson’s Shadow: The Story of His Science.

“Refreshingly modest and nondogmatic . . . a fresh approach. . . . [The] book brims with lively anecdotes.”—John Horgan, Wall Street Journal“This fresh and insightful book unpacks the science and religion debate with special attention to Thomas Jefferson and Charles Darwin, two of the greatest thinkers who helped make the modern world. Keith Thomson’s approach is generous, personal, informative, and stylish: a real treat for readers who may not have come across his work before.”—Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: Power of Place“Frank, readable, and engaging. . . . Thomson has built a case for the pairing of science and religion to play a critical role in anchoring the intellectual questions of any age.”—Susan Kern, author of The Jeffersons at Shadwell“In this lucid account of the rise of religious doubt and how Jefferson and Darwin wrestled with it, Keith Thomson delivers an eloquent plea for more and better education in science and religion. His call for the participation of ‘rational moderates’ could not be more timely.”—Christopher Lane, author of The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty“An engaging, thought-provoking work that engages big questions and important issues in an accessible manner.”—Frank Cogliano, author of Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson’s Foreign Policy

Keith Stewart Thomson (1938–2025) was a distinguished evolutionary biologist, historian, and writer. He was emeritus professor of natural history at the University of Oxford and had served as director of the Oxford Museum of Natural History, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and the Peabody Museum at Yale University, where he was also a professor and dean. He wrote many books and essays on history, history of science, evolution, and paleontology, including The Common but Less Frequent Loon and Other Essays; Before Darwin: Reconciling God and Nature; The Young Charles Darwin; The Legacy of the Mastodon: The Golden Age of Fossils in America; and Jefferson’s Shadow: The Story of His Science.

“Refreshingly modest and nondogmatic . . . a fresh approach. . . . [The] book brims with lively anecdotes.”—John Horgan, Wall Street Journal“This fresh and insightful book unpacks the science and religion debate with special attention to Thomas Jefferson and Charles Darwin, two of the greatest thinkers who helped make the modern world. Keith Thomson’s approach is generous, personal, informative, and stylish: a real treat for readers who may not have come across his work before.”—Janet Browne, author of Charles Darwin: Voyaging and Charles Darwin: Power of Place“Frank, readable, and engaging. . . . Thomson has built a case for the pairing of science and religion to play a critical role in anchoring the intellectual questions of any age.”—Susan Kern, author of The Jeffersons at Shadwell“In this lucid account of the rise of religious doubt and how Jefferson and Darwin wrestled with it, Keith Thomson delivers an eloquent plea for more and better education in science and religion. His call for the participation of ‘rational moderates’ could not be more timely.”—Christopher Lane, author of The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty“An engaging, thought-provoking work that engages big questions and important issues in an accessible manner.”—Frank Cogliano, author of Emperor of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson’s Foreign Policy