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the complete review - science

The Origin of Species

by
Charles Darwin

general information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author

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Our Assessment:

A- : essential reading -- and interesting and well-presented

See our review for fuller assessment.

  From the Reviews:

• "It is clear that here is one of the most important contributions ever made to philosophic science; and it is at least behooving on scientists, in the light of the accumulation of evidence which the author has summoned in support of his theory, to reconsider the grounds en which their present doctrine of the origin of species is based. (...) The book is indeed, as he declares, "one long argument," and the theory can only be fully appreciated by patiently following the many consecutive and collateral lines of evidence which he converges on the illustration of a doctrine which is with him manifestly a profound conviction. (...) The book is full of a most interesting and impressive series of minor verifications; but he fails to show the points of junction between these, and no where rises to complete logical statement. (...) But it would be to fail to extract the best uses of this book, to expect a finality. Its best suggestion is to show us how far we are from the possibility of any finality. " - The New York Times

Please note that these ratings solely represent the complete review's biased interpretation and subjective opinion of the actual reviews and do not claim to accurately reflect or represent the views of the reviewers. Similarly the illustrative quotes chosen here are merely those the complete review subjectively believes represent the tenor and judgment of the review as a whole. We acknowledge (and remind and warn you) that they may, in fact, be entirely unrepresentative of the actual reviews by any other measure.

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The complete review's Review:

       One of the most famous and influential books of its (and any) time, The Origin of Species is, surprisingly, little read. True enough, most people know what it says -- or think they do, at any rate. The first comprehensive statement of the theory of natural selection it does, indeed, provide the basic argument and demonstration of what we think of as Darwinism. Not quite offering the misleading tautological Spencerian claim of "survival of the fittest", or the claim that man descends from monkeys (a typical perversion of the understanding of natural selection), the book did turn much of the world and how man thinks about it upside down. It is, well more than a century after its first publication, still a powerful and fascinating read.
       In the Penguin edition J.W.Burrow's introduction provides a useful overview of the work and the world in which it was written. Darwin himself offers a brief historical sketch before jumping into his argument. The Origin of Species is built up on a wealth of information. What astounds throughout is how much Darwin knew, had observed, and had considered in forming and formulating his argument. It was not a scientifically ignorant or naive time in which Darwin worked. A great deal was already known at the time -- bits of the huge puzzle that, by themselves, were suggestive clues but needed a larger framework to be completely understood. Darwin provided that framework.
       The argument is well presented, beginning with variations under domestication, then in nature itself, then the notion of the struggle for existence, leading inexorably to the conclusion that natural selection guides all. Darwin also addresses what appear to be the weaknesses in his theory. Without a Mendelian understanding of inheritance much is hazarded (and a fair amount wrong), but the gist of the argument remains sound and utterly convincing.
       The wealth of examples can be a bit much, though many of the details are fascinating -- as are the conclusions Darwin (and those before him) reached from these facts. Darwin writes well, though some of the argument is inevitably a bit dry. Even now one feels some of the thrill of the slowly dawning of understanding of such a complex phenomenon, so different from the prevailing view of the world.

       A fascinating journey of intellectual discovery and proof, it is a valuable and enjoyable historical document, well worth reading. Darwin did not get it all right here (and he apparently got more wrong in the later editions, where he made an effort to answer his critics), but even his mistakes are of interest, as we see how scientific advances have allowed these to be corrected -- and how well the basic idea has stood up. A book too readily taken for granted (because readers think they know what it says), it is certainly recommended.

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Links:

• Penguin
• Convenient electronic version of the 1859 edition.

• The Atlantic
• Creationism in the Crossfire
• Edinburgh Review
• Jim Loy's Book Reviews
• McKenzie Study Center
• The New York Times
• Old Books

• The excellent Talk.origins site. Highly recommended.

• Darwin Online: The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
• The C. Warren Irvin, Jr., Collection of Charles Darwin and Darwiniana

• The Life of Erasmus Darwin

• See Index of books on Darwinism and Evolutionary Theory
• Ruth Padel's Darwin: A Life in Poems
• Steve Jones' update of Darwin's The Origin of Species, Almost Like a Whale (US title: Darwin's Ghost)
• Michael Ruse examines the Mystery of Mysteries, asking Is Evolution a Social Construction ?
• Robert T Pennock's dismantling of the New Creationist's arguments in Tower of Babel
• Michael Ruse asks: Can a Darwinian be a Christian ?
• Adam Phillips considers Darwin's Worms
• James A. Secord's look at a Victorian Sensation
• Mark A.S. McMenamin's idea of The Garden of Ediacara
• From the Darwin Today series:
  • Peter Singer's A Darwinian Left
  • John Maynard Smith's Shaping Life
  • Colin Tudge's Neanderthals, Bandits and Farmers

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About the Author:

       British naturalist Charles Darwin lived from 1809 to 1882 He is the author of the groundbreaking The Origin of Species, among other works.

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© 1999-2010 the complete review

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