Natural Selection and Tropical Nature: Essays on Descriptive and Theoretical Biology [Paperback]

Alfred Russel Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2005

This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1891 edition by Macmillan and Co., London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: Adamant Media Corporation (November 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402181434
• ISBN-13: 978-1402181436
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,998,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Father of the Theory of Natural Selection, May 31, 2011

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This review is from: Natural Selection and Tropical Nature: Essays on Descriptive and Theoretical Biology (Paperback)

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) truly is a forgotten giant who independently, in 1858, concluded and published (1 year before the publication Darwin's "Origin of Species" in 1859) the first work on the theory of Natural Selection (Paper # 2 in this volume). Wallace does not use the term "Natural Selection" in the paper, but the idea of Natural Selection is clearly there. Darwin coins the term 1 year later.

In a paper from 1855 (Paper # 1 in this volume), 4 years before the publishing of "Origin of Species", one can see how Wallace's ideas on evolution were resembling Natural Selection already. Thus, Darwin's contributions were not new or unique since others had come up with similar conclusions and ideas already (Lamarck, Wallace). See the end of this review for links to other books which document the history of such simple ideas as natural selection and evolution. In fact in 1858, Wallace sent Darwin his independent derivation (Paper # 2 in this volume) of the theory of Natural selection after reading Malthus' An Essay on the Principle of Population (Oxford World's Classics) years before. Malthus' essay impacted both men on natural selection heavily since it dealt with populations and subsistence.

For Wallace's autobiography and his independent derivation of the theory of natural selection, details on his relationship with Darwin, and his life as an avid empirical researcher on geographical distribution of animals please read My Life: A Record of Events and Opinions, Volume 1 and Volume 2.

Wallace concluded via geological evidence and geographical distribution of animals, that gradual evolution occurred in long epochs accounting for the origin of all species and that species grew and diverged when they adapted and diminished when they failed to adapt. This constituted an evolutionary theory that Charles Darwin would eventually arrive at and match. Wallace's view is slightly different than Darwin's view in that Darwin saw evolution as just a "process" theory and Wallace saw evolution as a Law of Nature in the same way as Gravitation was seen as a Law at that time. In that sense Wallace was more hardcore in his view of evolution than Darwin was.

This collection of essays are really important since they carry Wallace's original 1858 work that first mentioned the view that would be later called "natural selection" and put pressure on Darwin to publish his views of gradual evolution in the The Origin Of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition.

Here are the essay titles with topics mentioned and discussed by Alfred Russel Wallace in these monumental and forgotten papers :

1. "On the Law which has Regulated the Introduction of New Species" (1855)

This is Wallace's 1855 paper published in "Annals and Magazine of Natural History" where he sets up concepts similar to Darwin's later theory. The notes on this essay mention the relationship of Wallace's early paper(s) to Darwin, in page 21.

Here there is discussion on how Geology hints at diversification of the earth and so do species via geological epochs and geographic distribution of species; extinction and renewal of species; Wallace's core foundation for gradual evolution: Geological distribution of species (influenced by Lyell's (Principles of Geology, Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3) and Geographical distribution of species ; the Galapagos; his theory is of "gradual change" not "progression"; Wallace's used the analogy of a tree (like Darwin's Tree of Life) to represent how species emerged; older species have been more complex than current species, objections to Forbes' "Theory of Polarity" and assuming that the number of species on Earth in the past are not much less than the present number since extinctions and creations balance each other out at some point; "Rudimentary Organs" - vestigial organs and physiological imperfections; the Law that introduces new species is deduced necessarily like the Law of Elliptic Orbits of Planets or the Law of Gravitation.

2. "On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type" (1858)

This is the monumental work that first established the theory of Natural Selection - published in "Proceedings of the Linnaean Society"; addresses the "reversion of species to back to parent species" argument by population and number of offspring being more than 2 usually; struggle for existence; adaption to conditions of existence is the reason for rarity or abundance of a species and its survival; good variations of species increase, bad variations of species decrease; superior variations of species surpass and survive; Lamarck challenged

3. "Mimicry and Other Protective Resemblances among Animals" (1867)

Theories on color and camouflage in animals; protection for animals other than color; one case of "intelligently designed" resemblance where design and intention is visible: flies that enter bee's nest; mimicry among insects, snakes, birds, mammals; objections to Bates' "Theory of Mimicry" and "Special Creation Theory" countered; sexual selection of female insects, birds; camouflage used to protect or to easily prey upon other creatures; "survival of the fittest"; color as "utility" by Darwin

4. "The Malayan Papilionidae or Swallow Tailed Butterflies as Illustrative of the Theory of Natural Selection" (1864)

Lepidoptera or butter flies as evidence for speciation; "species" and "origin" are defined, variation of six types: simple variability, polymorphism, local forms, co-existing varieties, races or subspecies, true species ; natural selection may work independently from sexual selection ; ambiguities of varieties and identification of speciation deduced by opinion; variation influenced by locality

5. "On Instinct in Man and Animals" (1871)

Organization in insects; "instinct" defined; man and instinct?; Wallace does not believe in the "Theory of Instinct"

6. "The Philosophy of Bird's Nests" (1867)

Birds building nests is not by instinct and men do not build by reason; men build according to necessity and resources; birds do the same with resources they encounter; birds in cages do not make the same nest as their species do in the wild; birds do not sing songs of their species, they sing and mimic the songs of whatever birds they hear; mainly men are the same in tribes and villages in that they imitate too; birds do alter and improve nesting when they find better equipment or the locations become dangerous

7. "A Theory of Bird's Nests" (1868)

Types of nests; the Law of sexual differences in color and nesting practices (240); sexual selection; exceptions to the Law

8. "Creation by Law" (1867)

Law of Multiplication in Geometrical Progression, Law of Limited Populations, Law of Heredity, Law of Variation, Law of Constant Physical Change of the Earth, the Equilibrium; Herbert Spencer's "Principles of Biology"; "self-regulating" natural laws alone can produce all creatures; a Creator could have made these laws; Darwin's metaphorical and teleological language causes misconceptions; examples of Geological adaptations by just general laws; the Theory of "Continual Interference" where the Creator intercedes is believed to actually limit the Creator's powers as a creative force and does not do justice to the Creator's power to create and design a self-diversifying creation; adaption MUST have the appearance of design; beauty in nature has advantages for reproduction purposes; Wallace argues that we should not assume the Creator's mind to be like our own in terms of our criterion for beauty and ugliness; Duke of Argyll's "Special Creation" view is countered; effects of breeding; variation has no limits; argument from "not enough time to cause much variation" addressed

9. "The Development of Human Races under the Law of Natural Selection" (1864)

Anthropologists say man is not recent but has existed 1,000 centuries ago; wide differences of opinion on Man's origin; anthropological data from cultures races of humans; differences in natural selection in animals and man; extinction in lower forms of man; origins of races of man - man was a homogeneous race at some point; man's brain grew and this `mind' gave man supremacy nature; man has escaped and taken away power from natural selection; savage and civilized man have differences culturally, not physically; 1. By intellect man makes better technology and 2. By better moral feelings man is fit for a social state; man will still progress via natural selection both physically and mentally

10. "Limits of Natural Selection as Applied to Man" (1869)

(Intelligently Designed Evolution)

Not all nature can be explained by just natural principles; limits of natural selection; size of brain is key to higher species; man's brain compared to brain of apes; intellects of savages and animals compared; man's unhariyness, hands, feet voice, mental faculties, and moral sense are all insufficiently explained by natural selection; the origin and other views of origins of consciousness as not compatible with reality; the nature of matter; two forces: primary forces (Gravitation) and will-forces; the rise of the will; all force may be will-force from multiple Intelligences or one Supreme Intelligence ; will-force can be deduced from the facts from the sciences

Tropical Nature and Other Essays (this whole section is made up essays which show further diversity in thought):

1. "The Climate and Physical Aspects of the Equatorial Zone"

2. "Equatorial... Read more ›