The Descent of Man: The Concise Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Editor, Commentary), Frans DeWaal (Foreword) "The history of science is rife with fateful meetings..." (more)
Key Phrases: hominid evolution, double moult, anthropomorphous apes, The Descent of Man, Mental Powers, United States (more...)

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Product Description

The most accessible edition ever published of Darwin’s incendiary classic, edited by “as fine a science essayist as we have” (New York Times)

The Descent of Man, Darwin’s second landmark work on evolutionary theory (following The Origin of the Species), marked a turning point in the history of science with its modern vision of human nature as the product of evolution. Darwin argued that the noblest features of humans, such as language and morality, were the result of the same natural processes that produced iris petals and scorpion tails.

To convey the revolutionary importance of this groundbreaking book, renowned evolutionary science writer Carl Zimmer edited this special abridged edition—made up of nine excerpts, each one representing one of Darwin’s major themes—and wrote illuminating introductions to each section, as well as an overall introduction. Zimmer brilliantly places Darwin’s basic ideas in the context of the current understanding of human nature and twenty-first-century DNA research. By accessibly presenting Darwin’s thinking to a modern readership, Zimmer eloquently demonstrates Darwin’s ever-increasing relevance and amazing scientific insight.

About the Author

CARL ZIMMER is the award-winning author of Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins, Soul Made Flesh (a New York Times Notable Book, 2004), and several other books about evolution and science. He writes regularly for the New York Times, National Geographic, Science, Newsweek, and Discover, where he is a contributing editor. In 2002 he was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Plume (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452288886
• ISBN-13: 978-0452288881
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #162,573 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charles Darwin and his perceptive insight into the evoluition of life, June 19, 2008

By	Harold Gershowitz (CHICAGO, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Through Darwin's, "The Descent of Man" and his earlier "The Origin of Species" the reader is introduced to the power of the observations and the conclusions of this remarkable man. In what might have been the greatest "a ha" moments in the history of man, Charles Darwin gave us biological science and quite, literally, changed the way we understand the evolution of life on earth. He overcame the fear of rejection he knew his seminal work would cause by challenging all prevailing creationist theology. By doing so he freed man to think freely, and the world has not been the same since.

1 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Descent of Logic, June 15, 2009

By	Kendal B. Hunter (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

By reading this book, you can develop an eye for illogic (Historians' Fallacies : Toward a Logic of Historical Thought, Black Swan: The Twelve Lessons of Abandonment Recovery). This book is riddled with errors such as:

* Cum hoc ergo propter hoc. (Fetal correlation, homology)
* Circular reasoning ("In order that primeval man, or the ape-like progenitor of man, should become social, they must have acquired the same instinctive feelings" 203)
* Anecdotal evidence (Muleteer story, 127)
* Hasty generalization ("A baboon ... as I have been informed", 121)
* Ad populum ("Everyone must have noticed ... Every sportsman knows" 160)

All of these informal fallacies could be spotted by a Philosophy 101 student, yet they make the wrap and woof of the book.

My favorite nonsensical sentence was part of Carl Zimmer's commentary:

"In some ways, we truly are unique, but underneath that uniqueness lies a common bond with other species." (108)

Spot the weasel words: "uniqueness," "in some ways unique," and "common bonds" are three contradictory concepts. Apparently, Darwin 's illogic infects his apologists.

Indeed, Zimmer's commentary updates The Descent of Man: The Concise Edition, but also spins the more racist and ethnocentric statements. This gets into the question of whether we can separate evolution (a broad theory) from Darwinism (a narrow interpretation of evolution, and a personal philosophy).

I don't think we can, given the lapses in logic. Popper (The Logic of Scientific Discovery (Routledge Classics)) asserted that all theories must be logical. This book fails the test--miserably.

So read Descent of Man, because it is a civilization classic. And then refute it.