Name: The Origin of Species
Author: Charles Darwin
ISBN: 9780192834386

The Origin of Species

Charles Darwin

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Author Description

In The Origin of Species (1859) Darwin challenged many of the most deeply-held beliefs of the Western world. Arguing for a material, not divine, origin of species, he showed that new species are achieved by "natural selection." The Origin communicates the enthusiasm of original thinking in an open, descriptive style, and Darwin's emphasis on the value of diversity speaks more strongly now than ever. As well as a stimulating introduction and detailed notes, this edition offers a register of the many writers referred to by Darwin in the text.

Menrva's Summary

THE THESIS

Charles Darwin investigates the fundamental question of how biological diversity arises and persists through the mechanism of natural selection. Darwin, a naturalist and geologist, synthesizes decades of observational data from his travels and experiments to argue that species evolve over time through descent with modification. He challenges the prevailing teleological views of his era by proposing a materialist framework for the development of life on Earth.

THE SCOPE MAP

What You Will Find

The foundational theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest
Extensive observations on variation in domesticated and wild populations
Analysis of geographical distribution and the fossil record

Scope Limits

The text does not include the later discovery of genetic inheritance mechanisms
It does not address the chemical origins of the first life forms

THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE

Experts recognize this work as the foundational text of modern evolutionary biology, noting its enduring influence on scientific thought. Readers frequently observe that while the prose is accessible and descriptive, the density of the 19th-century scientific arguments requires careful attention to detail.

Page Count:
480

Publication Date:
1998-07-09

Publisher:
Oxford University Press

ISBN-10:
019283438X

ISBN-13:
9780192834386

Non-Fiction

Science

Natural history

Biology

Evolutionary Biology

Natural selection

Evolution