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The Origin of Species

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There is only one other book that is so widely known, discussed, and debated, yet so rarely read: that other book is the Bible. To make my point, here is a little quiz:

1) Which name is most closely associated with the theory of evolution?

2) Which book did this person write on evolution?

3) What claims are made in that book?

4) What else is contained in that book?

With astonishing regularity, the average literate adult will respond as follows: 1) Darwin, 2) Origin of Species, 3) Humans descended from apes, and 4) I have no idea. The first two are correct, the third is absolutely false, and the fourth is an admission of complete ignorance. Considering that "Origin of Species" is over 600 pages long, and took nearly two decades to write, one would expect it to contain something more than the four simple words "Humans descended from apes," which, in fact, it neither contains nor implies. So, what DOES it contain? There is one word that best summarizes the bulk of Darwin's magnum opus: "observation".

It is a lengthy book; at times it is tedious, at times politically incorrect, and at times scientifically off-base. But, despite its numerous flaws, it is one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind. Even if you are among the few who refuse to accept Darwin's ideas, you cannot deny their impact. The theory is the cornerstone--if not the very foundation--of modern biology. Whatever your preconceptions, you will likely be surprised by this work. Darwin was the consummate naturalist and scientist, as well as a refined and articulate gentleman. "Origin" is a delight and an epiphany to read. It's amazing how much Darwin got right, despite the fact that he had essentially no idea of how inheritance worked. It's amazing how much data Darwin carefully assembled, analyzed, and described. It's amazing how meticulously Darwin weighed the evidence, noting when competing theories made different predictions, when the available evidence was not what he would have expected, and what future evidence could completely discredit (falsify) his theory. It's amazing in its honesty.

The misconceptions about "Origin of Species" are not merely rampant, they are effectively universal, fueled (largely in the US) by the rise of creationism, which seeks first and foremost to vilify the theory of evolution as well as Darwin (often failing to distinguish between the two). It's worth the time to read this enormous but meticulously crafted volume, if only to allow you to form your own opinions about such an influential book. Once you have, take the little quiz again. You may need 600 pages to answer the last question.

This is not a difficult book to read, and I would encourage readers to read the original work of Darwin.

"The Origin of Species" is considered to be an important work in both world literature and science. An interesting aspect of the book was the pressure for Darwin to publish the book. Prior to publishing, he had spent almost 30 years developing and testing his ideas. The book is a combination of argument and debate along with descriptions of Darwin's own experiments with birds and plants, including his own cabbage garden. In short, according to Darwin, the evolution of species takes place over a long time period and is a series of random events with survival of the fitest, or what is called "natural selection."

Darwin was born in 1809, trained as a botanist and zoologist at Cambridge University, and made his famous trip on the H.M.S. Beagle from 1831 to 1836. He was first inspired by the writings of the geologist Sir Charles Lyell. This same geologist would play an important role in pushing Darwin to publish his findings in 1856.

Darwin - as he writes in his book - was not working alone. He was not the first to come up with the ideas. Darwin was preceded by many before him with similar ideas. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire wrote as early as 1795 that species are "degenerations of the same type." Lamarck was in fact the first person to suggest that "all species, including man, are descended from other species." He published his ideas in 1801, 1809, and 1815. W.C. Wells presented a paper on human skin colors in 1813 and published his results in 1818. This was followed by The Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert published in the "Horticultural Transactions" in 1822 that "botanical species are only a higher and more permanent class of varieties." In 1826 professor Grant "declares his belief that species are descendent from other species." Also, Von Bush in 1836 "expresses his belief that varieties slowly become changed into permanent species." And, in 1846 M.J. d'Omalius d'Halloy published a paper with his opinion "that it is more probable that new species have been produced by descent with modification than they have been separately created."

After the Beagle trip, Darwin's main pre-occupation was to prepare his five volume work "Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle" over the years 1840 - 1843. Also, he undertook a series of experiments on evolution and wrote shorter papers. But in 1856 geologist Sir Charles Lyell persuaded Darwin to take his notes and publish "The Origin of Species." As he prepared the book, Alfred Russel Wallace sent him a manuscript with an identical or similar theory. The two men decided to present their works simultaneously to the Linnaean Society. Wallace had visited Malaysia and come up with similar conclusions to Darwin, but he had not yet prepared an impresive large book, as had Darwin.

Darwin had been very cautious, and in the years 1840 to 1856 he had undertaken a number of experiments himself with pigeons and various plants. He had even joined two pigeon clubs and had his own garden in the country. He describes some of the slightly amusing details in the book. For example, he was able to grow over 200 varieties of cabbages by cross breeding. Among the findings, he had come to the conclusion that domestic pigeons were probably all related back to the rock-pigeon (Columba livia). He undertook a number of experiments including one where he mated two mongrel pigeons, and the resulting offspring looked like rock-pigeons.

So, although Wallace had the same ideas at the same time, Darwin had a fifteen years accumulation of notes, observations, and his own experiments that he could put into the book. Once the book came out it was an instant best seller and Wallace was largely forgotten, along with his other predecessors. Darwin was very cautious with his findings, and the many years researching and thinking about his ideas - almost two decades - paid off for him when he finally released the near 700 page book.

Darwin published a second well known book in 1871: "The Descent of Man."

"The Origin of Species" is a well crafted and interesting book. There are just a few figures in the book. It is an easy read, although some parts have many small details. Darwin lectures us on a variety of subjects such as flower reproduction. The heart of the book is Chapter IV: Natural Selection. He has fifteen chapters covering a range of topics including geology and fossils.

It must be remembered that when the book came out in 1859 it was generally assumed that only God could create life. The book was revolutionary, and too detailed to refute. It was a comprehensive book and came as a major challenge to the accepted norm. At the end in the conclusion Darwin tells the reader that his findings just give a different explanation in the way "the Creator" works, and it does not imply a lack of a God.

I started reading this book expecting to find offensive, disrespectful, and vicious material throughout it. What I came to realize instead, was that people have criticized this book based on offensive, disrespectful and vicious accusations. I can't identify how people have linked this work to God and blasphemy. It has nothing to do with religion, faith, or creation. This is a work of observation, logic, and adaptability. It makes perfect sense, and trust me, it is in no way offensive.

To think that for a century people have been debating, fighting, and cursing Charles Darwin over this work seems comical once you read his book. The book is written in easy to understand common language, allowing the not so biologically or anthropologically astute to understand it as well. Even if you are not convinced by Darwin's observations, you will be convinced that there is no threat to anyone's beliefs from this book.

I found this work to be very convincing and highly compatible with my faith in God. It does not threaten God, and it certainly does not require me to abandon any beliefs even though I fully understand and agree with Mr. Darwin. Read this book, it is worthy of consideration and it is only fair to hold judgment until after you have read it.

Darwin's Origin of Species is the first book I've read on evolution and being someone that appreciates the scientific manner of explaining observed phenomena with consistent theories, I tried to pay attention to the merits of Darwin's argument. I believed Darwin's theory was generally right(or at least on the right track) before reading this book and after reading it, I'm only more convinced.

Although I knew the general ideas put forth by Darwin, I'm now more educated as to the manner in which Darwin came to his conclusions. It was interesting the way in which he considered, for example, how two similar species of mammals or plants could be found on two different continents very far from each other. I particularly liked his consideration of our knowledge of geological history and its relationship to his theory. I also enjoyed learning about the difficulties in distinguishing varieties and species and why it is this distinction may be somewhat arbitrary.

One of the things I like about this book was the fact that Darwin addressed the various counterarguments against his theory and usually provided compelling discussions as to why his theory provided better explanation as to the observed nature of things than the idea of Creationism, which he mentions a few times throughout the book. He was meticulous enough to give much thought to potential weaknesses in his theory and yet offer explanation to how these supposed weaknesses may not be as formidable as they initally appear.

I found that Darwin's work was rather thought-provoking as I found myself thinking more of mankind's development and the potential uses and development of our own organs and how they may have given us an advantage over other species.

Darwin was sometimes a little long-winded in his discussion, but considering the importance of the subject matter, I appreciated his thoughtful and thorough exposition.

I'm no expert in evolutionary theories or how Darwin's theory is regarded by experts today. And I don't necessarily think he got everything completely right, but I found his argument generally pretty convincing and think he was closer to being right than wrong. The origin of species, particularly ourselves, is a very important subject and I believe someone would be doing themselves a service to read such an important work.

Many people assume that Darwin's initial account of natural selection is so out of date that it is to be avoided in favour of more recent text books of evolutionary theory. While it is true that huge gains have been made in the one and a half centuries since the first publication of "The Origin", there is nothing in this work which is wrong. Darwin was too good a scientist and too cautious.

Some claim that Darwin admitted of the possibility of Lamarkian mechanisms. They have not read the original. Darwin knew nothing of the molecular basis of genetics, but knew that natural selection did not need a Lamarkian mechanism. He simply did not rule it out, although he found it improbable. Everything that is stated in this great classic is as true today as it was at the time of first publication.

It is also said that Charles Darwin was a lesser intellectual when compared to most other great names of science; that he was a plodder, a naturalist, a sort of gentleman stamp collector who pressed flowers into his books and barely a scientist in the contemporary sense. This is nonsense. Darwin was one of the giants of rigorous systematic thinking; the kind of rigorous thinking and critical attitude that asks the right questions and provides the capacity to answer them. Let me buttress this claim with one example.

At the end of chapter six Darwin noted that the theory of natural selection could not account for structures or behaviors found in one species that exist solely for the benefit of another unrelated species. In setting out the theoretical terms for the refutation of the theory in this way, he anticipated Karl Popper, that analytical non-nonsense philosopher of science, by more than a century.

I recommend you read this book with an attentive curious analytical mind. You will find yourself walking in the footsteps of an intellectual giant.

To begin with, a note on the edition. This Barnes & Noble Classics series version is based on the first edition of The Origin of Species, which is actually nice for a couple of reasons. First, it allows the reader to experience the book as it originally appeared. This is not only interesting historically, but a nearly unmitigated virtue because of the second reason: The core content of the book remained essentially the same throughout the later revisions Darwin made in his lifetime, but such changes as he did make were for the most part unnecessary or even (in retrospect) unfortunate--mainly minor concessions to skeptics (religious and otherwise) and to the Lamarckian theory of evolution (as opposed to natural selection as the basic mechanism driving evolutionary change).

That said, there are several things to say about the book itself. First, it is extremely readable. Modern audiences (especially those educated in the American government schools, which almost certainly failed to introduce them to this material) might be intimidated by the prospect of tackling a somewhat technical scientific volume of this size written a century and a half ago. Those who attempt it, however, will be pleasantly surprised to find that Darwin's presentation is extremely clear and intelligible, at times even beautiful. This admirable writing style is in large part due to his scientific method, which leads me to the book's next great virtue.

Darwin's approach is primarily inductive--that is, he was not some armchair philosopher abstractly theorizing off in an ivory tower somewhere, as one might suspect from the photograph of him as a bearded old man with which we are usually presented. In other words, evolution is not "just a theory," precisely because Darwin was not just a theorist. Rather, Darwin gathered massive amounts of evidence on his Beagle voyage, and continued to accumulate ever more (with the help of his scientific colleagues in various related disciplines) for decades before he felt ready to publish his theory (and he still felt rushed into it). (Indeed, for anyone interested in the philosophy of science, or in epistemology in general, On the Origin of Species should be the textbook case of scientific induction.) Darwin then presents all of this evidence to us piece by piece, building up his case from the ground, as it were, and in effect recreating his own line of thinking for his reader making it incredibly easy to follow his case. Which brings us to the third point.

What kinds of evidence does Darwin draw on? Intriguingly, Darwin did not begin his career as a biologist aiming to solve the species question. He boarded the Beagle as a brilliant amateur natural scientist generally with an inclination toward geology. Perhaps this is why he was able to draw so widely on various fields in making his case for evolution when that question did become his main interest. From Lyell's theories and his own geological observations, Darwin concluded that the period of time available actually allowed for a very (previously unthinkably) slow process of evolution. From this geological perspective, he naturally was able to look at various pieces of evidence more directly bearing on the species question, such as the fossil record and the geographical distribution of species. After the Beagle voyage, he was able to conduct experiments in many other areas (and correspond with colleagues about the results of their experiments), including artificial selection (Darwin's pigeons being the most famous example of this) which became important as an analogy for the process of natural selection; the means of the geographical distribution and isolation of species (including seeing whether seeds can germinate after extended periods of submersion in salt water or passing through the digestive tracts of birds); and even the sex lives of barnacles. All of these experiments are described at some length in The Origin of Species.

But Darwin, ever the scientist, was in fact cautious not to overstep the limits of what he could prove. The Origin of Species contains an excellent chapter anticipating and answering possible objections to his theory, and acknowledging its shortcomings. For instance, Darwin acknowledges that the fossil record at the time did not tend to show gradual progression from one species to another, and offers an explanation as to why the fossil record might be so incomplete. He also acknowledges that while he found the evidence for evolution by means of natural selection to be overwhelming, he did not know the actual physical, biological mechanism by which this takes place (as genes had not been discovered and the discipline of genetics created at that time), but he does briefly mention a hypothesis that was actually sort of on the right track. In fact, in all of these weak areas, subsequent history has borne Darwin and his theory out remarkably well.

And finally, in addition to being a masterpiece of scientific thought, The Origin of Species is also a work of, at times, almost poetic beauty, and deserves praise for its literary merit. After presenting or indicating all the evidence in a specific area throughout each section, Darwin ends each chapter by summing it up in an eloquent statement naming the general principle to be derived from this vast array of specific evidence, often employing an apt and evocative metaphor. The most famous of these passages is of course the one with which he concludes the book: "Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."

You cannot legitimately consider yourself an educated person if you haven't read this wonderful book, and yet a shockingly small percentage of Americans (including even those who claim to believe in evolution) have read it. But you will find that to do so is not a chore, but one of life's great pleasures.

Before reviewing this excellent book it would be best to introduce this review with an overview of the current climate when it comes to Darwin.

Charles Darwin (a naturalist) is the father of modern Evolution (not *Evil*ultion; it is pronounced *Evo*-lution).

Darwin's overall explanation of evolution, in this book, is not modern evolutionary biology. Modern evolution can, and does, go beyond Darwin's view.

Darwin's model is often called Darwinism, a partially philosophical concept but mostly the science of biology and geology combined. It is widely considered to be the single most important scientific discovery of all time. Darwin's underlying points are the essentials of evolutionary biology.

Theories are comprised of facts without gaps. Theories are factual. Theories contain facts to explain a factual instance of something material. Theories do not contain fabrications or a little bit of lies plus some truths. If a theory is not all facts then it is not a theory.

The phrase "it is just a theory and not fact" is a contradiction of terms. A factual instance of something (such as observing speciation) needs to be explained. Facts are used to explain the factual instance of something material.

Darwin used philosophy and biological science and earth sciences (geology) to develop the concept of natural selection which is primarily based on explaining how evolution occurs with the mechanism of `natural selection'. Darwin observed in the world about him what he believed to be the result of a single cell organism that had evolved into all forms of life we see today. More importantly, there is no chaos involved. It has order. "The Origin of Species" (TOOS) is all about Darwin discussing how he came to this conclusion.

In the 21st Century, "Speciation" has been observed countless times. Go search right now for "Observed Speciation Events".

***Speciation is a fact whether we can explain the mechanisms of how it works or not. This can not be understated! A fact is a fact regardless of our ability to explain how it works. Gravity existed well before Newton could explain it. Speciation exists (a new species developing in the world, under scientific observation) meaning evolution is a fact. Look at the title of this review. Nobody should have to explain evolution in order to prove it factual. ***

Now is the time to say this. If you don't believe theories are factual, then stop engaging the results of factual science in your life right now. Walk the talk. Turn off the PC. Turn off the electricity. Turn off the heating... and walk. I will allow you the option of a bronze spear... that is if you know how to smelt bronze.

As a note, the Catholic Church has been teaching the fact of evolution and the theory of the mechanisms of evolution in Catholic schools since the 1950s. This is exactly the same coursework that secular schools have on evolution. However there is some discrepancy over natural selection. Natural selection has order but it is not guided. This is the problem part for most religious people. One would do well however to experience thinking about natural selection without any divine guidance. This is truly the type of thinking that grasps the full impact of this work.

The theory of the mechanisms of evolution is independent of the fact of evolution. The theory of the mechanisms of evolution is a compilation of facts (without gaps) used to explain the fact of evolution. The theory of the mechanisms of evolution is here, in part, but are much better explained and referenced by modern evolutionary biology. If its modern evolution you want (and you may well do if your first search brought you here) then go to talkorigins on the net and read about the "29+ evidences for macroevolution". It can take days, weeks months, or years, or a lifetime to parse the data, but keep going over it and it will eventually click.

The most popular version of The Origin of Species is the one which contains the first edition published by Darwin in 1859 with an editor's introduction by J. W Burrow first published in 1968. Burrows covers the history of the work, the successive editions of the book that Darwin published and recent scientific discoveries that shed light on Darwin's theory.

Introduction
Darwin in TOOS starts by describing his life and times as a naturalist. Darwin explains the problem of immutable claims about the species and goes through the historical record to show instances where people have indicated that the species are mutable. He explains that he is writing this book because Alfred Russel Wallace has drawn the same conclusions about natural selection.

Chapter 1: Variation under Domestication
Darwin goes straight into variations under domestication showing that farmed animals are substantially different from their wild counterparts from which they came. Darwin did not have access to Gregor Mendel's laws of inheritance but he did guess that there was a mechanism like this responsible for variation. His bases for the assertion that species come from other closely related species is absolutely fundamentally correct by today's standards. His explanation for it was revolutionary for his time.

Chapter 2: Variation under Nature
Darwin exposes the instability of the then current system of taxonomy to show that categorization and labelling is not fixed and thus questions the bases for immutability. This paves the way for the natural overview that all like organisms share commonalities and that variations can be immediate or subtle gradual changes over time. Darwin discusses intermediate forms and shows that group changes are proportional while alluding to the first shape of an evolutionary tree.

Chapter 3: Struggle for Existence
Darwin presents the ecosystem and shows that all organisms struggle to survive and that this struggle influences what we, who have survived this struggle, see in the world today. Darwin shows this complex structure and connects it with such descriptions as the presence of a feline determining through the intervention of mice and then bees the frequency of certain flowers in an area.

Chapter 4: Natural Selection
This is core material of how highly complex organisms are formed from organisms with lesser complexity and has still stood the test of time today. Darwin not only verifies evolution but explains its mechanism, natural selection. Using the analogy of a tree and the taxonomy of living things Darwin shows how beneficial variations in conjunction with heredity are responsible for the formation of new species gradually over long periods of time which compete and cause extinctions. Darwin establishes the foundation for common descent.

Chapter 5: Laws of Variation
Darwin, without knowing Mendel's laws of inheritance, comes close to explaining it by in-depth analyses of the variations in organisms, such as the horse and cabbage. Darwin has been preparing the reader to accept that species are highly variable and that this means that ideas of a static independent design of the species without variation are highly flawed and evolution can be the only sensible conclusion drawn from the evidence.

Chapter 6: Difficulties on Theory
Darwin does what religious writers avoid which is self-critic, the hallmark of scientific thinking, brings up all possible problems with his theory and slowly shows how the answers are natural even though he doesn't have them all yet, but still manages to explain the evolution of the eye by comparison to lesser complex eyes in nature as well as the evolution of flight by comparison to gliding organisms. Darwin then shows imperfections in nature, explains why they are there and pulls off a last minute rationalization for why organisms more suited for another environment live in a completely different one with natural selection.

Chapter 7: Instinct
Darwin looks at complex instincts in the animal kingdom. Here Darwin examines the life of aphids and ants, revealing their instincts, turns to birds, before going back into the micro world of slave-making ants and the hive-bee, before tackling the design of complex hive honeycomb structures. Not only does Darwin show the evolution of beehives but has all along been preparing us for the slow long gradual evolution of instinct in all living things and then directly implies Mendel's laws of inheritance. Darwin amazingly demonstrates that neuter or sterile insects that perform specific tasks can be produced from parents who don't do those tasks, by way of natural selection.

Chapter 8: Hybridism
In order to understand this chapter one should know that at the time the sterility of species was considered the divine indication that species where not allowed to crossbreed. Darwin using sterility examples shows the reader that there is very little to distinguish species from varieties, if they can be distinguished at all. This undermines any attempt to say that a species has an exact definition or is fixed and this is fatal to the independent creation of species hypothesis. Darwin establishes yet another proof for evolution.

Chapter 9: On the Imperfection of the Geological Record
Darwin using Lyell's geology changes our view of the world. Suddenly we find that we are no longer the centre of the earth, just as Copernicus showed that we where no longer the centre of our solar system. Darwin describes geology in-depth, with the erosion of land, atom by atom, and the formation of land, atom by atom, adding that the world has seen many forms of life, gradually evolving, through a vast amount of time that we can barely comprehend. He challenges questions about the limits of the fossil record by revealing the story of life as only evident in some parts, with other parts yet to be found, if they will ever be found at all. It's a breathtaking chapter that reshapes how human beings will see themselves after reading it.

Chapter 10: On the Geological Succession of Organic Beings
Now that Darwin has completely revised our world view with the evidence of evolution he proceeds to explain how geological movements over long period of time, as well as the migration of species, will create an imperfect fossil record but that this imperfect fossil record will always show organisms of lesser complexity evolving into organisms of greater complexity via the mechanism of natural selection. Darwin shows that species evolve at different rates over time and in different directions which explains the present existing complexity of life today and the scientific record of every organism that has ever lived.

Chapter 11: Geographical distribution
Darwin describes a series of practical experiments that anyone can do in their own back garden involving picking seeds from bird droppings, germinating them, sinking seeds in water for 28 days, growing them, analysing the content of mud in the paws of trekking animals and then concluding that the geographical dispersal of fauna from island to island is not a mystery. Darwin then explains why similar fauna are found up mountains around the world by way of glaciers pushing and splitting primordial plant life from the ground upwards. These simple explanations are yet another blow to the suggestion of the immutability of species.

Chapter 12: Geographical distribution -- continued
Without directly saying it, Darwin has been implying the common decent of all biological organisms from a single source, the origin of species. Darwin now says it but continues on the topic of distribution showing how birds can easily spread freshwater organisms and how the geological changes of streams, intersecting and separating, can spread freshwater life across the planet. Darwin joins geology with distribution presenting the historical record for all life on earth. Laws of diversity regarding degrees of complexity are introduced. Darwin has established the structure of evolutionary biology as the explanation for life. The scientific impact is immeasurable.

Chapter 13: Mutual Affinities of Organic Beings: Morphology: Embryology: Rudimentary Organs
For anyone left unconvinced, for some odd reason or another, Darwin simply points to the current work in the natural system and shows that the underlying theme taxonomists have been searching for is actually common decent. Darwin then demonstrates how natural selection can create similar developments in very diverse organisms. Embryology alone is argued as evidence for common decent as Darwin illustrates that all embryos and newborn virtually look the same in some respect and that growth and aging in the lifetime of any organism is almost enough evidence alone for mutability. Finally Darwin delivers on a collection of useless organs and appendages no longer in use because they have been naturally breed out because of disuse or `inutility'.

Chapter 14: Recapitulation and Conclusion
Darwin runs through all the main points of his argument for natural selection. Darwin is aware that evolution is a minority view but hopes that in the future more evidence for natural selection will appear. He says he can offer nothing to support the idea of the immutability of species and closes with a profound statement and for the first time invokes and ends with the classic word that defined his view. Darwin says, "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, EVOLVED."

The complex web of relations with livings things to the environment is staggering yet so obvious in hindsight. The whole point of TOOS is it is ridiculous that someone didn't get this sooner. The environment has an impact of living things and living things have an impact on the environment. This is a symbiotic relationship. There is an opportunity for improvement or deterioration in the offspring just on the basis of all possible genetic combinations. Minor changes add up to big ones.

Darwin's findings about how the environment causes variations in living things is accurate in his proposals although his tenders are mostly humanistic with references to biology especially with regards to "monstrosities" that simply don't have any reason for things like "wings", such as some insects and some birds, if they can't fly. Vestiges are an extremely good case for evolution. The cave crab with an eye stalk without an eye is like a telescope without the lens. Darwin identifies the possibility of sex linked traits in animals, a proven point today.

Reading TOOS is like a romance novel where the birth of something to unify the sciences further is described in a man's love for nature and his crucial discovery. TOOS is something that needs to be reread several times for the full impact. Walking around in the world today knowing that all organisms have evolved from lesser complexity to greater complexity by means of natural selection is a whole different worldview to thinking that a supernatural deity did it. Challenge yourself. Try it.

It is a crying shame that many reviewers have used this forum to try and critique evolutionary theory, making no references to the text at all and drawing on erroneous conclusions about Darwin in general. The Origin of Species is most definitely the most important work in the field of biology, as it is the most succinct and well developed explanations of the unifying principle of the field, evolution via descent with modification. I don't want to spend a lot of time explaining the theory or why a person should study it. I want to explain who should read this book and why. If you are looking for an introductory text on the theory of evolution you need to stay well away. There are other better books. In many cases Darwin's examples and arguments are outmoded or have been changed. The book overlooks many aspects that are included in modern evolutionary theory, such as genetics, simply because Darwin did not know about them. Natural selection as Darwin wrote it is one of the most effective explanatory theories in all of science but by reading this book you miss almost 150 years of the things it has explained. It is also a flat out PAIN to read, they where much "wordier" in the 1800's and Darwin's English is rather stilted and formal, even compared to modern scientific writing. So, who should read this book? Any person who is an advanced student in biology (I read it the summer before my senior year) should be aware of how the modern theory of evolution was born. You can't really achieve this without reading Origins. I am aware of no better way of understanding evolution that to follow its development through time, beginning with Darwin. And, if you don't understand evolution, you don't understand biology. As something to read it is a classic, arguably the most influential work of all time.

A note on edition: this copy is the one I have. I would suggest the facsimile of the First Edition found elsewhere on Amazon. I don't know why the publishers felt the need to put the caricatured human evolution (addressed nowhere in the book) on the cover.

This edition (Modern Library Paperback) has several distracting typos. I had to refer to project gutenberg editions to find the correct text in several places. Other reviewers have done justice to the content.

Perhaps the most influential work ever written, and a shining beacon of modern scientific thought. This book is the much needed breath of air the scientific world needed after millennia of religious (unscientific and assumable) oppression. The work, shines on many points, and dulls on others, but, keeping in mind the time it was written, it does not deserve a lesser rating. I will here give my impression on what was "hot and not" about this volume;

Positive

-Despite many who would disagree, the book is eloquently written. It is a very enjoyable read. It does, I admit, get a tad dry and repetitive at times, but keep in mind that this is a scientific volume -- it is not entertainment. Also, it was written 150 years ago, and the rules of grammar and language would of-course differ from today's.

-The book is truly scientific; it does not make blind assumptions, but backs up it's theories with facts. It is the burden of the proposer to back up his claim, therefore, claims that Evolution is false and volumes of energy are wasted just to defend it is erroneous.

-And, of-course, the book lacks a-lot of the modern principles discovered regarding evolution since its publication. However, there is no need to rate it down just because of age. I don't see Dickens being rated down because 19th century London exists, now, only in books. As far as a scientific work, however, it lacks in this department.

Negative

- It is outdated, so it should not be completely trusted as a source of valid information. Don't misinterpret me: most concepts are correct, however, details are often erroneous and not up to date. This book should NOT be used as a source of serious arguments for or against evolution, with few exceptions and examples.

- The language may tire and bore some modern readers.

The last comment I have is for readers who are very vexed by this book and choose to bash it publicly and claim its error in, well, almost everything. Those are usually Religious readers who are opposed to any mention of evolution for obvious reasons. I am an open atheist, I won't deny it, and, everyone on this earth has a right to their own opinion. However, bashing a work purely based on instilled hate for science is NOT helpful to the community which reads these reviews. First, if the book was so erroneous and "laughable" in its propositions, Religious folk wouldn't have felt so threatened by it as to post 3 page reviews full of angry remarks. An evolutionist/secularist/atheist is not someone who knows too little about religion or is ignorant -- it is someone who knows too much. Religion assumes, and, the bible was written for political purposes -- if you are a truly educated Creationist you would have at least an idea of what I claim here. Therefore, people who ONLY read the bible and use it as an example do not hold any water to their claims. The bible has no authority with many cultures on this earth. Science, however, can have authority with everybody, because it proves its points with facts. The angry theist reviewers, here, are as gullible as a child. I did not read Darwin's work and become an "instant believer" in evolution; I had to read several books and weigh the evidence. Another excellent work is "What Evolution Is" by Earnst Mayr.

Comments I was really vexed by:

- Darwin was an atheist -- most theist posts claim this in one version or another. He was not an atheist, and, even though his underlying intentions will never be clear, he was openly a theist. Throughout the book he mentions the "creator" as the "breather of life" on earth. The last sentence in the book is truly beautiful, and disproves the atheist claim.

- The fossil record refutes evolution; maybe so today, but I am convinced this is erroneous; the evolutionary link to the lineage of birds from dinosaurs (Mayr 2001) was only a proposition supported by Darwin and many evolutionists, quite blindly. Why? No "Intermediate" between dinosaur and bird was found, and therefore, theists had a field day bashing evolutionists. However, the Archaeopteryx was discovered in due time. I believe that it is due to the vastness of the fossil record and its unimaginable distribution and randomness that these "gaps" exist. I believe the future will surprise evolutionists quite pleasantly.

-Posts which include remarks such as "Yes, there is a God, and he is not you, Dr. Ego Monkeyshines." are clearly the futile attempts of an uneducated theist at disproving evolution. Having no facts, of-course, he must resort to name-calling when all else has been expired. I urge you to read that post, and, if possible point to one fact that supports his claim. He claims we should be "REAL" scientists and investigate for ourselves -- well, most of us are, and we have simply concluded that Darwin puts forth amazing proof of evolution. This is only a very accusatory rant by yet another disappointed theist who just saw a huge chunk of Bible validity being crushed by a genius of scientific advancement. Religion and science do NOT mix; one is based on assumptions, the other on facts. I very much find it interesting that many people here compare "Origin" to the Bible -- in a way it is; it is the modern bible. It simply replaces or updates, if you will, the ideas of the bible. The bible can be viewed as a very outdated theory on the world -- one that predates science and explains everything without the need of thought -- it's all simply magic (god). The "Origin" updates it, and goes on to explain the magic of God as scientific laws. Which sadly for many, does contradict the bible.

- A reviewer commented that the full title of the book was concealed by Amazon with shady purposes to cover up the book's "racism." I particularly love the claim that Darwin was a racist. The reviewer claims that Darwin displayed racist remarks towards black people in his book, favoring races and saying Africans were inferior; where in the book, dear reviewer, did you see any mention of Africans, and, overall humanity? Darwin makes VERY little reference to humans in the "Origin," perhaps you'd be interested in "Origin of Man" (Descent of Man). "Preservation of favored Races" refers to the animal "races" or, more modernly, types/varieties/breeds. This erroneous claim is baseless, because the word "races" was used with a different meaning in "Origin", and again, take into account that the book is 150 years old -- grammar rules and interpretations change. I remember Darwin using the word "Gay" to refer to his happiness in a discovery of some sort; the same reviewer could probably claim Darwin himself was homosexual based on this remark.

And, finally, this book *proves* nothing. This book, or almost any other I have read regarding Science/Evolution/Religion proves NOTHING. They just claim, and defend, either successfully or unsuccessfully, and with variable effectiveness. Before you bash me as a hot-headed atheist, consider this; I don't believe in Darwinism completely, I don't even believe in the complete validity of the modern evolutionary synthesis either; I just treat religion and science (The bible and "Origin") as two very rightful, and respectful claims of explanation for a common problem; I only defend "Origin" because, although it doesn't prove evolution, it certainly puts forth many more valid, scientific, and truly unbiased facts for its existence, than the bible puts forth for the existence of god and his version of the operations of our world-- in fact, it puts forth NONE, it assumes the reader will trust it unquestioningly as an undisputable authority. Mr. Darwin, has successfully disputed it, willingly, or unwillingly, and uses Nature as HIS authority of choice.

All you have to do is read it for yourself, and make your own decision as to the validity of his claims. However, do keep an open mind, do not embark on reading this work with a frown on your face and an eager exaltedness to ridicule and dispute its content. It is a beautiful work of unbiased and honest truths (mostly), and is a rather enjoyable and informative read to the curious and open-minded reader.