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211th out of 594 books
—
1,311 voters
The Richness of Life: The Essential Stephen Jay Gould
by
Stephen Jay Gould,
Stephen Rose , Paul McGarr , Oliver Sacks (Goodreads Author) , Steven Peter Russell Rose
"Nature is so wondrously complex and varied that almost anything possible does happen....I rejoice in [its] multifariousness and leave the chimera of certainty to politicians and preachers."—from Ever Since Darwin
Upon his death in 2002, Stephen Jay Gould stood at the pinnacle among observers of the natural world, recognized by Congress as a "living legend." His prodigious...more
Upon his death in 2002, Stephen Jay Gould stood at the pinnacle among observers of the natural world, recognized by Congress as a "living legend." His prodigious...more
Hardcover, 672 pages
Published
May 17th 2007
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 2006)
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Oct 02, 2009
Wens Tan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-history-and-currents
"The Richness of Life", a selection of Stephen Jay Gould's prolific essays, is an excellent introduction to Gould's major works and thinking.
Those new to natural history would find this collection a useful anchor to navigate Gould's other works, for his careful attention to detail, even in his popular science books, can be daunting to beginners.
In Gould's works, he often begins by asking a very specific question, then in elucidating the mystery, illustrates a general concept.
"I have come to u...more
Those new to natural history would find this collection a useful anchor to navigate Gould's other works, for his careful attention to detail, even in his popular science books, can be daunting to beginners.
In Gould's works, he often begins by asking a very specific question, then in elucidating the mystery, illustrates a general concept.
"I have come to u...more
Okay, so I had to skip at least one chapter because there was simply no way I was going to understand the terminology. Otherwise, this is a great collection, especially for someone like me who'd never read Gould before. His essays are eclectic and just amazing in the breadth of topics they cover. I learned a great deal about biology, evolution, paleontology, and the history of science. What an amazing perspective and fascination this man had with how science is done and how it has evolved. I did...more
I've always been a fan of Stephen Jay Gould, so The Richness of Life was an immediate must-read for me, even though it collects a lot of material that I've already read in one form or another. But mutation, hybridization, and transformation are all parts of the evolutionary process, right? So why wouldn't I want to see the essays and chapters that I'd read before genetically recombined in this newly collected body of work? (And besides, any writing that's only worth reading once wasn't really wo...more
This is a great book to skim for some of Gould's best and most interesting writing. And it's certainly good to have a one-volume selection that represents the sprawling yard sale that was Gould's career. I say 'skim' the book because so much of what he wrote was tied more to his own obsessions and idiosyncracies than to anything the vast majority of people would consider interesting. Sometimes forgotten 19th century contemporaries of Darwin are forgotten for a reason, a fact that seems to have b...more
I wouldn't say I read this book so much as I plodded through it. The writing style and subject matter are both dense throughout, and especially tough for someone without much of a life sciences background. Not a book to take to the beach, but certainly educational if you're curious about the topic.
This is a collection of essays by the master. I didn't enjoy it as much as his normal, more in-depth books.
- picked up just to try out because of the author
- picked up just to try out because of the author
A fantastic "greatest hits" from the brilliant evolutionary biologist. This great compilation visits many of SJG's most enduring themes: the beauty of natural selection, the structure of evolutionary theory, the failings of evolutionary psychology and the wrong-headed approach of the justification of social Darwinism. Finally, in a way that benefits immensely from SJG's eloquence, his thoughts on religion and science: from the beauty and practicality of Non-Overlapping Magisteria to the dangers...more
A treasure to keep around the house. His insight is something we can always go back to and learn something new from.
Gould's best articles from Natural History Magazine condensed in one volume. Awesome. Gone too soon!
Stephen Jay Gould is a little hit-and-miss. Some of his essays are quite singular, but others are rather boring historical pieces. I respect him for his willingness to contradict the neo-Darwinian synthesis orthodoxy, and, while recognizing the validity of adaptive design, (rightfully, I think), challenging the black box of ascribing an adaptive purpose to virtually every characteristic living organisms have. It's also fun to read somebody so well read in so many different areas. A true renaissa...more
An excellent collection of Steven Jay Gould's writings. His brilliance and clarity of voice and language is practically unheard of these days. This book left me excited about reading other texts and articles that Gould has written and left me thinking differently about the world.
looks really good.
got this book from the library, held on to it for a long while whithout reading to much of it (i always have too many other books waiting to be read!) then returned it. need to pick up my own copy sometime so i can read it on my own time.
got this book from the library, held on to it for a long while whithout reading to much of it (i always have too many other books waiting to be read!) then returned it. need to pick up my own copy sometime so i can read it on my own time.
Stephen Jay Gould has to be one of my most favorite non fiction writers of all time. His explanations are clear and thought provoking.
Oct 18, 2007
Michael
marked it as to-read
Contains an essay titled "Darwin and the Munchkins of Kansas."
Enough said.
Enough said.
awesome book! science and evolution from the hand of a genius
An eminently readable collection of Gould's diverse scholarship!
May 18, 2013
Andrew
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May 05, 2013
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Stephen Jay Gould was a prominent American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation. Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Most of Gould's empirical research was on land snails. Gould...more
More about Stephen Jay Gould...
Most of Gould's empirical research was on land snails. Gould...more
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