Evolution for Everyone: How Darwin's Theory Can Change the Way We Think About Our Lives

Book Description

What is the biological reason for gossip?
For laughter? For the creation of art?
Why do dogs have curly tails?
What can microbes tell us about morality?

These and many other questions are tackled by renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson in this witty and groundbreaking new book. With stories that entertain as much as they inform, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. Now everyone can move beyond the sterile debates about creationism and intelligent design to share Darwin’s panoramic view of animal and human life, seamlessly connected to each other.

Evolution, as Wilson explains, is not just about dinosaurs and human origins, but about why all species behave as they do—from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. And basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality.

In example after example, Wilson sheds new light on Darwin’s grand theory and how it can be applied to daily life. By turns thoughtful, provocative, and daringly funny, Evolution for Everyone addresses some of the deepest philosophical and social issues of this or any age. In helping us come to a deeper understanding of human beings and our place in the world, it might also help us to improve that world.

Customer Reviews:

wow.......2007-10-02

David Sloan Wilson is riiight. It's so simple! Oh thank you, jeez! My eyes are opened! Hey everyone, I'm an atheist! No, I totally get it now! Evolution explains everything! There is no great mystery to life, just evolution and God's a spaghetti monster! Thank you, David!

/sarcasm

Gee Whiz Science.......2007-09-06

I've never met David Sloan Wilson, but he strikes me as one of those professors we've all had at least once. You can imagine him clasping his hands together, looking straight through those large glasses and shouting with joy, "gee isn't that great!" "Evolution explains everything." Okay, maybe he didn't exactly say that, but the take home message is implied. A more accurate statement might be that most everything has been shaped by the forces of selection.

In his book, he sets out to show us that not only is biology best explained by natural selection but so is art, medicine, politics, war, economics, infanticide and religion. That's quite a tall order for one book, but in places he does uncover some nuggets, especially in group selection theory. Some of this ground has been covered before and if you can get past his gee whiz enthusiasm coupled with his goofy braggadocio, he is at times an engaging and entertaining writer.

Unfortunately, his anecdotes and case histories of art, dance and music rest on pretty shaky scientific grounds. And it is precisely this weakness that makes it hard to know who would benefit from this book. The evolutionists already know this is probably right, but the antievolutionists will be inclined to select his weakest arguments to bolster their case.

Nevertheless, I must admit that his intellectual journey provided a stimulating ride. Surely, he's no Dr. Feynman, but you come to realize that Wilson himself is the culmination of some rather curious selection forces.

Incredibly stimulating.......2007-09-03

I really appreciate this book. Well written, funny, precise, documentated and full of anecdotes. Undoubtedly a must read. I recommended it to all my friends and collegues.

Evolution as religion.......2007-08-14

I'm a broad reader and an evolutionist. I'd read a review, bought the book, read it and am truly disappointed. Wilson brags constantly about a previous book he wrote, saying he described religion in evolutionary terms. Sadly, he's doing the reverse in this book: Describing evolution as an acolyte rather than a scientist.

He spends too much time making a claim, waving a wand, and claiming he's proven something. His chapter on laughter is a good example: Lots of muttering, no scientific linkage and then a claim it must be evolutionary. He writes well so even that might have been passable and he does have occasional real examples that are worth reading (keeping this review from being a 1).

What's bad are the sections that completely lack logic, such as on page 184, where he's claiming the importance of dance in evolution. Not only does he show no evidence, he makes a false logical claim while talking about the military. As he writes: "The visceral power of dance made it possible for armies to be formed out ot people who had no objective reason for fighting. Merely by marching in time and other intense communal activities, they become emotionally bonded to each other. ... J. Glenn Gray puts it this way in 'The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle': 'Many veterans who are honest with themselves will admit, I believe, that the experience of communal effort in battle ... has been the high point of their lives...."

Notice, first, that he's quoting one man's opinion ("I believe") as factual support. More importantly, notice how Gray is specifically describing the effects of shared combat. Not dancing. Not marching. Not "other intense communal activities." Combat.

I hate it when people on my side are just as ignorant and pompous as the people I oppose. I'm afraid that people will not learn about evolution from this book, only that some evolutionists believe in it as strongly as others believe in the false science of ID. This book damages our cause, and I suggest people avoid it.

gnaw this juicy bone!.......2007-07-27

Some books you don't so much read as gnaw on like a hound with a particularly juicy bone. This is such a book. Some authors, far from remote figures lurking behind their texts, become much-valued friends. David Sloan Wilson is such an author. The title, Evolution for Everyone, is deceptive. While in fact very apposite, it suggests at first sight an over-simplifying textbook, an `Idiots Guide to Darwin'. No such thing. Wilson gives us a passionate and yet affably urbane argument for evolution as a kind of general theory of everything. He sees evolution as relevant to most aspects of human existence. For example, why do humans enjoy music? Why do they enjoy dancing? Wilson suggests that making rhythmic sounds and dancing may well have preceded speech among our remote simian ancestors. Peoples who communally dance unite in co-operation rather than exterminate themselves in fratricidal fighting. A rabble of a hundred individuals can be transformed into an effective regiment of soldiers working as one by drilling together (never more so than when accompanied by martial music). So also literature: it plays an essential role in cultural evolution. Wilson observes: "the primary human adaptation is for our behaviour to be acquired less and less directly from our genes and more and more from other people". Narratives, whether literary or historical, play a part in this process. These are only a few of scores of hares Wilson's engagingly fertile mind puts up for us to pursue. Good hunting!

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)

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Can't Beat It
Four classics
Wonderful writing wrong package
Too big
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, T

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)
Charles Darwin
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393061345

Book Description

A gorgeous gift and a landmark work that is an essential addition to everyone's personal library.

Never before have the four great works of Charles Darwin—Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle (1845), The Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871), and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals (1872)—been collected under one cover. Undertaking this challenging endeavor 123 years after Darwin's death, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson has written an introductory essay for the occasion, while providing new, insightful introductions to each of the four volumes and an afterword that examines the fate of evolutionary theory in an era of religious resistance. In addition, Wilson has crafted a creative new index to accompany these four texts, which links the nineteenth-century, Darwinian evolutionary concepts to contemporary biological thought. Beautifully slipcased, and including restored versions of the original illustrations, From So Simple a Beginning turns our attention to the astounding power of the natural creative process and the magnificence of its products. Slipcased hardcover; 101 illustrations, map.

Customer Reviews:

Can't Beat It.......2007-04-03

I bought this book knowing very little about Darwin or his theories. From So Simple a Beginning was an easy read about a very interesting man. I would hope that not just supporters of evolution would read this book there is more to the man then just one theory.

Four classics.......2007-01-12

Excellent in every particular. Five stars in delivery time, condition, quality of the experience.

Wonderful writing wrong package.......2007-01-10

There is no gainsaying the writings of Darwin or the thinking of my favorite living scientist, E.O.Wilson. But the package is wrong.
Four books in one. Too heavy, too cumbersome. Discouraging.

Too big.......2007-01-05

This book is way too big to hold to read, so it is not useful. From the picture I thought I was ordering 4 different books in a book holder, not one giant book. I recommend buying them separately unless you have very strong arms and wrists.

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, T.......2006-07-02

Good

Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution

Average customer rating:

A Design Parade
A great critique of evolution.
Behe's empty box
Amazing stuff
Wonderful

Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
Michael J. Behe
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743290313

Amazon.com

Michael J. Behe, a biochemist at Lehigh University, presents here a scientific argument for the existence of God. Examining the evolutionary theory of the origins of life, he can go part of the way with Darwin--he accepts the idea that species have been differentiated by the mechanism of natural selection from a common ancestor. But he thinks that the essential randomness of this process can explain evolutionary development only at the macro level, not at the micro level of his expertise. Within the biochemistry of living cells, he argues, life is "irreducibly complex." This is the last black box to be opened, the end of the road for science. Faced with complexity at this level, Behe suggests that it can only be the product of "intelligent design."

Book Description

The groundbreaking, "seminal work" (Time) on intelligent design that dares to ask, was Darwin wrong?

In 1996, Darwin's Black Box helped to launch the intelligent design movement: the argument that nature exhibits evidence of design, beyond Darwinian randomness. It sparked a national debate on evolution, which continues to intensify across the country. From one end of the spectrum to the other, Darwin's Black Box has established itself as the key intelligent design text -- the one argument that must be addressed in order to determine whether Darwinian evolution is sufficient to explain life as we know it.

In a major new Afterword for this edition, Behe explains that the complexity discovered by microbiologists has dramatically increased since the book was first published. That complexity is a continuing challenge to Darwinism, and evolutionists have had no success at explaining it. Darwin's Black Box is more important today than ever.

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From within the highest ranks of the scientific community comes a startling new theory of creation that not only contradicts Darwinian orthodoxy but opens the door to theological arguments biologists have dismissed and ridiculed for more than a century.

Customer Reviews:

A Design Parade.......2007-10-08

After I purchased biochemist Michael Behe's new book "The Edge of Evolution," I decided it would be wise for me to boney up on his seminal 1996 work "Darwin's Black Box." I already played muck-a-muck with this debate for quite a few months, in a whirling attempt of absorbed concentration in the infamous struggle of "Design v. Darwin" to find out the truth. The debate may be superfluous, and especially downright nasty, and it will continue to intensify in the coming months with a new documentary by lawyer and social commentator Ben Stein in February 2008. Reading Behe is like taking a time out from the unfair play on both sides of the field. He is a better penman than Richard Dawkins, devoid of the man's vile poison, and he treats the reader as a student to be respected, not as a clay figure to be molded into a Darwiniac inquisitor. In fact, Behe is a committed believer in common descent, a position that isn't too friendly a bedfellow of creationists. The book is unique in both its author and its content, as demonstrated by the numerous "critiques" and "debunking" of the arguments proposed on the Amazon boards. Reading the hundreds or so reviews and responses only do so much to strengthen Behe's ideas.

This book is more like a parade. Behe, the ringleader with the marching rod, introduces us to the central argument of the "Black Box." It turns out to be irreducible complexity, which embodies the fabric of many biological systems once believed to be inconsequential, simplistic globules developed by chance mutation and selection. We then witness the march of the band and its many sections: the cell, the bacterial flagellum, blood-clotting, the cilium, etc. Each system, composed of many interdependent parts, will cease functioning if only one of its microscopic parts is missing. The individual parts, of course, can still possibly perform some other function (so goes the most powerful critique against ID! Things have different functions! Eureka!). However, the system itself will be quite useless. Thus appears the grand finale, a prolonged beat of the bass drum, which is that the neo-Darwinian paradigm is an implausible explanation for how these molecular systems appeared, no matter how many billions of years you attempt to postulate for its progress.

Attacking the hypothesis of intelligent design as a "God-of-the-Gaps" argument is one of the most frequently peddled mischaracterizations in all of the debate, promoted by no less than the most rabid of atheistic biologists like Dawkins and Eugenie Scott. The argument goes: We cannot envision a way naturalistic science could develop this system; hence it was made by God. The falsehood in this attack is typical, not to mention simplistic. Behe himself describes ID as the purposeful arrangement of parts in a system. We see this in every biological system: the cell, the flagellum, the cilium, and the blood clotting system. These systems are arranged in a purposeful pattern, structured precisely to, in the case of the cell, to replicate and store information, and in the case of other biological organisms, to sustain itself (unlike non-living materials like, say, rocks). It says nothing about whom or what this designer is. And, of course, it still remains the burden of proof to demonstrate how it evolved. We're talking about the Supreme Law of the Universe (Darwinism), and all that people can come up with are fairy tales about how it MIGHT have happened?

Neo-Darwinism cannot be supported much longer. It doesn't mean that evolution did not occur, or that common descent is a bogus idea. But the chance mutation-selection paradigm is becoming increasingly to difficult to sustain. The hyperactive Stalinist response to events like the Dover case and the actions committed by groups like the NSTA and ASE in America suggests a religious cult going through panic mode. Certainly there is something to what Behe and the rest of the ID movement is saying that just strikes a nerve. Maybe it's just the truth.

A great critique of evolution........2007-09-25

Supporters of the classic evolution that is taught in schools went nuts when this book was published. It could be argued that Michael Behe started the inteligent design theory and brought the debate of evolution back public stage.

Behe has been heavily criticized for daring to confront the evolution juggernaught and has made his book a must read for anyone interested in the evolution debate. This book is important and will shape the thinking of evolutionary scientists in the future, whether they like it or not.

Behe's empty box.......2007-09-05

First let's start with a quote from The National Academy of Science. " Creationism, I.D. and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science."

Mr. Behe uses the terms darwinism, darwinian evolution, darwinian gradualism through-out his book instead of modern evolution because he knows this name carries alot of heated imagery in the minds of the fundamentalist. If confronted with the findings of modern day evolution I think Mr. Behe would realize just how shakey the ground for his ideas would become.
He condems Prof. Doolittle for using a "yin yang" analogy but goes on to give boring and irrealivant analogy after analogy of his own.
He states that 90 persent of Americans believe in God as if the truth were dictated by a show of hands. If that were true then he might want to convert to Islam since the Muslim faith is the largest religious group in the world.
This leads me to my next problem with Mr. Behe's book. He is constantly refering to an intelligent designer or intelligent agent, and then speaking of the supernatural and divine. Here I have two questions.
1. Why use the singular noun? Why not appeal to many intelligent designers or agents?
2. Why could'nt these creators be "natural" as opposed to supernatural?

Which leads me to my final gripe.
Mr. Behe is constantly telling us how the scientific evidence points to an intelligent designer but never offers his own testable proof. Complexity is not proof in and of itself. What is the indentity of this creator? He does'nt say. The whole book seemed to be a rant against scientist who do not agree with his view. Mr. Behe seems to think there's this big conspiracy against the truth. Who's truth? His.

Amazing stuff.......2007-08-31

Functionally interdependent irreducible complexities....fascinating. How can these be adequately explained? I find it truly amazing.

Wonderful.......2007-08-22

Down to earth with complexity explained in a simple readable way. This is a very good source to dispute one of the most absurd notions in the history of the world....evolution. Fantastic, logical, and full of expert knowledge. Dispute it if you wish, but truth is evident. God is real!

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (Great Discoveries)

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Beware the audio book verson
Short, Fast, and Informative
On the Evolution of Darwin
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin by David Quammen
Quammen on Darwin

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution (Great Discoveries)
David Quammen
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393059812

Book Description

A fresh look at Darwin's most radical idea, and the mysteriously slow process by which he revealed it.

Evolution, during the early nineteenth century, was an idea in the air. Other thinkers had suggested it, but no one had proposed a cogent explanation for how evolution occurs. Then, in September 1838, a young Englishman named Charles Darwin hit upon the idea that "natural selection" among competing individuals would lead to wondrous adaptations and species diversity. Twenty-one years passed between that epiphany and publication of On the Origin of Species. The human drama and scientific basis of Darwin's twenty-one-year delay constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about who this man was and what he said. Drawing from Darwin's secret "transmutation" notebooks and his personal letters, David Quammen has sketched a vivid life portrait of the man whose work never ceases to be controversial.

Customer Reviews:

Beware the audio book verson.......2007-09-13

Be forewarned: the narrator of the audio book version is an unfortunate cross between J. Peterman from Seinfeld, Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes, and the narrator of old elementary school film strips. The content is very good (as described in other reviews posted here) but you should have a friendly warning about the audio version. The narrator will put you to sleep.

Short, Fast, and Informative.......2007-04-25

"The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" by David Quammen is a concise, fun, and fast read. If you want to learn the bullet points about Charles Darwin's life and the formative people, events, and intellectual and social climate that surrounded Darwin's publication of the On the Origin of Species, then this book is for you. Quammen does not spend too much time on any one point, but maintains a theme that Darwin was not lazy in publishing his famous book many years after his voyage but reluctant, wanting to make sure his ideas were sound and well evidenced.

An outline of Darwin's life can be found in many places, even Wikipedia, but what makes Quammen's book particularly helpful is the sections he devotes to writing about Darwin's contemporaries and their contributions to natural history and Darwin's work. Quammen writes about Charles Lyell and his advocacy of the idea of uniformitarianism, the idea that was formed by slow-moving processes, which opposed the idea of catastrophism, the idea that was consistent with Christian theology of the times and based on the belief that certain catastrophes shaped the geologic features of the earth as it is today. Quammen also writes about John-Baptiste Lamarck and his idea of the inheritance of acquired traits, an idea that has been found to be incorrect, but one that Darwin uses in his famous book. These sections in "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" give historical and scientific context to Darwin's work and allow the reader to more completely appreciate the specific and significant contribution that Darwin made in advocating the idea of evolution by natural selection.

Another important aspect of Quammen's book was how Quammen made it a point to show the evolution of Darwin's famous publication from its infancy, where he first wrote his ideas in journals titled Journal A, Journal B, Journal C, and so on to his obsession with writing a tome that covered every possible argument and objection to his idea with as much evidence as possible to his final rushed publishing of On the Origin of Species due to the threat of Alfred Russel Wallace nearly publishing the same theory before Darwin himself.

This book definitely gives the reader a good picture of Darwin and the social and scientific climate in which he lived. I came away from the book having what I felt was a basic yet complete understanding of Darwin's life.

On the Evolution of Darwin.......2007-04-25

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read on the life and works of Charles Darwin. David Quammen beautifully integrates excerpts from primary sources into this biography, really making the work a book, and not just a really long research paper. The sections are smartly headed and the writing style is engaging and makes the biography an easy and interesting read.

The biography itself provides an intimate portrait of Charles Darwin the son, husband, father, friend, etc., which also reveals much about his tendencies as a scientist. The author gives a good overview of all the theories regarding speciation that had already been discussed throughout the intellectual community before Darwin came up with his idea on the "transmutation" of species. It was particularly interesting when trying to imagine a society before the theory of evolution. My struggles to do so only further demonstrate how much Darwin has impacted our modern thinking. Quammen's summary on the ideas and examples provided in "The Origin of Species" may be interesting to many who do not wish to read the 500 pages or so of the actual book, but in my opinion, it was unnecessarily dry and seemed out of place in an otherwise interesting and engaging work.

However, one point that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that Quammen explored the evolution of Darwin's theory of evolution: from the beginnings of its fabrication in "notebook B" to its revealing to the public in the first edition of "Origins" to subsequent subtle changes in order to rectify problems brought up by opponents and finally to its modern applications in the field of molecular biology. The author definitely provided a persuading argument on the "fitness" of Darwin's great idea.

The Reluctant Mr. Darwin by David Quammen.......2007-03-31

This book is by far one of the best I have read on Darwin. David Quammen puts you inside the period in Enland as well as providing a great understanding of Darwins personal thinking and self doubt as he formulated his theories on evolution. This is an excellent book for anyone but especially a non-scientist such as myself.

Larry Wilkinson
Howell, Michigan

Quammen on Darwin.......2007-03-12

This work focuses on the post Beagle period of Darwins life, and although I would have liked more included on Wallace, Lyell,and Huxley, Darwin was the deserving subject.
David Quammen is an excellent writer on science and scientists, and if you are starting with this work, you should check out his other works.

Average customer rating:

Elegantly brilliant
More Christian propaganda to seperate people
Great edition
One of the Greatest Books ever written
A Handy Edition of this Vital Classic

The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Amazon.com

It's hard to talk about The Origin of Species without making statements that seem overwrought and fulsome. But it's true: this is indeed one of the most important and influential books ever written, and it is one of the very few groundbreaking works of science that is truly readable.

To a certain extent it suffers from the Hamlet problem--it's full of clichés! Or what are now clichés, but which Darwin was the first to pen. Natural selection, variation, the struggle for existence, survival of the fittest: it's all in here.

Darwin's friend and "bulldog" T.H. Huxley said upon reading the Origin, "How extremely stupid of me not to have thought of that." Alfred Russel Wallace had thought of the same theory of evolution Darwin did, but it was Darwin who gathered the mass of supporting evidence--on domestic animals and plants, on variability, on sexual selection, on dispersal--that swept most scientists before it. It's hardly necessary to mention that the book is still controversial: Darwin's remark in his conclusion that "Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history" is surely the pinnacle of British understatement. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

The Origin of Species sold out on the first day of its publication in 1859. It is the major book of the nineteenth century, and one of the most readable and accessible of the great revolutionary works of the scientific imagination.
The Origin of Species was the first mature and persuasive work to explain how species change through the process of natural selection. Upon its publication, the book began to transform attitudes about society and religion, and was soon used to justify the philosophies of communists, socialists, capitalists, and even Germany's National Socialists. But the most quoted response came from Thomas Henry Huxley, Darwin's friend and also a renowned naturalist, who exclaimed, "How extremely stupid not to have thought of that!"

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In the Origin of Species (1859) Darwin challenged many of the most deeply held beliefs of the Western world. Arguing for a material, not divine, origin of species, he showed that new species are achieved by 'natural selection'. Development, diversification, decay, extinction and absence of plan are all inherent to his theories. Darwin read prodigiously across many fields; he reflected on his experiences as a traveller, he experimented. His profoundly influential concept of 'natural selection' condenses materials from past and present, from the Galapagos Islands to rural Staffordshire, from English back gardens to colonial encounters. The Origin communicates the enthusiasm of original thinking in an open, descriptive style, and Darwin's emphasis on the value of diversity speaks more strongly now than ever.

Customer Reviews:

Elegantly brilliant.......2007-09-17

I had read The Voyage of the Beagle first. It is easy to see how Darwin's theory of evolution was growing as he traveled and saw how plants and animals adapted to different environments. Then he invented a theory to explain what he had observed.
This book is a 300 page definition of the theory of natural selection. Darwin goes through a detailed explanation of how evolution must have occured. He is very methodically, very detailed. When he doesn't understand something, he says he doesn't. He is humble in his presentation, giving credit to other scientists. I was amazed at how many experiments he performed himself, growing generations of plants and insects, watching how they developed and changed.
There is a quote in the book from Darwin's gardener who said, "He's really a sad little man. Sometimes he stands and stares at a flower for hours. I really think he'd be better off if he had something to do."
We are so lucky that Darwin inherited money and could spend his early years traveling and his later years in contemplation and writing.

More Christian propaganda to seperate people.......2007-07-31

Darwin was a born again Christian. Few people know that. And if there's one thing you need to know about Christians it's the fact that they are always trying to put one group of people against another. Divide and conquer. Darwin's plan(actually the plan of the intelligentsia that Darwin was a member of) was to create a new theory for the creation of man and then use Christian beliefs to blow it out of the water. It didn't work though. Even though Darwin picked the most crazy idea he came up with, man coming from monkeys!!!, people began to believe it. The powers that be saw that Science could very well be a new religous dogma and people would believe anything as long as a man in a white coat said it. Besides everyone knows that Allah created man in his supreme mercy, Allah Akhbar!!

Great edition.......2007-06-02

I liked the edition very much. Its legibility is very nice and it's a lightweighted version, dispite its 470 pages. I was just disapointed with the illustrations, that have very little relation to the text. But this fact doesnt compromise the quality of the whole. And the content... well, it's darwin world changing work, very readable.

One of the Greatest Books ever written.......2007-05-12

Darwin was one of the most brilliant men who ever lived. He was perhaps the greatest observer the world has known. In 1831, he set sail on the Beagle, a tiny little ship, for a five-year cruise around the world, and without pay, as naturalist. He had studied theology, medicine, and, finally, biology and geology. He saw how organisms change with time and environment and how Biblical events simply could not have happened as stated. He spent twenty-three years going over his notes, rethinking, and agonizing over the results. In 1859, he published Origin of Species, and it upset the world. He demonstrated evolution as no one had. Uneducated religious leaders may ridicule it, but evolution is a fact, accepted by any intelligent, educated, honest person.

A Handy Edition of this Vital Classic.......2007-05-11

There are many different versions of Darwin's "The Origin of Species" available, but I found this one particularly helpful. First, while it is nicely printed and easy to read on good paper, it is not terribly expensive. Second, it reprints the first or original version of the book which Darwin subsequently modified substantially in the the further five editions he published. Third, it also includes Darwin's "Historical Sketch" and "glossary" which had not appeared in the first edition. Fourth, the color cover illustration by the Victorian artist Henry de la Beche is an important indicator of why the Victorians were so into prehistoric studies. However, the thing that really distinguishes this Penguin Books edition is the incredibily incisive and invaluable introduction by the editor, J.W. Burrow. Burrow is beyond question one of the most significant intellectual historians of our time. Among other things he has written extensively on the concept of evolution in Victorian thought in his classic "Evolution and Society: A Study in Victorian Social Theory." In 37 crisp pages, Burrow incomparably sketches the Victorian intellectual background against which Darwin wrote. Although the essay is nearly 40 years old, it has stood the test of time very well. It alone is worth the price of the book. Altogether, a very nice introduction to this critical event in scientific and intellectual history.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life

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Complex and Entertaining
like good medicine
Unintelligent design explained
Entertaining materialist philosophy
Intellectually Stimulating

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
Daniel C. Dennett
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
The God Delusion
Consciousness Explained
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author

ASIN: 068482471X

Amazon.com

One of the best descriptions of the nature and implications of Darwinian evolution ever written, it is firmly based in biological information and appropriately extrapolated to possible applications to engineering and cultural evolution. Dennett's analyses of the objections to evolutionary theory are unsurpassed. Extremely lucid, wonderfully written, and scientifically and philosophically impeccable. Highest Recommendation!

Book Description

In a book that is both groundbreaking and accessible, Daniel C. Dennett, whom Chet Raymo of The Boston Globe calls "one of the most provocative thinkers on the planet," focuses his unerringly logical mind on the theory of natural selection, showing how Darwin's great idea transforms and illuminates our traditional view of humanity's place in the universe. Dennett vividly describes the theory itself and then extends Darwin's vision with impeccable arguments to their often surprising conclusions, challenging the views of some of the most famous scientists of our day.

Customer Reviews:

Complex and Entertaining.......2007-07-09

While Dennett comes off, at times, sounding pompous and headstrong, that may simply be because he is, in my opinion, correct about certain aspects of the human mind's ability to cope with conflicting beliefs. My personal religious beliefs aside, I do feel that, at a point, religion and evolutionary science do come into direct conflict. Some of Dennett's thoughts and ideas, in conjunction with Dawkins's ideas, can run a little wayward of what I would call science, but simply because the ideas are blended with speculation and opinion. For further reading on the evolutionary perspective of religious thought, I would recommend Scott Atran and Pascal Boyer. Again, I really enjoyed the book, my personal disagreements notwithstanding.

like good medicine.......2007-07-08

This is not an easy read. It's rocky, at times pedantic, somewhat oblique, and about as picky as a book on logic. Dennett has difficulty keeping the reader engaged in his point, as his examples tend to be somewhat obscure at times, and his verbosity often masks the clarity of his vision. I sometimes had to turn back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself what he was trying to say. Luckily, he seems to understand this, and provides summary statements after each chapter -- good thing, because without these navigational aids, he can be difficult to follow.

However, what Dennett has achieved here will stand the test of time because it is USEFUL. He is able to look at all the objections to the theory of evolution by natural selection and take them apart logically, scientifically, and heuristically. These objections are not limited to the religious variety, but also include scientific backlashes to Darwin like those of Gould, Chomsky, and Kaufmann. In other words, if you want to understand the breadth and depth of Darwin's theory, this is a masterwork.

What it lacks is, unfortunately, what the back cover promises: a look at Darwinism in the light of ethics, morality, and culture. Sure, Dennett devotes a (delicious) chapter to the topic, invoking Nietzsche and Hobbes, and there are scattered sections in the book that are like mind candy for the intellectually thirsty reader. It's a good thing those brilliant sections are scattered randomly throughout the book, because they may be the only thing that keeps the general reader interested.

Unless you're a biologist or anthropologist, you may want to read something shorter and more to the point. This book is for scholars who want exactitude. And to those scholars, I say read this book as quickly as possible, because it's VERY hard to come back to after putting down for a week or so.

Unintelligent design explained.......2007-06-02

This book is a philosophical work rather than straight science, the author does an excellent job of looking at all the various species of darwinian theories and their mutations, from scientific,to pop culture to philosophical,and subjecting them to a harsh environment of critical thought and logic, so selecting out the fittest for survival at the end of the book.I may be a bit biased as I have come to the same conclusions as the author,that there is only one true version of natural selection that works with no god or intelligent design, nor any adaption via senses, or experience of any organism, it is pure random mutation followed by the environment killing off what is not the best,strongest or most efficient. It is certainly not the sort of touchy-feely stuff some people seem to seek to explain things, its cold and harsh,cruel and unforgiving, although the author keeps it less harsh that my own view of it, and rightly states in a way,that just because it is harsh,doesnt change the reality of how we feel it and percieve it, love is still love no matter its mechanical, survival,or other basis. If you feel that describing something like life or love in a cold hard scientific way will change your view of it ,ruin it for you, if you are that open to suggestion, dont read this book. If you want a great philosophical arguement to open your mind and cut through the B.S. and sugar coating,if you think in a scientific way, and yes it can be quite a harsh and cold look at things, then this book is an excellent read. The author has done an enormous amount of research and distilled it into one volume, and some of the arguements or view points will be unknown to most people,and quite useless in a way, but seeing so many view points is always good for anyone who likes to think deeply and be challenged. I didnt learn alot from this book that I hadnt already figured out for myself using common sense,yet really enjoyed it for its excellent arguements and insights, its enjoyable for the philosophical side even if you have no interest in the subject matter. Also highly recommended is the authors book on consciousness, although its fairly hard going as the concepts are alot harder to grasp than evolutions mechanisms.

Entertaining materialist philosophy.......2007-05-02

It is hard to imagine that a 600 plus page book on materialist philosophy could be entertaining and a fairly quick read, but it is. The tone is too dogmatic, and there is way too much space devoted to quibbling, but it is rare to find a book this informative and thought provoking.

Intellectually Stimulating.......2007-03-31

Darwin's Dangerous Idea is one of Daniel Dennett's more notable works, being a 1995 national book award finalist (as advertised on the cover). I'm not really sure why it didn't win though, because had I been on the panel of judges, I would probably have chosen it over the competition (whatever they were). The book thoroughly explains Darwin's theory of evolution with regard to biology (including its finer philosophical and technical details) and extends the theory even further to just about everything, including the universe itself. The basic premise being that complexity arises out of simplicity and this is precisely what it would take for anything in the known universe to be in existence today.

Dennett sees no contradiction for example, in how humans behave by explaining that memes (cultural elements) that influence our behaviours and which seem to have a far greater effect than genes on our future evolution are themselves merely products of genetic evolution. Think of it as many smaller cranes (tiny steps in evolution that build upon one another) building a better, bigger crane (i.e. humans capable of storing, producing and transmitting memes). As a philosopher, the man has a vast knowledge of science, biology and computer science, in particular. He is extremely well-read and explains his ideas with such lucidity, you'll be amazed at how he can actually get you to understand very complex ideas and examples.

I sometimes found myself unable to follow certain topics but every time, Dennett grabbed my hand and lifted me back into my seat of understanding with his natural flare of wanting more than anything, not to obfuscate in any way the message he is trying to get across. If only all educators were like that. He presents many examples and references from diverse fields in science and literature (e.g. Borge's Library of Babel) that will amaze and get you thinking. Dennett also critiques work by other scientists such as Stephen J. Gould and Noam Chomsky where relevant, to name just two. I learned a lot about science in general, not to mention artificial intelligence, architecture, philosophy and literature by reading this book.

The last chapter is very nice closure to his whole thesis. Despite being an atheist, Dennett does not see religion as completely evil and acknowledges the role it played (as a result of cultural evolution) that in some ways have benefitted mankind; not "spiritually" but at least in terms of comfort and artistic inspiration. At 586 pages, it is an extremely satisfying read. I'm eager to dig into his latest book, "Breaking the Spell" and one of his earlier works, "The Mind's, I" soon.

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Naturalistic Evolution - a fundamentalist religion - natural select breakdown - fossil problem
Engaging read!
Christian Biologist says Oversimplified
3 1/2 stars - Mostly Uninspiring.
NOT A RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALIST ... JUST ASKING

Darwin on Trial
Phillip E. Johnson
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds
Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth? Why Much of What We Teach About Evolution is Wrong
Evolution: A Theory In Crisis
Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law & Education

ASIN: 0830813241

Book Description

Phillip E. Johnson offers a reasoned and scientifically sound evaluation of the support for Darwinism--from fossil records to molecular biology.

Customer Reviews:

Naturalistic Evolution - a fundamentalist religion - natural select breakdown - fossil problem.......2007-09-28

The case against evolution examines the logical errors in the theory. Evidence does not create law. There are man made laws and there are divine laws. Divine laws can only be discovered and not created. 1 Cor 15:38-39 38. "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body". 39. "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds". All life has a spiritual pattern. Each life form operates within a sphere of glory and intelligence. A flower does not evolve into an elephant. Breeders can produce specific traits in offspring. However, no new species have been breed that can survive outside their original sphere. The resurrection is proof that evolution is false. Christ was the first fruits to overcome death and receive a glorified and exalted body of glory. It is impossible for a lesser sphere to evolve into a greater sphere of glory. D&C 130:22-23. 22. The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." 23. "A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him." Life came from older sphere and was brought to earth during the creation. Life did not evolve. The earth was organized from existing matter. Scientist claim the cosmos may be 12 billion years old and the elements the product of super nova stars. The elements are eternal and the elements can neither be created nor destroyed. Jesus Christ was the creator of many worlds. D&C 76:24. "That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters of God." A spiritual transformation must be in place affecting life forms before Christ's second coming to withstand his glory. Evolution can't and will not address what would happen in the presence of a being of glory. Evolution must maintain a narrow scope for its explanations. Evolutionary explanations must be incremental and malleable enough to predict small naturalistic changes resulting over millions of years. Any cataclysmic change can't be predicted or explained and should be avoid. Naturalistic evolution is a political, economic, and social tool. Evolution destroys morality and does not acknowledge Christ's resurrection and atonement. Evolution does not answer the question, "What is the purpose of life?" Evolution doctrines can't be falsified until a substitute theory is in place as a working solution. Evolution can't explore the non- verifiable data nor can it explore all the possibilities. Evolution can't prove entropy. Evolution is improvable because it is incomplete. D&C 101:24 "And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beast of the field, or the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon the all the face of the earth, shall be consumed." Adam was the first man on the earth. All major civilizations start after the flood. Prehistoric man has limited about of physical evidence and could fit all on one table. Evolutionist have created a fantastic fantasy about the origins of man, yet are unable to demonstrate the common ancestor from which man came. Adam was created in the image of God and not ape. "Evolution in the Darwinist usage implies a completely naturalistic metaphysical system, in which matter evolved to its present state of organized complexity without any participation by a creator." Darwin conclusion that "mutability" provided the mechanism for all life is parasitic. Evolution can't create higher life forms. Mechanized evolution has not demonstrated life. Evolution accommodates to make the theory fit fossil evidences.

Evolution is a hypothesis a not a fact. "Scientist were believed to formulate theories in order to explain pre-existing experimental data, and to verify their theories by accumulating additional supporting evidence. " "In scientific practice the theory normally precedes the experiment or fact finding process rather than the other way around." A problem or question must be posed for discovery and explanation." Evolution insists on Logic positivism demanding verifiability. Evolution scientists are fanatics, desperate not to be wrong, and look for the breakthrough fact that will vindicate them. Popper believed that science began with an imaginative or even mythological conjecture about the world. Evolution is a fundamentalist religion. "Whenever science is enlisted in some other cause - religious, political, or racialistic - the result is always that the scientist themselves become fanatics."

The fossil problem is that the fossil records do not prove gradual change. The history of fossils suggests 1. "Most species exhibit no directional change during their tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking pretty much the same as when they disappear; morphological change is usually limited and directionless." 2. "Sudden appearance. In any local area, a species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all at once and fully formed." Therefore, one can conclude the theory of natural selection is not a fact, as an explanation of species origination and morphological directions.

Engaging read!.......2007-09-27

This is a great book and should be required reading for those studying Darwinism in school.

Christian Biologist says Oversimplified.......2007-06-19

This book is preaching to the choir... and oh, by the way, I'm in the choir, as a Christian... but the biologist in me found this much too simplistic. Of course, I've studied evolution at the graduate level and Mr. Johnson's background is in law. Johnson makes some good points, but doesn't have a full-orbed understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of evolution. This book doesn't really help or hurt the case for God.

3 1/2 stars - Mostly Uninspiring........2007-05-24

To begin with, as other readers have said, this book does show it's age. Having read many interesting books discussing both sides of evolution recently, this fell a bit flat for me for one reason.

In the first few pages of the book, the author takes the time to inform the reader of his personal beliefs and religious background. He goes on to say that he is not arguing in favor of Intelligent Design but merely examining and questioning the various aspects of "Darwinism". The problem arises when the author builds a case for his point, a case that is well executed and insightful, and then leans on the crutch of a "Creator". To me, that smacks of ID and refutes one of the few positive things I might have taken from a book of this nature.

NOT A RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALIST ... JUST ASKING.......2007-05-10

I admit it - I've always thought some aspects of the whole evolution idea didn't seem to hang together. Phillip E. Johnson questions all of it in this book, which obviously has been controversial. But why not look at all the claims of evolution and ask for the proof? Does everyone who questions whether one species can really turn into another, or who doesn't believe life began by chance in some primordial slime have to be labeled a "creation science" religious nut?

Johnson says the fossil record does not support the "transitional" species that should have been found by now. Others say the fossil record does provide examples of these. Hard for us non-scientists to sort that one out. Johnson raises the issue of macro-evolution vs. micro-evolution. Can a new species appear sudenly, or are changes made very slowly over the centuries, in line with the uniformitarianism thinking of Darwin's day? Johnson does not think tiny changes over time can really account for the changes in the animals on earth going back to the beginning, as demonstrated through the fossil record.

I was disappointed that Johnson says nothing at all about the most controversial species change - that of human beings. In the infamous Scopes "monkey trial," the main bone of contention was the idea that man and monkey were relatives who both descended from a common ancestor. How and when did human become human and not simian? When I was a kid, we used to make jokes about "the missing link." No one talks about the missing link anymore, but if I'm not mistaken, no transitional creature between human and our common ancestor with other primates has been found.

I think the strongest part of this book is Johnson's contention that science has become a religion for many who buy into the total evolution theory. Science is supposed to be about testable hypotheses, but evolution is argued mainly from logic. We cannot travel back millions of years to see if chemicals coming together in some swamp became alive. We cannot watch the process of a dinosaur turning into a bird, even though the fictional Paleontologist in Jurassic Park believed the one species was the ancestor of the other.

It is obvious that some scientists are so wedded to their atheism that they start with the concept that all life is accidental, without purpose, the result of natural selection. Clearly, the concept of natural selection works within one species (animals that change color to match their environment and conceal themselves form predators, for instance), but Johnson rightly asks how one species becomes another. It's not ok to ask a dedicated evolutionist: What if you are wrong? But it is ok for them to ridicule any suggestion that there is a purpose behind the universe, that life is more than a chemical reaction, and humans are more than relatives of apes. Strict evolutionists cannot prove their claims, yet maintain that it's all true. Evolution does make some sense, and does have some evidence to support it, but absolute proof is not obtainable. Evolution is a theory, not a religion.

And speaking of religion, fundamentalists are entitled to have their say, but should not promote "creation science" (which is no science at all). I DO want to see children learn about Darwin and his ideas about evolution, which have been so influential, but I also want to have future generations that ask questions, think for themselves, and ask for proof about anything they are told they must believe. Johnson may be wrong in much of his criticism, but I applaud him for making a rational case against insistence that evolution, like any religious belief that is without proof, is a fact.

Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design

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Intelligently-Designed atheism.
Why does it matter
Why DOES Darwin matter?
It Matters
truth cannot contradict truth...John Paul 11....

Why Darwin Matters: The Case Against Intelligent Design
Michael Shermer
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The God Delusion
Letter to a Christian Nation
Intelligent Thought: Science versus the Intelligent Design Movement
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist

ASIN: 0805081216
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Book Description

A creationist-turned-scientist demonstrates the facts of evolution and exposes Intelligent Design’s real agenda

Science is on the defensive. Half of Americans reject the theory of evolution and “Intelligent Design” campaigns are gaining ground. Classroom by classroom, creationism is overthrowing biology.

In Why Darwin Matters, bestselling author Michael Shermer explains how the newest brand of creationism appeals to our predisposition to look for a designer behind life’s complexity. Shermer decodes the scientific evidence to show that evolution is not “just a theory” and illustrates how it achieves the design of life through the bottom-up process of natural selection. Shermer, once an evangelical Christian and a creationist, argues that Intelligent Design proponents are invoking a combination of bad science, political antipathy, and flawed theology. He refutes their pseudoscientific arguments and then demonstrates why conservatives and people of faith can and should embrace evolution. He then appraises the evolutionary questions that truly need to be settled, building a powerful argument for science itself.

Cutting the politics away from the facts, Why Darwin Matters is an incisive examination of what is at stake in the debate over evolution.

Customer Reviews:

Intelligently-Designed atheism. .......2007-09-28

For the past year, writing what I think will be the definitive reply to the likes of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett(The Truth Behind the New Atheism), I've immersed myself in arguments for the falsity and dangers of religion. So far Shermer has seemed, if not the most intelligent, the most open to contrary evidence, and the most likeable, of those I've read.

Shermer's arguments helped persuade me of the truth of Common Descent. (Along with those of Francis Collins and other Christian scientists.) He does not as directly challenge the ideas of ID proponents like Lee Spetner or (in his latest book) Michael Behe, who grant common descent, but argue that mutations can't explain it.

One of the most interesting sections of this book is Shermer's discussion of his survey of the basis for religious beliefs. Shermer asked 10,000 Americans why they believed, and why they thought other people believed. He found that most people think others believe for non-rational reasons, but themselves saw reason (design of universe, experience of God, etc) as the grounds of their own faith.

My own, more limited, study of people in conservative churches, underlined the point. When I asked smaller groups of people who had been Christians for many years, "why do you believe in God?" the least popular responses were those farthest removed from facts. ("You have to believe in something;" "I enjoy the fellowship in church . . . ") A large majority gave responses that had at least some intellectual component, such as "The evidence seems good" (62%), and "I have had supernatural experience that taught me the reality of the spiritual world."

What this reflects, I suggest, is just how far wrong the Dawkins crowd are, in their uncritical assumption that Christianity demands "blind faith." Shermer seems to have assumed that, but then to begin changing his mind when the evidence undermined his assumption. I respect that. He should go further, and study what Christians have said about the subject down through the years.

Shermer's book is moderately persuasive until he begins talking about the law and the philosophy of science. At that point he discredits himself a bit, to me anyway. He warns us that ID proponents want to "get government to force teachers to teach it," (not I think the position of the Discovery Institute at all). Then in the following chapter says not only that teachers should be forced to teach evolution, but that it should be illegal even to say God was behind it! I prefer the Shermer who writes, "In the freemarket of ideas, turning to the government to force your theory on others -- particularly children -- goes against every principle of liberty upon which Western democracies are founded."

"Science knows no religious or political boundaries," Shermer says. This is more reasonable than when, a few pages earlier, he calls Philip Johnson's Wedge a "religious war against all of science." While I am not a big fan of Johnson, it seems to me his proposal is at heart pretty conservative: he wants us to do science as the inventors of science -- Kepler, Galileo, Newton, Boyle -- did it, within the context of a life infused with the glory of God. The founders of modern science were hardly at war with the discipline they founded; neither need be people who do science in the same spirit today.

In short, there are claims in this book one can argue with. (I could add others.) But unlike some of his allies, Shermer gives the impression of one with whom one can civilly disagree.

Why does it matter.......2007-09-24

I am Halfway through the book and it is a struggle....
I am at a loss as to why the author felt compelled to write this. I agree with the premise 100%, but there is no hook and all in all this is a VERY dull read...

Why DOES Darwin matter?.......2007-09-22

An excellent treatice on an increasingly important subject. It "turns on the light" that so many fundamentalists of any faith so abhor. Certainly, along with Hitchen's God is Not Great, allow free thinkers to gird their loins for battle.

It Matters.......2007-09-16

I always enjoy reading Michael Shermer, his books educate as well as entertain and he did it again with "Why Darwin Matters". Like Shermer I too am a converted atheist who as a believer attempted to prove that god was responsible for creation. Many of those feelings came back to me as I read of his conversion to Darwinism. He describes it like confessing to a murder, I think many others can also relate to that.

It is remarkable to learn that most of the world has come to accept evolution, creationism is only popular in the United States and then mostly in the south. Shermer is a very good writer however I think the maxim "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" applies to the level of comprehension one gets from this book; it probably will not change the opinions of those who minds are closed on the subject. The book didn't take longer to read but was very complete; I have never understood the concept of "nonoverlapping magisterial" and I still don't really get it however Shermer's explanation has got me the closest to figuring it out. I also appreciated his explanation of how religion developed as a mechanism of the societal evolution. Religious practices arose from the communal necessity of maintaining reciprocal altruism for the survival of our species, I found this most illuminating.

I do have one area of disagreement with Shermer at his attempt to be conciliatory with creationist in his chapter, "Why Christians and Conservatives Should Accept Evolution". He suggests that they accept a non literal account of the bible which would allow them to acknowledge the reality of evolution as they embrace the comforts of religion, in my opinion this is a very weak position to hold. It is an acknowledgment that the existential angst of atheism is too great for some and that we must "play along" in order for them to deal with it. I fail to understand why he finds it necessary to patronize believers in this manner while he endeavors to analyze their viewpoint as a skeptic. Perhaps because of Mr. Shermer's experience and understanding of socialization he has developed a greater insight and sensitivity to believers however I don't find this stance to be consistent with that of a scientist. This is a great book because it provides challenges to both believers and skeptics in this manner.

truth cannot contradict truth...John Paul 11...........2007-09-12

You can have both religion and science as long as you don't try to make reality unreal, to turn naturalism into supernaturalism. God is outside time and space, God is beyond nature, or supernatural and therefore cannot be explained by natural causes. God is beyond the dominion of science, and science is outside the realm of God....so you see it is possible to have both religion and science side by side. Thank you Michael Shermer author of "Why Darwin Matters"

The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches (Penguin Classics)

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One of the best travel books written by one of the best scientists
Must-Read Combo of Science, Adventure, and Literary Flair
Another Handy Penguin Edition of Darwin
For the Serious Darwin Fan Only
Did I Just Return from South America? No Wait, I Read Darwin

The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin's Journal of Researches (Penguin Classics)
Charles Darwin
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Galapagos: A Natural History
The Origin of Species
Galapagos: World's End
Wildlife of the Galapagos (Princeton Illustrated Checklists)
Galapagos Wildlife, 2nd: A Visitor's Guide (Bradt Travel Guide)

ASIN: 014043268X

Customer Reviews:

One of the best travel books written by one of the best scientists.......2007-10-04

Forget the image of Darwin as an old white-beard scholar. In The Voyage of The Beagle, written in 1839, we have the discoverer of the theory of evolution as an energetic young man in his early twenties travelling aroung the world in a three-mast ship. After a brief stop in Cape Verde, he travels to then slaveholding Brazil (where he visits for the first time a tropical jungle), to the Plata region (he visits both Buenos Aires and Montevideo and travels on horseback on the surroundings), to the Patagonia (where he meets strongman Juan Manuel de Rosas as he launches a campaign against the pampa Indians), the Falkland Islands, Southern Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego (where they bring back three Fuegians previously kidnapped by an earlier expedition), Chile from south to north, the Galapagos Islands (whose findings would be crucial for the theory of evolution), Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa. As he travels, he writes about both the natural history of the places as well as the people he meets. He does a lot of fearless things, travelling on horseback around the Pampas then under the dominion of hostile indians, crossing the Andes from Chile to Argentina through some of the world's highest mountains outside the Himalayas, witnessing the life of the now extinguished Fuegians (considered to be among the most primitive societies in the world), crossing the dense, cold forests of the island of Chiloe, witnessing the aboriginal australians as they cope with the massive arrival of white people to their land, seeing the gravestone of Napoleon Bonaparte in the island of Saint Helena. Darwin was no racist and he forcefully denounces the slavery he witnesses in Brazil (in this respect, he was much more thoughtful and liberal than some of his later disciples). In short, one of the greatest travel/adventure books by one of the greatest scientists of all time.

Must-Read Combo of Science, Adventure, and Literary Flair.......2007-06-07

Darwin's autobiography gives us some idea of his zeal for the study of the natural world (remember the bug-in-mouth incident?) and The Origin of Species provides us with more than enough evidence of Darwin's incredible capacity for logically combining empircal evidence in support of his theory, but is his autobiographical Voyage of the Beagle that gives us the best look at Darwin's habits as a naturalist and that provides us with a deeper understanding of his unmatched skills of observation and analysis.
While the voyage is most famous for being the time when Darwin visited the Galapagos, it is striking that he actually spends very little time discussing this segment of his journey. Much of his time is instead spent on the portion of his trip that was spent in Argentina, and it is his observations of the wildlife, the landscape, and the locals here that make for the most enjoyable reading.
The Voyage works because of its successful combination of science, adventure, and literary flair (he often gets rather poetic) that Darwin was superbly capable of. While certainly long (and possibly even too long for some readers), The Voyage is a must-read for any self-respecting Darwinophile.

Another Handy Penguin Edition of Darwin.......2007-05-17

Much as is the case with the Penguin edition of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," this relatively inexpensive edition is packed with helpful features that add to the reader's understanding of what Darwin was about on his prolonged scientific voyage. First among these features is an excellent introduction by Janet Browne and Michael Neve, both of that wonderful Wellcome Institute in London. Dr. Browne is the author of what many consider to be the finest biography of Darwin ever written; Dr. Neve also has contributed to the Darwin literature. Although 26 pages in length, a bit shorter than that in the "Origin" edition by J.W. Burrow, this introduction nicely puts the "Journal of Researches" into context, while pointing out several areas that are of special interest to the reader. While the text is abridged about 1/3 in length, a Note carefully explains how and why the deletions were made. For example, nothing relating to the Galapagos has been cut. The editors have added a brief guide to the individuals and books mentioned in the text which is quite helpful. Also added as appendices are the Admiralty Instructions for the Beagle voyage and an essay by Captain Robert FitzRoy on "Remarks with reference to the Deluge," reflecting his reversion to traditional Christian thinking during the voyage. Several very helpful maps and a chronology are also included, which come in quite handy. Obviously, it is of immeasurable value to read the "Journal of Researches" in conjunction wit the "Origin." One comes away truly amazed at the dedication and professionalism of Darwin (who was only 22 when he commenced his five year excursion) as he collects his speciments and charts various geological dimensions. So, this book is to my way of thinking indispensable for getting a grasp on Darwin, and this skillfully edited edition makes the experience a most pleasing one.

For the Serious Darwin Fan Only.......2007-05-14

Darwin's Voyage of the Beagle is an interesting, but often tedious detail of his journey around the world. With this in mind, I would have to recommend this book to the Darwin enthusiast and to those who are just looking for a deeper grasp of Darwin, the man. It's not for anyone looking for a quick, easy, or particularly exciting or sensationalist read. If that's what you're looking for, I recommend Cyril Aydon's biography.

With this disclaimer, the book really does offer insight into Darwin and why this journey would be such a critical point in his life. Darwin is incredibly observant, and details flora and fauna throughout with sometimes discouraging detail. But this fact just gives us a clue as to what made this man different from all the other preeminent scientists of the day. Why did Darwin fully get evolution while the others didn't? Certainly this incredible power to really see things provided him with evidence that others might have missed.

My favorite parts would have to be Darwin's description of his time in the inside of South America and his interactions with the people living there. His reactions were varied. He often voices disgust at the barbarism of the settlers towards the Indians in the wars that occur there, while simultaneously describing the Indians as savages with terrible habits. Overall, however, he seems impressed with South America from the classical liberal point of view, saying "It is impossible to doubt that the extreme liberalism of these countries, must ultimately lead to good results." It would be interesting to see what Darwin would think of South America today. Throughout the book he adamately denounces the slavery sees with a keen insight, saying of an escaped slave woman who killed herself rather than be reenslaved, "In a Roman matron this would have been called the noble love of freedom: in a poor negress it is mere brutal obstinancy." Darwin was ahead of his time in this respect.

The part of the book covering his time in the Galapagos is surprisingly short, at least in respect to the emphasis Darwin later put on his time in the islands. It's also interesting to consider Darwin's reaction to them (he thought they were ugly and barren) when considering the impact the diversity of species on the islands played in his evidence for evolution.

All in all, the book has really good, insightful things to pick up, but other parts, such as Darwin's lengthy description of the masses of tiny floating sea creatures, I could have done without. Pick it up if you are really looking to put together a really complete picture of Darwin's life, with tedious details included.

Did I Just Return from South America? No Wait, I Read Darwin.......2007-05-10

The striking characteristic of Darwin's "Voyage of the Beagle" is its completeness. Not only is Darwin infinitely observant and insightful in all of his descriptions, he takes interest in everything! He continues for pages about worms (Planaria) and fireflies (Lampyris occidentalis) in Rio de Janeiro, gauchos and the pampas in Argentina, and of course the famous giant tortoises (Testudo Indicus) in the Galapagos-- just for a few examples. The scope of his observations is stunning; he is equally comfortable discussing algae or societal conventions, such as slavery. However, the depth is equally impressive; the amount of information provided on, for instance, ostrich breeding patterns, makes one wonder how Darwin possibly absorbed so much information on such a relatively short trip-- five years is not so long when you're trying to catalog every single animal, plant, and person around you! The extraordinary detail combined with the range of subject matter creates such a vivid image that the journal reads more like an travel book than anything else; I definitely recommend it for an engaging and both naturally and historically informative read.

Darwin's Origin of Species: A Biography (Books That Changed the World)

Average customer rating:

You can ask for little more in so little space
Adequate
This author knows the subject too well to explain it

Darwin's Origin of Species: A Biography (Books That Changed the World)
Janet Browne
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0871139537

Book Description

Charles Darwin’s foremost biographer, Janet Browne, delivers a vivid and accessible introduction to the book that permanently altered our understanding of what it is to be human. A sensation on its publication in 1859, The Origin of the Species profoundly shocked Victorian readers by calling into question the belief in a Creator with its description of evolution through natural selection. And Darwin’s seminal work is nearly as controversial today. In her illuminating study, Browne delves into the long genesis of Darwin’s theories, from his readings as a university student and his five-year voyage on the Beagle, to his debates with contemporaries and experiments in his garden. She explores the shock to Darwin when he read of competing scientist’s similar discoveries and the wide and immediate impact of Darwin’s theories on the world. As one of the launch titles in Atlantic Monthly Press’ “Books That Changed the World” series, Browne’s history takes readers inside The Origin of the Species and shows why it can fairly claim to be the greatest science book ever published.

Customer Reviews:

You can ask for little more in so little space.......2007-09-09

Simple me, I enjoyed the book tremendously. I was impressed by the author's ability to cover so much territory in so little space (the book is, in the end, a biography of both Darwin and Darwinism). Even condensed, it reads well. The last chapter, on the fate of Darwinism after his death, did seem a little rushed, but it was all so new to me that I was happy to have it, rather than nothing at all. This is, after all, an introductory book, and after you have read it, you can look elsewhere for something more substantial. You should judge a book by what it sets out to do, not by what you would do if you were the author.

Adequate.......2007-06-07

This short book is devoted to exploring Darwin's Origin of Species. Browne provides concise summaries of the background to the Origin, Darwin's life, the circumstances under which it was published, and its reception. Overall, these parts of the book are solid and essentially glosses of Browne's outstanding 2 volume biography of Darwin. The final part of the book is a brief tour of the subsequent history of Darwinian ideas from the late 19th century to the present. This is simply too much stuff in too brief a format and is superficial.
Readers interested in a better exploration of this topic would do well to read Browne's biography of Darwin. This is a thick book but very well written and is simply superb as an introduction to Darwin and the relevant 19th century history. Another complementary and excellent book is Ruse's The Darwinian Revolution.

This author knows the subject too well to explain it.......2007-05-22

This book was very disappointing to me, in that it failed to accomplish its main task. It's supposed to help us see how The Origin of Species changed the world, right? To do that it would have to make us see what the belief system was that Darwin's book upset. What did intelligent, educated people believe about animal and other species before Darwin came along? Why was his thesis so shocking? I am sure Janet Browne herself understands this thoroughly, but she makes the Number One mistake of bad pedagogues, which is to fail to imagine what her readers know and don't know - to fail to see the subject from her readers' point of view. We all live in a world steeped in the idea that species evolved over vast spans of time, through random variations, into the ones we know today, which are still evolving. Before Darwin, however, a different dogma was in the air, and I could not grasp from Browne's text what it was.
She should have devoted a whole chapter to putting us back into that mind-set, so we could then appreciate the shock of Darwin's theory.

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