Ronald K. Downie says:

I was surprised by the large size of the book. Very professionally done and lots of pictures. I have not finished the 500+ page book yet but will eventually. I was hoping there would be more about the actual Beagle voyage, but I believe there are other books on that subject.
Rating: 5 / 5

H. S. Jenkins says:

Charles Darwin published his legendary thesis in 1859, introducing the theory that slight variations between similar organisms interacting with varying conditions (climate, landscape, access to food) lead to incremental changes that accrue over the course of many generations (thus giving rise to species). The concept of life evolving, though controversial, was not new. Fifty years had passed since Jean-Baptiste Lamarck published his theory of evolution, and 1844 had seen the introduction of a popular, speculative book on evolution, Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation.

The cultural challenge posed by Darwin’s theory at its debut partly hinged on the influence the Church of England held over 19th-century science. University instruction in natural history was dominated by clergy, which had a powerful secondary effect on public policy. In the charged social atmosphere that prevailed following the political upheavals in both American and France, the implications of evolutionary theory were radical, and the doctrine was looked upon by political conservatives as dangerous and potentially destabilizing.

Darwin’s saga is far too rich for this brief essay to serve as proper background, but a few other points are essential. Much of the empirical groundwork supporting evolutionary theory was a feature of 19th-century science before Darwin came to prominence (i.e., analysis of geologic strata, fossil records, and other evidence of “deep time”). Then, Darwin’s thought matured in the matrix of his carefully cultivated international social network of other capable naturalists- a lifelong host of mentors, correspondents and collaborators too numerous to mention here.

Consider an imaginative experiment in time travel: read Darwin’s book as if you were a 19th century naturalist experiencing his writings when they were first published. Why? The high-profile controversies of recent memory tend to obscure Darwin’s central message. Its deeper historical context (as touched upon above) remains underappreciated; our minds don’t easily apprehend differences across time that spans generations- a facet of our psychological makeup that bears critically on the ability grasp the simple phenomenon Darwin labeled “natural selection.”

On the Origin of Species became an icon- a composition of mythic proportions. In ways, that is deeply unfortunate. The burden of such status encourages the view that Darwin’s book is a canonical text- pristine knowledge, revered for every word. Consider instead this passage from the first pages of his introduction: “… [S]carcely a single point is discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those which I have arrived. A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question…” On the Origin of Species constructs an initial framework around which to organize the pertinent data- both facts that support its thesis, and those that challenge it.

Darwin explains his theory with examples readily accessible to 19th-century society: common variations in horticulture (both ornamental and agricultural) and the selective breeding. He interweaves this evidence with descriptions of ways environmental conditions mimic breeders selecting for particular traits. Much of his extended argument involves how shifting conditions of climate, landform and inter-species competition serve as standards against which species variants are tested.

Six editions of the book were issued in Darwin’s lifetime, each with substantial revisions. I concur with those who suggest the original 1859 edition is to be preferred. Darwin’s ideas have proven so powerfully explanatory and generative that gallons of ink and countless pages have not kept pace with the needed clarifications, rebuttals and counter-rebuttals. As a consequence, most know Darwin’s thought through the filter of others’ impressions and interpretations. Darwin’s vision will always have its commentators; it could be better served by greater opportunity to speak for itself.

Darwin’s introduction praises Alfred R. Wallace (co-discoverer of the mechanism of natural selection) for his studies in natural history. Chapters that follow discuss variations in domesticated plants and animals, and analogous variations in nature. Darwin explains Malthusian competition for resources, and explores the vast complexities of relationships between life forms; in explanation, he describes a simple experiment conducted on cleared ground whereby he tracked 357 volunteer seedlings- of which 295 failed to survive.

Darwin’s fourth chapter contains key details of natural selection and sexual selection, explains extinction, and discusses variation in terms of “divergence of character” employing the famous tree diagram (the book’s only illustration). Later chapters anticipate objections to his assertions, each of which he treats respectfully and as thoroughly as the extant evidence allowed. An entire chapter is devoted to issues raised by the fragmentary nature of the fossil records. Other chapters address the nuances of geographical distribution, morphology, and embryology. To paraphrase its author, the book need be considered as a whole- each chapter’s theme is interdependent with the rest.

To summarize, On the Origin of Species was introduced to a society already cognizant of much that it described. The concept of life evolving was not new, neither was geologic evidence of vastly different periods of earth history, nor knowledge that forms of life become extinct. Darwin claims neither to explain the origin of life, nor the mystery of its purpose. The foundational contribution of Charles Darwin was a profoundly simple concept describing the core process of cumulative change as organisms and environment interact- a process he labeled “the theory of descent with modification through natural selection.” Darwin’s insight combines an understanding of varying conditions (of climate, landscape, and resources) interacting with slight differences between organisms; those interactions subtly determine which variations tend to accrue over vast numbers of generations. Natural selection can only act, said Darwin, “by very short and slow steps.”

Darwin’s writing in the introductory chapters is especially lucid. A careful reader will navigate the rest with occasional pause to reference terms regarding classification (taxonomy). All will be rewarded with Darwin’s elegant explication of what constitutes a species, and the lawful processes that drive their selection. You may be surprised, too, upon reading Darwin’s humble admission that parts of his theory lacked substantiation.

Rating: 5 / 5