In 1838, Charles Darwin Made a List of Pros and Cons of Getting Married — But After All, Did He Get Married? His Decision Was Somewhat Contradictory

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 07/07/2025 at 09:55

Imagem gerada por IA

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Before Getting Married, Charles Darwin Made a Meticulous List of Pros and Cons — and Almost Gave Up the Idea

In 1838, Charles Darwin was going through an intense phase of his life. At 29, he had already completed his journey around the world aboard the HMS Beagle and was accumulating notes that would form the basis of the theory of natural selection. But in the midst of this crucial moment in science, another question occupied his mind: Was it worth getting married?

Darwin viewed this decision as an experiment. He did not make a hasty decision. He took pencil and paper and began to list, frankly and logically, the pros and cons of marriage. All in a methodical way. As if it were part of his scientific work.

The Benefits of Getting Married, According to Darwin

In July of that year, he wrote the list “If I Marry.” Among the benefits he saw were:

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The Long List of Drawbacks

Next, Darwin listed the cons of marriage. And they were more numerous:

Loss of freedom to go wherever he wanted
Having to choose when to socialize
Missing out on conversations with intelligent men in clubs
Having to visit relatives and fulfill social formalities
Concerns about children, arguments, and expenses
Wasted time
Not being able to read at night anymore
Risk of gaining weight and becoming idle
More responsibilities
Less money for books
Obligations to work even harder if he had many children
The chance that his wife would not like London and he would end up exiled and degraded

Even with the balance seemingly tipping to the negative side, Darwin wrote at the end of the list:
“Marry Q.E.D.”
The Latin abbreviation means “as it has been demonstrated.”

Uncertainties Until the End

Even after writing that marriage was necessary, Darwin was not completely decided. He continued reflecting. He even wrote doubts about the ideal timing for it: “Having demonstrated that it is necessary to marry, when? Soon or later?”

He had received advice saying that marrying early was better, as feelings were still alive and character more moldable. But that frightened him. He listed more concerns, among them:

Endless problems and expenses
Arguments caused by social obligations
Daily waste of time
Never learning French
Never seeing the continent
Never flying in a balloon
Never traveling alone to Wales

The doubt was intense. At times, he saw himself as a future “sad slave.” At others, he sought to cheer himself up with encouraging phrases: “Cheer up. You cannot live this solitary life, with a numbed old age, without friends, cold and childless.”

In the end, he accepted his fate with resignation: “Don’t worry, trust chance. There are many happy slaves.”

The Decision Was Made

Shortly after this long journey of reflection, Darwin made his decision. On November 11, 1838, he wrote in his diary: “The Day of Days!”

Emma Wedgwood, his cousin, had accepted his marriage proposal.

Thus, the man who dedicated his life to understanding the evolution of species also went through the most common dilemma of human existence. Among so many notes and reasoning, Darwin chose marriage. He chose love.

With information from CNN.

In 1838, Charles Darwin Made a List of Pros and Cons of Getting Married — But After All, Did He Get Married? His Decision Was Somewhat Contradictory

Before Getting Married, Charles Darwin Made a Meticulous List of Pros and Cons — and Almost Gave Up the Idea

The Benefits of Getting Married, According to Darwin

The Long List of Drawbacks

Uncertainties Until the End

The Decision Was Made

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In 1838, Charles Darwin Made a List of Pros and Cons of Getting Married — But After All, Did He Get Married? His Decision Was Somewhat Contradictory

Before Getting Married, Charles Darwin Made a Meticulous List of Pros and Cons — and Almost Gave Up the Idea

The Benefits of Getting Married, According to Darwin

The Long List of Drawbacks

Uncertainties Until the End

The Decision Was Made

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A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

Changan and Chery promise mass production of solid-state batteries with 1,500 kilometers of range in 2027 while Tesla still uses lithium and Toyota only promises to deliver theirs in 2028.

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