The Origin of Species (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics Trade Paper)
by Charles Darwin
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Read in August, 1999
It seems that every discussion of the evolution of evolution starts with that poor wrong-headed Lamarck and his idea of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. What a dummy! He thought Giraffe's necks got longer because each generation kept straining to reach ever higher leaves. Well, Darwin thought the same thing. In a section called Use and Disuse he says, "I think there can be little doubt that use in our domestic animals strengthens and enlarges certain parts, and disuse diminishes...more
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How have all those exquisite adaptations of one part of the organisation to another part, and to the condition of life, been perfected? We see these beautiful co-adaptations most plainly in the woodpecker and the mistletoe; and only a little less plainly in the humblest parasite which clings to the hairs of a quadruped or feathers of a bird; in the structure of the beetle which dives through the water; in the plumed seed which is wafted by the gentlest breeze; in short, we see beau...more
How have all those exquisite adaptations of one part of the organisation to another part, and to the condition of life, been perfected? We see these beautiful co-adaptations most plainly in the woodpecker and the mistletoe; and only a little less plainly in the humblest parasite which clings to the hairs of a quadruped or feathers of a bird; in the structure of the beetle which dives through the water; in the plumed seed which is wafted by the gentlest breeze; in short, we see beau...more
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Read in July, 2006
recommends it for:
Scientists, scientific thinkers, creationists
The book that signalled what Nietzsche called "the death of God." This book is much-referenced and seldom-read, and for good reason. Darwin has a very interesting style and the text draws you in to his method of observation and explanation; however, it is very, very long, and Darwin himself refers to the entire text as an "abstract" - meaning that scientists who are accustomed to seeing a reference included with every cited fact will be disappointed. He refers to his colleagu...more
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This is a very provocative theory, one that I cannot, in truth, readily discount or agree with. In a very small nutshell, there is a force Darwin is calling 'natural selection' that causes the spontaneous changes in an organism that help its survival to continue through its generations to become even more evolved and permanent parts of that organism, as long as they continue to help the organism thrive and survive. Seems like common sense, but Darwin cannot, of course, account for the reasons wh...more
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Read in July, 2007
I can't imagine anything less necessary than writing a capsule review of the Origin of Species, but... it's a really great read. Darwin was unusually reflexive and tempered in his writing, probably owing at least in part to the heavy disapproval he know he would encounter from everyone from the clergy to other scientists, but props to him for writing in a way that is at once confident and humble. Reading this after Feyerabend's Against Method, the major thing I took away from it was that scien...more
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Read in December, 2007
Well, there were two things that I didn't like about the book, although the first one I can't really blame on the author. A lot of the stuff that I have been taught in school (since luckily I attended a non-religious school in the East) were repeated in the book. Of course, I know Darwin wrote it all down first, but reading the book gave me a lot of old information. It would have been a much more exciting read had I opened it in the 19th century instead of the 21st.
HOWEVER, Darwin could hav...more
HOWEVER, Darwin could hav...more
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Read in January, 1996
recommends it for:
anyone with an open mind
such a freakin' genius! and the sadest part is, that his "science" literally killed him. if you've read a lot in Darwin (as I have) you come to understand that as a religious man, his studies seriously conflicted with his beliefs. I hate it when I hear someone say that Darwin says, "we come from monkeys." because that is not the case.
his theory is on EVOLUTION, not monkeys. all he wanted people to understand was adaptation and survival of the fittest is really a simp...more
his theory is on EVOLUTION, not monkeys. all he wanted people to understand was adaptation and survival of the fittest is really a simp...more
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Read in January, 2001
recommended to Johnathan by:
grandfatherrecommends it for: mature adults who know a lie when they see one
The philosopy behind this book has contributed to the worst atrocities of the twentieth century, from the Jewish holocaust to the evils of Josef Stalin. The concept of 'survival of the fittest' and the idea that all existence is a mere accident, has also spawned many deranged and oddball fantasy/philosophies.
The science behind this book, was sound at the time it was written, when our understanding of the simplest life forms was scarce and sparse. But now, with the complexity and beauty of even...more
The science behind this book, was sound at the time it was written, when our understanding of the simplest life forms was scarce and sparse. But now, with the complexity and beauty of even...more
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does my entire study life indicate the truth of our origin???????.....or give me any clue???????........i really hv no idea......my medical studies also sometimes confusing....u kno, sm teachers says, look at the bacteria of AIDS....they can evolve rapidly.......den sm people say look at ur eyes....can ya explain the funtion as smoothly without saying it must be created by sm 1 most powerful?....'origin if species' is still working with it......till now no scientific theory is not much reliable ...more
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recommends it for:
anyone intersted in origins
Oos is the book that popularized the theory of materialistic origins, evolutionary theory. I think it is important for people to read. It's a good book, as long as you keep in mind that it was written in 1860, and has all the pomp and fluff of verbose 1860 English writing. The arguments themselves are fascinating. Creationist and materialist alike can gain some insight into the whole debate by reading this book. What I found most fascinating in the whole thing was just how much Darwin's underst...more
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Read in January, 1989
Are you an Evangelical Christian? Or, perhaps you are a student participating in one of nation's modern and progressive science classes, learning about the Origins of Man, but confused by the lack of scientifically observable studies missing from your text books. Fortunately for you, Darwin spent decades of his life documenting the observable changes in various species, hypothesizing about these changes and drawing some interesting conclusions about his life's work.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
people from the 19th century
Ok, I give up. I can't continue to read this book. I may come back to it and finish it (I don't think I have ever NOT finished a book I picked up, even if it took me a year to finish...)but it is really difficult for me to keep reading misinformation... even if this was considered at the time to be groundbreaking, now it's frustratingly inaccurate. It would almost be funny how wrong it is, but it's not. If I finish it, I will update, but for now, this will be the only entry on my started-but-not...more
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Read in July, 2006
Darwin's The Origin of Species is the best eye-opener for people who want to understand the theory of evolution. With the current paradigm of creationism and its argument against evolution, it is the best book to refer too. Darwin's theory is very strong and realistic and can be easily related to today's universe.
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
Not sure...
The book itself is a long winded explanation of Darwin's diligent, thorough study of biological life. It is a slow read full of technical terminology and descriptive language. However, my interest in wanting to read the book stemmed from matters which Darwin himself began to elude to in his findings, religious dogma. Struggling to find where my set of beliefs fit, I picked up the book hoping that it would help steer me. It did not change my opinions and beliefs, but helped to cement them.
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Read in January, 1998
People who are seriously skeptical about evolution should really read this book and give themselves a chance to understand the real underlying study that brought this theory to the world, instead of listening to bloated propaganda that doesn't fully describe how it functions.
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What can I say about Darwin and his contemporaries? Time has been the great witness to their theories. Those with eyes to see, see the world explained. Even those who don’t, can't explain their theories away. Darwin's logic opened the universe to my mind. It amazes me that they did their work by observation. Time has given us many tools to confirm their work. Some ideas fell away, almost all are still valid. One of the great accomplishments of our species
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I have read parts of this book before but never in its entirety. I hope to get through the whole thing this time. This is the book/author that many refer to when defending their belief in evolution but I wonder how many people have actually read it... It is a difficult read, even for those of us who consider ourselves to be scientists. (The edition that I am reading was actually published in 1937 and included in a collection of "Harvard Classics".)
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Whatever opinions you may hold because of culture,religion or other beliefs there is an acceptance that this book completely the way mankind thinks about himself. You may not agree with Darwin's findings but nothing has ben the same since it was published. A must read even though it ain't always easy.
Curiosity note. Darwin's wife was a daughter of the Wedgewood family famous for its china ware all over the world.
Curiosity note. Darwin's wife was a daughter of the Wedgewood family famous for its china ware all over the world.
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Yes, I realize that this is the seminal book of pretty much my carrer as a scientest. I first read this book when I was in high school, and it was "dangerous". I didn't think it really lived up to the moniker, but it was easier to read than "Communist Manifesto", which was the other book I read for that reason. Maybe my main objection to the book is the Victorian writing style in general.
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Read in January, 1950
I first read this book a long time ago, when I was about ten years old. It was one of my dad's collection, and I was just curious about it because of the title. Can't say I understood much of it - but it was kind of fascinating, anyway. I had no idea, then, that the book, and Darwin's idea of natural selection, would still be under attack from religious quarters, so many years later.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.97 (960 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 4.44 (27 ratings) number of reviews: 105popular shelves
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quote
"Nothing is easier than to admit in words the truth of the universal struggle for life, or more difficult--at least I have found it so--than constantly to bear this conclusion in mind."
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