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One Long Argument. Charles Darwin and the Genesis of Modern Evolutionary Thought

P. Bondy

Published 1992 in The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

ABSTRACT

these limitations, the thoroughness of the book still shines, and both clinicians and researchers will benefit from having this concise volume. pp. $8.95. Charles Darwin was not the first biologist to consider the possibility that living beings might have evolved from earlier precursors, but he was the first to develop a radical concept of the nature of evolution and to organize supporting evidence in a powerfully convincing manner. The "theory" he proposed was not a single structure but an articulated series of concepts, involving several interrelated theories. His single most revolutionary idea was that all of the various manifestations of living beings evolved ultimately from a single precursor species. Other necessary concepts were that species are not eternally fixed at the time of creation, but evolve, one from another; that evolution is continuous up to the present time; that spontaneous biological variations provide opportunity for change, but that some form of selection drives the evolutionary process; and that the process of selection derives from competition for survival and reproduction. These ideas, taken together, were strong arguments against the concept of a single creation in which human beings represent the pinnacle and ultimate form of life. This view of evolution undermined the conviction that life on Earth is unique and that God has given Man hegemony over all creation. Such ideas created powerful conflict with established Judeo-Christian concepts and led to arguments which still obsess certain groups, over 100 years later. Both of these books discuss Darwin's contribution, but from different standpoints. Mayr's is oriented to readers concerned with the development of Darwin's perception. Darwin provided a framework for looking at evolution that was as complete as the science of his time would permit, but he could offer only qualitative ideas about the mechanism of the changes he postulated. Since his death, his concepts have been strengthened by new sciences, including genetics and molecular biology, which provide a clearer understanding of the machinery driving evolution. At first, these developments were perceived as undermining Darwinian concepts, but Mayr describes how they were reconciled with evolutionary theory, forming the basis of "NeoDarwinism." One Long Argument is an ideal book for a reasonably sophisticated reader interested in the history of scientific thought, and written by one of the outstanding thinkers in this area. It is not as detailed a presentation as Mayr's earlier books on the subject, but it is so condensed and focused …

PUBLICATION RECORD

  • Publication year

    1992

  • Venue

    The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine

  • Publication date

    Unknown publication date

  • Fields of study

    Not labeled

  • Identifiers
    PMCID 2589743
  • External record

    Open on Semantic Scholar

  • Source metadata

    Semantic Scholar

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