A revised and updated edition of a title exploring the battle between evolutionary theory's biggest names. Known as one of the firecest battles in ...
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reviews
Nov 18, 2011
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rated it: 
Slim and readable ... the aficionado of evolutionary theory and the intense debate it engenders would do well to read Dawkins vs. Gould.' Nature, on the first edition
An international bestseller when originally published, this brand-new and completely revised edition updates the story of one of science's most vigorous arguments.
Science has seen its fair share of punch-ups over the years, but one debate, in the field of biology, has become notorious for its intensity. Over the More...
An international bestseller when originally published, this brand-new and completely revised edition updates the story of one of science's most vigorous arguments.
Science has seen its fair share of punch-ups over the years, but one debate, in the field of biology, has become notorious for its intensity. Over the More...
Dec 23, 2008
Kevan
rated it: 
I'd read quite a few books by Richard Dawkins and Stephen Gould but hadn't really understood the distinctions in their approach to thinking about evolution.
This is quite a short book, 180 pages, that compares the two.
This book by no mean stands on its own. If you haven't read, say, The Extended Phenotype by Dawkins and Wonderful Life by Gould then I don't thing Dawkins versus Gould will make much sense.
All in all quite and interesting an fairly light read that illustrates the i More...
This is quite a short book, 180 pages, that compares the two.
This book by no mean stands on its own. If you haven't read, say, The Extended Phenotype by Dawkins and Wonderful Life by Gould then I don't thing Dawkins versus Gould will make much sense.
All in all quite and interesting an fairly light read that illustrates the i More...
Oct 31, 2011
Deniz Cem
rated it: 
I had low expectations for this book because of its (typographically) cheesy cover design and clumsy typesetting. In the end it made me want to read his other books.
The author uses the debate between Dawkins and Gould to walk through many important topics in evolutionary biology, mentioning lots of other scientists and philosophers on the way, and successfully switching between detailed examples and the big picture. He definitely knows what he's talking about, and his writing is so c More...
The author uses the debate between Dawkins and Gould to walk through many important topics in evolutionary biology, mentioning lots of other scientists and philosophers on the way, and successfully switching between detailed examples and the big picture. He definitely knows what he's talking about, and his writing is so c More...
Jul 08, 2008
Nathan
rated it:
Despite the silly title and backcover copy, this is a serious and thoughtful book that sheds light on the bits of evolutionary theory that we don't yet know. The danger with any attempt to present evolutionary theory as incomplete is that you'll be mistaken for a creationist. Sterelny is no creationist, and this is not ammunition for that battle. He merely attempts to summarize the differences in position between Richard Dawkins ("The Selfish Gene") and Stephen J. Gould ("The P
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Dec 04, 2010
Tom
rated it:
Sterelny tries to distill the arguments of two great evoluntionary theorists down into 140 short pages, and then tries to explain where the two diverge. He doesn't really succeed in either case: you leave the book thinking, yeah, sure, Gould and Dawkins disagreed...but on what?
Mar 23, 2010
Carlo
rated it:
Does Gould's evaluation of the fossil record conflict with Dawkin's account of evolution? Are we splitting hairs here? Maybe, but it's nice to take a step back from the theism debate and just watch the scientists do their thing. This is a balanced piece of writing, so don't expect a complete smack-down.
Aug 27, 2007
Jeff
rated it:
This is a decent overview of the argument between Dawkins and Gould (or at least those who currently agree with Gould). Sterelny adequately covers the major points, though the examples come this and fast. Fewer and better explained examples would have made this an excellent book.
Aug 08, 2010
Tycoon
rated it:
Sterelny likes Dawkins, I like Gould.
Some muckity bits, but for the most part it was easy to understand. The author does a good job framing the arguments but comes to a mild conclusion: (Spoiler!) They're both right! (End Spoiler!)
Worth it, whits the appetite, hooray for Darwin!
Some muckity bits, but for the most part it was easy to understand. The author does a good job framing the arguments but comes to a mild conclusion: (Spoiler!) They're both right! (End Spoiler!)
Worth it, whits the appetite, hooray for Darwin!
May 04, 2008
Samuel
rated it:
A look at the differences in thinking of Dawkins and Gould. Enlightening and concise.
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