Sewall Wright and Evolutionary Biology (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series) Reprint Edition

by William B. Provine (Author)

3 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0226684734

ISBN-10: 0226684733

Why is ISBN important?

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Condition: Used - Good

In Stock. Sold by HPB-Diamond

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

17 Used from $10.69

+ $3.99 shipping

Deliver to France

Turn on 1-Click ordering

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

This item ships to France. Want it Thursday, Oct. 18? Choose AmazonGlobal Priority Shipping at checkout. Learn more

7 New from $46.00

Deliver to France

Turn on 1-Click ordering

More Buying Choices

7 New from $46.00 17 Used from $10.69

24 used & new from $10.69

See All Buying Options

Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Amazon Student

"Provine's thorough and thoroughly admirable examination of Wright's life and influence, which is accompanied by a very useful collection of Wright's papers on evolution, is the best we have for any recent figure in evolutionary biology."—Joe Felsenstein, Nature

"In Sewall Wright and Evolutionary Biology . . . Provine has produced an intellectual biography which serves to chart in considerable detail both the life and work of one man and the history of evolutionary theory in the middle half of this century. Provine is admirably suited to his task. . . . The resulting book is clearly a labour of love which will be of great interest to those who have a mature interest in the history of evolutionary theory."-John Durant, ;ITimes Higher Education Supplement;X

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

William B. Provine
Hardcover
17 offers from $12.00
William B. Provine

3

Paperback
$29.70
Judea Pearl

38

Hardcover
$61.74

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Sewall Wright (1889-1988) had an extraordinary scientific career that spanned more than seventy-five years. Documenting Wright's legacy in genetics and evolutionary theory, this biography is based on extensive interviews with Wright himself and others who knew him and on the entire correspondence between Wright and such figures as R. A. Fisher, Theodosius Dobzhansky, E. B. Ford, Motoo Kimura, Arthur Cain, and James F. Crow.

Series: Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series
Paperback: 562 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; Reprint edition (April 13, 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0226684733
ISBN-13: 978-0226684734
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.4 x 9.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,367,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #484 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution > Organic
- #13362 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Biology & Life Sciences
- #15493 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Biology

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star

4 star

3 star (0%)

2 star (0%)

1 star (0%)

Write a customer review

See all 3 customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

machin

Historically essential.

April 7, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A bit all fashioned of course but it's so exciting to read Sewall Wright's discoveries in text !

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

John C. Landon

Formation of the Synthesis

April 13, 2005

Format: Paperback

This is a superb history both of Sewall Wright and of the emergence of the neo-Darwinian synthesis, although, being an intellectual biography of Wright, it is not a complete picture of the development of that synthesis. Although I am critical of Darwinism, the fact remains that this is a compelling subject, if only the hype factor were subtracted from later accounts that make the mathematical version of post-Darwinism appear like the triumphs of physics. That is definitely misleading.
Starting out biographically, the second half of the book details the complex history of evolutonary theory as it appeared in the twenties, thirties and forties, at the hands of Wright, Haldane, and Fisher. That the 'synthesis' was really a two or three headed beast, and that Fisher and Wright had a falling out and produced different versions of basic theory is not always obvious from the slick texts on population genetics now promoting what seems like a finished subject. The issue of genetic drift, from Wright's early ideas, consistently misprotraryed, to the contribution of Kimura, is especially valuable. I was dumbfounded to learn that Provine, in his discussions with Wright as he researched his book, finds the ubiquitous use of fitness landscape graphs to be incoherent! The account makes clear just how difficult it is to produce a theory of evolution, and the overconfidence of promoters proceeds in apparent ignorance of what's going on in their subject, so soon rendered over into a packaged paradigm by Dobzhansky et al. Quite apart from anything else, Wright insisted on the complex interactions of gene complexes, and yet his and Fisher's work proceeds with the standard (over-)simplifications of very restricted subsets and loci. The complexities remain undiscovered country and were present from the beginning, starting with Moritz Wagner of the 1870's with his observations about non-adapative speciation. Peter Bowler in The Eclipse of Darwinism describes the state of evolutionary theory at the beginning of the twentieth century, the world of Bateson, De Vries, and Morgan. This is the context of Sewall Wright's gestating contribution to the marriage of Mendelism and the selectionism of Darwin. With all due respect one has to wonder how anyone could have produced such a dogmatic paradigm from such uncertain findings and formulations. Obviously the public must take the experts at their word. But the reality shows that the neo-Darwinian synthesis is a falling out and quarrel of Wright and Fisher, followed by the Pauline ministrations of Dobzhansky who couldn't understand the math. Whatever the case, this has to be one of the best books on evolution going.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Amazon Customer

great book on a great man

September 27, 2000

Format: Paperback

Anyone interested in population genetics and evolution should read this book. It is a great book on one of the most influential people in evolution.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Not Helpful

Comment

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Sewall Wright and Evolutionary Biology (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series)

Set up a giveaway

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

William B. Provine

3

Paperback
$29.70

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: foundation of biology

Sewall Wright and Evolutionary Biology (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series) Reprint Edition

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sewall Wright and Evolutionary Biology (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series) Reprint Edition

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $14.39 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open $46.00 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Turn on 1-Click ordering

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Product details

Related Video Shorts (0)

Be the first video

Customer reviews

Top customer reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Customers who bought this item also bought

Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$14.39 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open

$46.00 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open