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Edward J. Larson

エドワード・J・ラーソン

Edward John Larson

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1953-09-21 （Mansfield, Ohio, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
historian, legal scholar, university professor, author
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
University of Georgia (former faculty / affiliated), Pepperdine University (faculty), International Society for Science and Religion (founding fellow)

Education

Williams College
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Harvard University
Degree: J.D.
Country: United States
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Degree: Ph.D.（科学史）
Country: United States

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for History
1998
Work: Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
2004
Organization: The Ohio State University
Result: 授与
California Book Awards (Nonfiction)
2014
Work: The Return of George Washington
Organization: The Commonwealth Club (California Book Awards)
Result: 最終候補
Friend of Darwin Award
2017
Organization: National Center for Science Education (NCSE)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

2025 American history

Reassesses the significance of 1776 and discusses the Declaration of Independence and its historical impact for a general audience.

American independencepolitical thought

American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795

2023 American history

Examines the contradictions and legacies of America's founding through the interplay of liberty and slavery.

slaveryfounding-era America

Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership

2020 biography / American history

Portrays the cooperative relationship between Benjamin Franklin and George Washington and its political and cultural impact.

founding leaderscollaboration and politics

To the Edges of the Earth: 1909, The Race to the Three Poles, and the Climax of the Age of Exploration

2018 history / exploration

Covers the early-20th-century race to the poles and its scientific and cultural significance.

explorationpolar expeditionshistory of science

The Return of George Washington

2014 biography / American history

Explores George Washington's political return and its significance in early United States history.

Washingtonearly American politics

An Empire of Ice: Scott, Shackleton and the Heroic Age of Antarctic Science

2011 history / history of science

Reexamines Antarctic exploration and its scientific achievements through the expeditions of Scott and Shackleton.

polar explorationscience and exploration

A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign

2007 political history

Details the 1800 U.S. presidential election and illuminates political divisions of the early republic.

electoral historyearly American politics

The Creation-Evolution Debate: Historical Perspectives

2007 history of science / religious history

A collected overview of the historical debates surrounding creationism and evolution.

science and religionevolution

Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory

2004 history of science

A popular account of the history and scientific development of the theory of evolution.

evolutionhistory of science

Evolution's Workshop: God and Science on the Galapagos Islands

2001 history of science / natural history

Considers the relationship between evolution and religion using the Galápagos Islands as a focal point.

evolutionscience and religionnatural history

Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion

1997 history of science / legal history

Reexamines the Scopes Trial and situates it within the enduring American debate over science and religion.

Scopes Trialscience and religionlaw and society

Bibliography

  • Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters (2025)
  • American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795 (2023)
  • Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership (2020)
  • To the Edges of the Earth (2018)
  • The Return of George Washington (2014)
  • An Empire of Ice (2011)
  • A Magnificent Catastrophe (2007)
  • The Creation-Evolution Debate (2007, editor)
  • Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory (2004)
  • Evolution's Workshop (2001)
  • Summer for the Gods (1997)
  • Sex, Race, and Science: Eugenics in the Deep South (1995)
  • Trial and Error: The American Controversy Over Creation and Evolution (1985)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly yet accessible explanatory proseevidence-based historical narration
Recurring Motifs
intersection of science and religionrelation of law and societyfigures and events of America's founding era

Legacy

Through crossover work in the history of science and legal history and numerous popular books, he has contributed to public and academic understanding of evolution, religion, and early American history. A Pulitzer Prize winner, he has had broad influence in both scholarly and public spheres.

Academic Societies

  • International Society for Science and Religion

Archives

  • University of Georgia related archives (holds related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Guest appearances on television programs including The Daily Show (2005)
  • Appearances and discussions on PBS and C-SPAN

Quotes

  • The issues raised by the Scopes trial and legend endure precisely because they embody the characteristically American struggle between individual liberty and majoritarian democracy, and cast it in the timeless debate over science and religion.
    Source: Summer for the Gods (1997)

Trivia

  • Won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for History for Summer for the Gods.
  • Was formerly a fellow at the Discovery Institute but later left; reported tensions over the institute's political direction.
  • Frequent media appearances including The Daily Show, PBS, C-SPAN, and NPR.