Starting at the beginning, this is Darwin's first great work on natural selection. His thorough understanding of "human selection" in breeding livestock lends great credence to his speculations of similar selection forces in nature. Indeed, Darwin lived in a time when the word species was not yet well defined. Yet he pretty much sussed out the whole thing (except that even Darwin did not go so far as to suppose a single ancestry (of 3 related wolves) for dogs as we now know is the case from genetic studies. This reminds me of Einstein, who predicted but did not believe in black holes. Well, BH's exist, even at the center of our own galaxy!)
Darwin, in this volume, is an amazing character. He is SO humble. Like no man I've ever met. Happily referencing his contemporaries for their own great works; one is given the impression that Darwin's ideas were just part of the milieu of the time (zeitgeist). But Darwin lead the way by supposing that Nature has enough power all on its own to give rise to all species from a single progenitor. He never mentions God, but Darwin talks frequently about acts of independent creation (i.e. God) as a straw-man for the origin of species. His argument is quite strong: Given that so many apparently disparate species presently have "links" or half-way critters connecting them; and given that natural selection can account for adaptations (and importantly, the extinguishing of such "link" species) then why bother invoking another hypothesis requiring God's intervention? Darwin was convinced, as are almost all classically educated scientists and theologists today, that natural selection (or survival of the fittest) is sufficient, if taken as a law of nature, to explain everything.
Though many folks believe this is tantamount to leaving God utterly out of the equation, enlightened theology carries on. Just because we understand something about God's ways doesn't deny God. For me, this is still an open question. And if you have any questions about whether natural selection is a true force of nature, read this book! It is suberbly read on this audio edition.
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Great Book...Terrible Printing
This is in no way a review of the classic writings of Charles Darwin. This is just the worst quality of book I've ever purchased. It is obvious that the book was a bad run with the pages completely disjointed during printing. About halfway through the book the words slowly get pushed past the cutoff point and about 50 pages later their is upside down text that appears below where apparently the page was supposed to be cut..it's over a inch off. A photo is provided just to show exactly how poorly of a print job this was. I recommend the book, just not by this seller.
Top reviews from other countries
- Jacqueline GuntherReviewed in Canada on December 12, 2024
Arrived in perfect condition. An interesting read.
- Jeferson henriqueReviewed in Brazil on May 20, 2024
Small avariations (shipping?), but good product
Some small avariations that might bother the most perceptive, and yes, it can be a bit tricky to read when the words are so close to the inner edge of the page, but overall it's a pretty book and good addition to my collection, o bought this one to read on long trips without occupying much space so it's good for meSmall avariations (shipping?), but good productJeferson henrique
Reviewed in Brazil on May 20, 2024
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gdanzerReviewed in Germany on June 12, 2024
Auch hier gilt wie bei Newton, qualitativ ein guter Nachdruck
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