The Origin of Species in Science and Inquiry

Apr 02, 2011 David S. T. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science

I figured while I was on my evolution book kick, I might as well go back to the original (well sort of the original, Alfred Russel Wallace published a paper on natural selection which prompted Darwin to publish this “abstract”). Now that I'm finished I feel two different ways about the book, a loved yet bored type of feeling. First I'm amazed at just how much of Darwin's theories and ideas are accurate and accepted even today 150 years later (which is a pretty darn long time in science). One thi I figured while I was on my evolution book kick, I might as well go back to the original (well sort of the original, Alfred Russel Wallace published a paper on natural selection which prompted Darwin to publish this “abstract”). Now that I'm finished I feel two different ways about the book, a loved yet bored type of feeling. First I'm amazed at just how much of Darwin's theories and ideas are accurate and accepted even today 150 years later (which is a pretty darn long time in science). One thing you have to appreciate about this book is that its pretty evident that Darwin didn't just rush out and publish this theories but thought about every possible question everyone could have and he attempts to answer them all. Another question he spends a lot of time on is how flora could make it to islands, he goes through page after page of experiments trying to see how long seeds can stay in salt water and still germinate. Even better way back 150 years ago Darwin already anticipated the irreducible complexity argument of the eye and proposed his own ideas about how the eye could evolve and how each gradation is useful in itself. Some times the prose was pretty amazing, I think the famous line about “There is grandeur in this view of life.....” is one of my favorites in any book I've read.

So as amazing as some parts where why then did I rate it 3 stars? Well for every amazing part there are page after page of material which is (to me) just plain boring. The prose which is great in sections is pretty tedious in other parts. The fact that he thought of every question means that he goes over proof after proof. Remember the salt water and the seeds mentioned above, well its cool at first but 40 pages of his experiments makes me start to care less and less. There were also a few parts which he got wrong, he spends a whole section trying to figure out why certain animals can't cross breed, something which is quickly addressed now days with DNA. I think at another part he denies that there ever were any mass extinctions (something we know happened several times in the earth's history). Another thing which made the book a little harder for me is Darwin mentions lots of people and animals I've never heard of, of course a better reader would have spend time looking them up but I just read on, I guess I didn't care enough to do that much research for the book.

So overall for importance I'd rate this book a 5/5, but I have to factor in enjoyment and I so its gets the lower score. Truthfully this book is 150 years old and written in Victorian English, its very important, but there are better books on evolution out there, so if you're curious about the fascinating world of evolution, start elsewhere, only if you're curious about how the theory got started pick this one up. ...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Finley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Origin of Species is an amazing book. Reading it, I felt as though I was looking in at Darwin's life--experiencing his anxiety over publishing such controversial work and feeling his excitement as he unraveled the theory. It surprised me how much Darwin covered and the lengths to which he was able to flesh out the theory of Natural Selection without the use of genetics. At times, it almost seemed as if he was on the verge of actually discovering it!
The language is a little hard to get throu ...more

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May 08, 2009 Tea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: natura-naturans

I was and am still reading a variourum text with all editions of Origin. The 'geniuos' of Darwin is that he was able to convince the science of "evolution" and that it's mechanism was natural selection. It is one of the most astounding stories of the nature of the world we live in, a fantastic story, which we are the product of. Darwin cannot be read without the epistemological view, so, keep nearby your Canguilhem, Foucault, Deleuze, Derrida, Sarasin etc. ...more

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May 30, 2009 Patricrk patrick rated it liked it

Shelves: science

very good arguments. I read the illustrated edition and in many cases the illustrations had nothing to do with the text. Read the text and then go back and read the illustrations.

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Jul 20, 2008 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: scientific-texts

Darwin truly was a genius, although he wasn't the greatest writer to ever live. If only this were required reading in school, the evolution/creation debate wouldn't even exist... ...more

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