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On Natural Selection (Penguin Great Ideas)

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Many folks erroneously suppose Darwin invented the idea of Evolution, the descent with modification of modern organisms from previously existing forms. In fact, this idea was well established in scientific circles by the early 19th century. What was lacking was a natural, in place of a supernatural, explanation for the process.

Darwin provided this at length in the 14 chapters of his 1859 work, "On the Origin of Species," the heart of which is his theory of Natural Selection. If organisms within species vary (and we know they do), and if that variation tends to be inherited between generations (which Darwin saw but could not explain), and if that variation gives some organisms within species an advantage over others in survival and reproduction, then it follows that species will become modified over time in consequence of favorable variation being preserved and passed on. That's all.

Penguin has provided a very convenient extract of four key chapters, the third dealing with the "struggle for existence," the fourth putting forth in more detail the argument outlined here, the sixth dealing with the more obvious objections to the theory (then as now), and the last chapter summing up the work. Even non-biologist readers nowadays will accept the evidence of variation, and are far more familiar than Darwin with modern genetics to explain inheritance. It remains necessary to understand intraspecific struggle and competition (which are often metaphorical), and to drawn the conclusion of descent with modification, as Darwin does.

This is *the* Darwin book for the lay reader, who wishes to see what all the fuss is about. I have used this little book as recommended reading for philosophy courses on Darwinian theory, and for a public lecture to be given in honour of the publication of the "Origin" this coming November 19th. It is an extremely accessible introduction to Natural Selection in Darwin's own words, without the necessity of plowing through a great deal of Victorian persiflage.

Written in 1859 by Charles Darwin to state his belief in natural selection, this book does not disappoint. Darwin clearly states his theory in this book of how nature naturally selects the strongest of a species to continue on the race. He explains the instruments of selection, sexual selecting through choice of mate, environmental and climate selection through ability to survive. He explains through charts of branches how a species could evolve and change over long time periods into a separate species. He does not back down from his critics on how an eye could evolve or why species appear to be created for their environment. I found this book to seem like a more modern read than its pre-American Civil War publishing date would suggest. After reading this little book I have a much better understanding of Darwin's theory of evolution and see how he began to turn modern science on its head by his creative and amazing theory which modern science now accepts as fact.

This proves, as if it needed proving, that the originators of profound ideas often given the clearest, most readable, and most complete discussions of their topics. Explainers often just muddy the issue, and most later researchers incrementally widen, fill in, and bolster the original points. If any intelligent reader wants to understand the mechanism, breadth, subtlety, and power of evolution, this is the place to start. If nothing else, Darwin gives clear statement (and rebuttal) to issues that biblical literalists still yammer about, including the time scale of speciation, the fragmentary nature of the fossil record, and the fallacy of 'irreducible complexity.'

"Slow though the process may be, ... I can see no limit ... to the beauty and infinite complexity of the coadaptations between all organic beings" Understanding doesn't dampen awe. Quite the opposite: truly appreciating the power of change and selection conveys a majestic sense of the world and our place in it that I can not express. And, although I'm not a theist, I can certainly see how the the limitless power of never-ending creation can be seen as a direct and present act of a limitless Creator.

Only a very few things will sound unfamiliar to the modern reader. The first is the absence of genetics, from Mendel to Watson and Crick. Darwin observed and described inheritance without any sharp statement of what was inherited - genetics provides the mortar between the stones of Darwin's edifice. Another is the creationist beliefs of his time: that each "species" was a distinct act of creation, and progenitor of the many extant subspecies and varieties. Yet another is his unwillingness to believe that "any part of the structure of any one species had been formed for the exclusive good of another species." Mutualistic coevolution is real: a flower's nectar is of no direct use to the flower, but serves the insects around it. In a wider sense, though, nectar indirectly benefits the flower by attracting pollinators, so the error may lie only in too tight an interpretation of "exclusive good."

This slim book has been edited down from a much longer work, and I do not know what was sacrificed to brevity. Still, it stands well by itself, and the short distance from front cover to back should appeal to people put off by thick books. I recommend this to every thinking reader, down to high school age or earlier.

//wiredweird

Dear Readers

There is I believe the concept of "Universality" here at work.
An invariance. Seen everywhere in Nature. In Physics, in Biology, in Political Science.

Whether or not it's the survival of a living organism or the survival of a society it really makes no difference.

We survive often simply because of the decisions we make and of course the enviroment around us.

Take for example the medical treatments you select. The places you visit.
What you do for a living and where you choose to live.

Then there are those you choose to live with and how you interact with them. What demands do they make on you? How do you make your decisions in lieu of these relationships?

Why Nietzsche said that to survive don't get into line ups.

sjw

"All that we can do, is to keep steadily in mind that each organic being is striving to increase at a geometrical ratio; that each at some period of its life, during some season of the year, during each generation or at intervals, has to struggle for life, and to suffer great destruction. When we reflect on this struggle, we may console ourselves with the full belief, that the war of nature is not incessant, that no fear is felt, that death is generally prompt, and that the vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply" (p. 19).

While social critic, John Ruskin, was witnessing Victorian England evolve into an industrialized, sweatshop society of unecessary, mass-produced goods, lacking in individual creative expression, Victorian naturalist, Charles Robert Darwin (1809-82), was contemplating the organic theory of evolution, as set forth in THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES (1859), the book which sparked a heated debate between scientists and theologians still fueled on by the creationists even today. Contradicting the book of GENESIS, and influenced by Thomas Malthus, Darwin observed that organisms reproduce more than necessary to replenish their polulation, thereby creating competition for survival. Each organism is a unique combination of genetic variations helpful in the struggle to survive, which are, in turn, passed on to its offspring. Darwin's writing here offers a fascinating glimpse into the analytical, scientific mind at work. (It should be noted that this review refers to the 2005 Penguin Great Ideas edition of ON NATURAL SELECTION, which includes excerpts from THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES.)

G. Merritt