‘Man’s conscious memory comes to an end at death, but the unconscious memory of Nature is true and ineradicable: whoever succeeds in stamping upon her the impress of his work, she will remember him to the end of time.’
Unconscious Memory is a treatise that explores the concept of “unconscious memory”, a theory of evolution developed by Samuel Butler. Butler theorizes that what we call instinct is actually an “unconscious” memory passed down through generations. Instinct, being a repository of inherited memories, shapes the behaviour and development of organisms—and this, in itself, is evolution. Butler, directly involved in the debates over theories of evolution during Darwin’s time, wrote this book as a scientific treatise, a polemical challenge to Darwin’s theory of evolution, and an intellectual autobiography charting his development on the subject. This book remains relevant today for its anticipation of modern discussions on epigenetics.
Samuel Butler was an English novelist, essayist, and critic. He is best known for his satirical novel Erewhon and his semi-autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh, which is considered to be a masterpiece.