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Darwin (Norton Critical Editions) (3rd Edition)

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Natural selection is the idea that shaped a science and altered our understanding of life. It is also, unfortunately and too often, misunderstood and/or used to justify moral beliefs. This book, edited admirably by Philip Appleman serves two purposes. First, the reader is given Darwin's idea of evolution and the context in which it developed, from the scientific environment before the publication of "The Origin of Species" to selections from Darwin's various works. Second, there are a number of excerpts that show how natural selection influenced later thought. This includes not just the fields of science and theology, but also sociology, philosophy, and literature.

It can be difficult to just sit and read Darwin if you are not a biologist because it seems a little dated and obvious (at least if you are familiar with natural selection, as you should be). Additional material provides perspective and helps to see in what ways Darwin's work was revolutionary. Such material can also show how evolutionary ideas have been modified over time by different people. Appleman has obviously read widely on Darwin and evolution, and the readings he provides represents an array of influential and important works. With this book, a person can develop a much deeper appreciation of Darwin's ideas than from simply reading Darwin alone.

I am reviewing the second edition. The third edition is 100 pages longer and includes more recent material, especially concerning the dispute between creationism and evolution. I would not hesitate to recommend even the dated second edition to anyone interested in Darwin and Darwin's influence on scientists and other thinkers; this third edition should be a must-have.

I agree with Gould that this is the best Darwin anthology on the market. It contains a significant amount of new material and details the profound change in scientific and intellectual thought in the past few decades. Darwin is constantly misquoted by creationists, but this book sets the record straight. For example, the chapter on "mainstream Religious Support for Evolution" includes leading religious opinions on evolution, illustrating that many mainline Christians and Jews do NOT subscribe to the antiscientific propaganda of the fundamentalists and creationists. New threats to Darwinism and science are also covered. This is an enthralling read and I highly recommend it.

I have not read the 2nd or 3rd editions of this book. But based on the table of contents that I have seen they are even better. Appleman does a great job of organizing the material. I've often thought that the amount of religious material was a little bit overwhelming. I will probably try to pick up the 3rd edition when I can because of the addtional material. One thing that I thought was a weak point of the first edition that came out in 1970 was that there was a serious lack of current scientific thought. That seems to have been shored up in the later editions and, with some New Humanists thrown in, I definitely think this would be a very good pick.

The Norton Critical Edition of Darwin is superb. Besides ample collections of Darwin's writings, this work also includes scientific thought before Darwin; religious arguments for and against evolution; contemporary scientific attacks and praise for Darwin and his theories; glances at the political, social and economic impact that Darwin had; and many other topics. Phillip Appleman should be commended for editing this collection. While he makes no secret of his biases in favor of Darwin, Appleman also includes a great deal of material against Darwin. Appleman also includes a number of his poems and, in the third edition of his collection, produced a masterful essay about Darwin sightings in modern literature. When you get down to it, Darwin and his discoveries impacted just about everything and the Norton Critical Edition of Darwin reflects this. This is book can be read by anyone with an interest in science, the humanities, religion, and just about anything else Darwin impacted. This is a rare text which can be enjoyed and used inside and outside of the classroom. It holds a special place of honor on my bookshelf. Highest recommendation.

Tl;dr: Darwin is an enlightening read on evolution's role in today's society, and should be a staple of education.

Many misconceptions surround the theory of evolution, and this has led to its rejection by an unexpectedly large portion of the general public despite overwhelming evidence to support it. The Norton Critical Edition of Darwin, selected and edited by Philip Appleman, is a superb argument for evolution, and it demonstrates why the theory should be an accepted part of mainstream knowledge. The book includes biographical information on Darwin, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, selections from Darwin's other works, selections from other papers of that time, and both contemporary and modern critiques on Darwin's work. The Origin of Species is especially useful because give us the original evidence and reasoning. The many commentaries make sense of the ideas and give contexts as to why people have reacted the way they have. Most importantly, the book presents many of the arguments for and against teaching the next generation of Americans this pivotal theory.

The work addresses one of the most common misconceptions about any scientific theory, which is the definition of "theory." Colloquially, a theory is nothing more than a conjecture or a guess: I theorize that it was Miss Scarlet in the kitchen with the candlestick. In non-technical language, a theory can become a fact: In fact, it was Professor Plum in the library with the pistol. In science, a theory is the end result and cannot become a fact, because a fact is an observation whereas a theory is the explanation for why it occurred. For example, a fact would be an apple falls from a tree. The theory explaining why the apple fell to the ground would be the theory of gravity. Most importantly, theories must give an explanation that can be proven or disproven using more observations, in nature or through experimentation.

Darwin begins his theory with the observation that organisms have many offspring, but only a few can survive. All life is a struggle for survival and a struggle to reproduce. This struggle can take many forms: it can be two organisms struggling against each other for resources, it can be organism struggling against their environment, it can be songbirds struggling to attract mates, or berry bushes competing against other fruit-bearing plants to have its seeds eaten and disseminated by animals (109).

This struggle for survival results in natural selection: any inheritable trait that gives an organism an advantage, whether in surviving or reproducing, will make it more likely for that organism to pass on that trait to offspring. Eventually, over many generations, that trait will be passed down more frequently until it eventually supplants other, less advantageous variations of that trait, and the species as a whole will have evolved to be slightly different than its ancestors. In this way, traits that are advantageous to an organism are naturally selected to be propagated, and this is the mechanism on which the theory of evolution hinges.

Evolution has been widely accepted by scientists as the central, unifying concept of biology. The National Academy of Sciences stated in 1984, "Evolution pervades all biological phenomena" (534). Many fields of study have grown with evolutionary concepts as their roots, including molecular biology and DNA forensics (569). Medicine, too, has improved by integrating the theory of evolution into its research and practices. For example, every year, a new flu shot is created through human application of the Darwin's theory. The concepts first illustrated by Darwin are accepted as truth in the scientific community and make up the foundation of advancements from which we all benefit today.

It is therefore astonishing to find that there are many communities who would rather not see this fundamental theory taught to their children. Much of the conflict arises because evolution is seen by some Christians as a threat to their religion. The story evolution tells of how humans came to be contradicts the literal interpretation of the creation stories told by the Bible. Many churches have reconciled that fact, incorporating evolution into its doctrine. This includes the Catholic Church, mainline Protestantism, and all but ultraorthodox Judaism (539). Many have done so by separating religion and science, placing them on two, orthogonal axes. Pope John Paul II said in a message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1996, "if the human body takes its origin from pre-existent living matter, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God" (528). In fact, many churches opposed laws that forbade the teaching of evolution in classrooms. Richard Sjolund, a professor of biology at the University of Iowa, stated in 1998, "children had better be preparing to understand the molecular basis of evolution" (569). He explains that to be an educated member of society, one needs to understand science and widely accepted scientific theories. To deprive children of that education, no matter the reason, still gives them a large disadvantage when they try to be contributing members of society.

On the conflict between science and religion, the National Academy of Sciences stated in 1999, "Scientific knowledge may enrich aesthetic and moral perceptions, but these subjects extend beyond science's realm, which is to obtain a better understanding of the natural world" (300). By definition, supernatural subjects do not fall under the jurisdiction of science, which can only explain the natural; therefore, science and religion do not conflict. Evolution does not exclude the existence of a God; it only seeks to explain how the world that may or may not have been created by God operates based on observations of facts.

The authorities on science and those on religion have made peace with each other. In the works included in the book, it is evident that the large majority of both support the next generation being taught evolution as the accepted truth of the workings of nature. Darwin gathers many works and contains many sources, primary and secondary, that convey the importance of giving the theory of evolution its rightful place as a founding principle of biology and life.

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