S. Battersby 2008-08-26

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

This is a great read for anyone interseted in the theory of evolution or just general information about Galapagos wildlife. It is a stimulating read, but readers are cautioned that the text is very academic and may not be approachable to all.

Ron Braithwaite 2008-08-19

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Darwin's thoughts, as documented in 'Origin of Species', are the pivotal moment of biology and, arguably, the most powerful scientific insight ever. 'Origin' is not the brilliant flash of insight in the mind of the young Darwin of the Beagle. It is the compilation and distillation of years of observation and research. As such, 'Origins' doesn't have the fast pace of a popular mystery novel. Instead, it is the steady and progressive development of evidence leading to the conclusion that life is constantly and progressively changing...and here is where Darwin shook the world...that the direction of this change is shaped by the agency of natural selection.

Natural Selection is precisely the sword that Darwin voluntarily fell on. Many people of the time, scientists and some theologians, had no particular problem with concepts of evolution over great expanses of time. Granted, evolutionary concepts were never popular with fundamentalist believers but others, more observant and more open about God's methods, reckoned that God could create life and advance life any way he wished.

Natural Selection threw a monkey wrench into the mechanism of Divine Direction of evolution. With Natural Selection, evolutionary 'progress' became a machine that ran quite well all by itself. It didn't need the Divine Direction of an All Merciful God. All life, including man, could be a celestial accident pushed forward by the inevitable forces of selection.

Was Darwin correct? Evidence of its basic validity is well documented in 'Origins". Besides, it makes imminent good sense, which is exactly why the concept took off like a rocket. It was logical and rational that more favored forms suceed over less favored forms--life progresses relentlessly forward...BUT...anything that makes such obvious sense should be suspect in principle. There is no reason whatsoever to believe that natural selection is the primary directive force behind evolution. It is a force, to be certain, but is it the PRIMARY force?

My guess is 'no'. Evolution over eons involving countless species of bacteria, molds, plants and animals is an extraordinarily complex process. Natural Selection is one motivator but it won't be the only one. It may not even be the most important one. There has been a tendency in some circles to almost deify Darwin. I believe Darwin would have been appalled. Cannonization is a sure way of stifling scientific discussion and progress. Darwin was a man...an intelligent man, an extremely insightful man...but just a man. Just as Newtonian physics has been found lacking in some areas, 'Darwinism' will also prove to be a less than perfect philosophy. Even so, Darwin is, in my opinion, the most important scientific mind ever.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--'Skull Rack' and 'Hummingbird God'--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

G. Stelzenmuller 2008-03-25

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

The readers with some science background will not only be amazed, but also charmed by this work. Any lingering doubt about the extent of Darwin's field and bench research will dissolve after seeing the enormous amount of biological observation this man accomplished. The small fraction of such observations he chose to include in "Origin" are responsible for the book's length, but serve as thorough, but lovely, illustrations to the development of his theory of natural selection. Those with less science background can ask readers with more science learning about the accuracy of the above statement. In any case, how Darwin "connected the dots" midway throughout the 19th century is nothing short of astonishing.

You must keep in mind as you read through this book that the science of genetics, inheritance, geological plate tectonics, and atomic nuclear structure were unknown at Darwin's time. Even more unknown were various molecular biosciences of the later 20th century. Nevertheless Darwin, the amateur scientist, put the mental pieces for natural selection together from his own vast research and other known science of the times such as geology, paleontology, embryology, etc. In the introduction of "Origin" Darwin outlines the four basic statements of natural selection in simple terms - as are most scientific theories.

A myth easily put to rest while reading "Origin" is that the author was a man reluctant to do battle with his opponents and skeptics. Not so. One finishes the book having seen dozens of passages openly challenging all comers on one point or another! Remembering that Charles Darwin was a Victorian gentleman (in the very best sense: love of learning, seeking truths, persistence, striving), it becomes clear why he inherently would think that natural selection would be a process of improvement, and would take very long amounts of time. This was part of the Victorian ethic. He said in his book that natural selection was an unthinking, undirected, unmotivated process, but in his heart he clearly liked the "improvement" thought. This should be a small concession to a real genius.

Jay Young 2008-03-19

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

With all of the "Intelligent Design/Evolution" books being published these days, I though I'd read the book that started it all. OK, I didn't actually read it; I listened to an abridged audio version, with Richard Dawkins narrating. (You can download that on iTunes, or buy it at amazon.co.uk.) Darwin's thesis was simple, that species are engaged in a struggle for existence, and that the ones with the features best adapted to the environment will survive. Thus, by a slow process of natural selection, species acquire different traits. Darwin made an analogy with domestic animal and plant breeding, and how different varieties of species come about as a result. He concluded that the distinction between species and varieties was largely arbitrary, and from that extrapolated his theory of natural selection. The way different species in a particular area are related though distinct, Darwin concludes, cannot be explained by a theory of independent creation. It's amazing how Darwin was able to figure all of this out even before our new evidence of embryology, DNA, plate tectonics, etc. have confirmed his theory. Further, Darwin anticipated the "fossil gap" and "irreducible complexity of the eye" objections still in circulation among creationists and IDers. Of course, the fossil record and the knowledge of eye development has only gotten richer since Darwin. Everyone should read this, and see for themselves how Darwin's idea is simple, yet powerful in explaining the world around us.

M. Fleece 2008-02-23

3 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

Here is an interesting experiment: Empty your garage of every piece of metal, wood, paint, rubber, and plastic. Make sure there is nothing there. Nothing. Then wait for ten years and see if a Mercedes evolves. If it doesn't appear, leave it for 20 years. If that doesn't work, try it for 100 years. Then try leaving it for 10,000 years.

Here's what will produce the necessary blind faith to make the evolutionary process believable: leave it for 250 million years.
The Book of Genesis tells us that everything was created by God--nothing "evolved." Every creature was given the ability to reproduce after its own kind as is stated ten times in Genesis. Dogs do not produce cats. Neither do cats and dogs have a common ancestry. Dogs began as dogs and are still dogs. They vary in species from Chihuahuas to Saint Bernards, but you will not find a "dat" or a "cog" (part cat/dog) throughout God's creation. Frogs don't reproduce oysters, cows don't have lambs, and pregnant pigs don't give birth to rabbits. God made monkeys as monkeys, and man as man.

Each creature brings forth after its own kind. That's no theory; that's a fact. Why then should we believe that man comes from another species? If evolution is true, then it is proof that the Bible is false. However, the whole of creation stands in contradiction to the theory of evolution.

In the Foreword to Origin of Species (100th edition), Sir Arthur Keith admitted, "Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it only because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable."


Dr. Kent Hovind of Florida has a standing offer of $250,000 to "anyone who can give any empirical evidence (scientific proof) for evolution." Evolution-- true science fiction. His website is www.drdino.com.