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Product Description
Less than 450 years ago, all European scholars believed that the earth was the centre of a universe that was at most a few million miles in extent, and that the planets, sun, and stars all rotated around this centre. Less than 250 years ago, they believed that the universe was created essentially in its present state about 6000 years ago. Less than 150 years ago, the special creation by God of living species was still dominant. The relentless application of the scientific method of inference from experiment and observation, without reference to religious, or governmental authority has completely transformed our view of our origins and relation to the universe, in less than 500 years. Few would dispute that this programme has been spectacularly successful, particularly in the twentieth century. This book is about the crucial role of evolutionary biology in transforming our view of human origins and relation to the universe, and the impact of this idea on traditional philosophy and religion. The purpose of this book is to introduce the general reader to some of the most important basic findings, concepts, and procedures of evolutionary biology, as it has developed since the first publications of Darwin and Wallace on the subject, over 140 years ago. Evolution provides a unifying set of principals for the whole of biology; it also illuminates the relation of human beings to the universe and each other. In addition, many aspects of evolution have practical importance; for instance, the rapid evolution of resistance by bacteria to antibiotics and of HIV to antiviral drugs are pressing medical problems.
About the Author
Brian Charlesworth is Royal Society Research Professor at the Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, and President of the Society for the Study Evolution. His research is mainly in evolutionary genetics, applying classical and molecular genetics to the study of evolution and natural variation. He is author of Evolution in Age-Structured Populations (CUP, 2nd edn. 1994)
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The consensus among the scientific community is that the Earth is a planet orbiting a fairly typical star, one of many billions of stars in a galaxy among billions of galaxies in an expanding universe of enormous size, which originated about 14 billion years ago. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The consensus among the scientific community is that the Earth is a planet orbiting a fairly typical star, one of many billions of stars in a galaxy among billions of galaxies in an expanding universe of enormous size, which originated about 14 billion years ago. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I decided to read up on evolution after reading Richard Dawkins The God Delusion, in which he suggest that all behavior can be explain with evolutionary theory. I found the God Delusion a well written book that explained some complex ideas in an accessible and engaging way. Given that this book has Dawkins approval plastered over the back cover I figured it would serve as a good introduction to evolution.
Unfortuantly I found this book to be a disappointment. I study Biology at A level so was familiar with many of the concepts in the book but often found myself having to re-read passages to figure out what the point being made was. The tone was dry making it hard to engage with, I end up reading the book in very short sittings as it couldn't hold my concentration.
Darwin is quoted occasionally throughout book and these quotes contrast with the rest of the text. The quotes are far more digestible then the surrounding text and far more compelling too.
My hope was that after reading this book I would at least have a sound understanding of evolution. I have not achieved that, therefore I really can't recommend this book.
Unfortuantly I found this book to be a disappointment. I study Biology at A level so was familiar with many of the concepts in the book but often found myself having to re-read passages to figure out what the point being made was. The tone was dry making it hard to engage with, I end up reading the book in very short sittings as it couldn't hold my concentration.
Darwin is quoted occasionally throughout book and these quotes contrast with the rest of the text. The quotes are far more digestible then the surrounding text and far more compelling too.
My hope was that after reading this book I would at least have a sound understanding of evolution. I have not achieved that, therefore I really can't recommend this book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
After reading "The Greatest Show On Earth" by Richard Dawkins, I felt the need to find a shorter and simpler explanation of the wonder of evolution. The Charlesworths - both senior academics at the Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology at the University of Edinburgh - have certainly produced something shorter (130 pages instead of over 400) but it is arguable whether it is any simpler.
The authors explain that evolutionary change can occur through natural selection or through genetic drift but concentrate on the former. They set out how natural selection underlies the great similarities between species and how, when species are isolated, they become different. On this basis, they set out the evidence for evolution in the patterns of species in time and space.
They do not pretend that we currently have all the answers to the theory of evolution and the last chapter is titled "Some difficult problem". They briefly examine such issues as the origin of living cells and human consciousness and why we age. Fascinating stuff.
The authors explain that evolutionary change can occur through natural selection or through genetic drift but concentrate on the former. They set out how natural selection underlies the great similarities between species and how, when species are isolated, they become different. On this basis, they set out the evidence for evolution in the patterns of species in time and space.
They do not pretend that we currently have all the answers to the theory of evolution and the last chapter is titled "Some difficult problem". They briefly examine such issues as the origin of living cells and human consciousness and why we age. Fascinating stuff.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Before I start the review, please do not go to this book for a complete argument against Creationism, the steady opponent of the theory of Evolution. Although this book contains some ideas that would refute Creationism, the authors do not argue against it.
The book is quite "heavy" in the sense of it being quite academic; fortunately my attentiveness in Biology classes paid off with some of the concepts! The book moves quite swiftly between topics, giving an excellent summary of what evolution is and how it works. It also ends by conceding that there are problems with evolution, which I found quite admirable of evolutionary biologists who might otherwise hold that evolution is flawless to the unsuspecting reader.
So, if you want to find out more about evolution, I would recommend the book (although do not expect an easy read), and even if you know a fair amount about evolution, a position that I was in before reading the book, it will still undoubtedly present you with new and fascinating concepts.
The book is quite "heavy" in the sense of it being quite academic; fortunately my attentiveness in Biology classes paid off with some of the concepts! The book moves quite swiftly between topics, giving an excellent summary of what evolution is and how it works. It also ends by conceding that there are problems with evolution, which I found quite admirable of evolutionary biologists who might otherwise hold that evolution is flawless to the unsuspecting reader.
So, if you want to find out more about evolution, I would recommend the book (although do not expect an easy read), and even if you know a fair amount about evolution, a position that I was in before reading the book, it will still undoubtedly present you with new and fascinating concepts.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Biology A Level Required
I've been reading up on philosophy and recently completed "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. As a result of these studies I wanted to get a bit more information about... Read more
Published 9 months ago by L. Davidson
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Evolution: A very short introduction by Brian & Deborah Charlesworth, Oxford, 2003, 160 ff.
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Published on 18 Aug 2009 by Dr. H. A. Jones
Errors and Evaluation
This is a splendid introduction to the subject of evolution revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of the theory, representing the broad consensus of opinion among the... Read more
Published on 24 July 2009 by Neutral
An excellent summary of current knowledge
It is a sign of the times that the authors on occasion take a defensive attitude to their subject. Creationism, for whatever reason, has proved remarkably adaptive and, strange as... Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2005 by Peter Reeve
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