Origin of species12/31/2023 Given enough time, more changes will accrue. The composition of the population will have changed. Indeed, at one point, he humorously states anyone who has read his friend Charles Lyell’s book Principles of Geology and is still unconvinced about the great age of the earth might as well close Origin right away.ĭarwin’s great theory is brilliant in its simplicity: individual organisms within a species vary those with beneficial variations will have a better chance of competing for limited resources, and of passing on those beneficial variations to future generations over time, these beneficial variations will become more widespread in local populations. But he realises some of his audience-especially some of the old guard-will not be able to accept his evidence and line of reasoning. He knows his views will be seen as controversial by some of his contemporaries, and he’s out to convince. That should be a good enough reason for anyone to read it.ĭarwin describes his masterpiece as ‘one long argument’. ![]() ![]() To read Origin is to have the theory explained to you by the man himself. Darwin’s great theory of evolution by means of natural selection forms the foundation of modern biology. True, some of the language is occasionally heavy going-Darwin wrote in haste, had a thing for double negatives and rogue commas, and occasionally embarked on convoluted, heavily nested sentences requiring several deep breaths to read out loud-but, minor stylistic concerns aside, over a century and a half after its publication, Origin is still a rewarding read for anyone wanting to get inside the mind of one of the most important figures in the history of science. The resistances as well as the enthusiasms of the first readers cast light on recent controversies, particularly concerning questions of design and descent.As revolutionary scientific works go, Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is remarkably accessible to the ordinary reader. The present edition provides a detailed and accessible discussion of his theories and adds an account of the immediate responses to the book on publication. that individuals having any advantage, however slight, over others, would have the best chance of surviving and of procreating their kind?' Darwin's prodigious reading, experimentation, and observations on his travels fed into his great work, which draws on material from the Galapagos Islands to rural Staffordshire, from English back gardens to colonial encounters. Includes a Register of Writers referred to in the text of the Origin, a Glossary of Scientific Terms and an Index.Ī Postscript to the Introduction considers in detail the first reactions to the work and Darwin's responses to criticism it considers the controversy in the light of the recent revival of Creationism and Intelligent Design and shows how little has changed. Her wide-ranging introduction considers the development of Darwin's ideas, the scientific context, the nature of his theories and the impact of his work on his contemporaries. Charles Darwin revolutionized our ideas about the natural world and our place in it by introducing the concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest, and his ideas still provoke controversy today.Įditor Gillian Beer has writtten extensively about Darwin and about scientific writing in its cultural context.
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