The kernel of Darwin's theory is that those who survive are better adapted to life than those who do not. But the theory is as threatening as it is simple, for it takes us, so to speak, out of the action.
We like to think of ourselves as tops on evolution's ladder. In fact, we are only the last surviving branch on a bush. We rarely consider how short a time, geologically speaking, we have been on Earth, or how soon we may disappear.
"In this most modern and elegant of `science' books, Stephen Jay Gould leads us through subjects such as the Cambrian population explosion, Velikovsky's theories, why there is no such thing as a `criminal man,' why a three year old is likely to land unhurt after a fall, and how to come to terms with our own transcience on this earth. A beautiful tour de force." (Reviews for Readers)
