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How the Leopard Changed its Spots: Evolution of Complexity
 
 
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How the Leopard Changed its Spots: Evolution of Complexity (Paperback)

by Brian Goodwin (Author) "Something very curious and interesting has happened to biology in recent years ..." (more)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; New edition edition (1 Dec 1997)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 075380171X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753801710
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 61,239 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #11 in  Books > Science & Nature > Reference > Evolution
    #29 in  Books > Science & Nature > Biological Sciences > Reference
    #49 in  Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Evolutionary Biology

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Product Description

Product Description

Challenging Darwin's theories, Brian Goodwin argues that it is possible to understand evolution as a process that is pushed by the intrinsic properties of living matter, rather than pulled by natural selection. He shows how seemingly complex strucures such as wings or eyes can be built up in a series of simple, self-organising steps. Goodwin's new biology is not only an exact science, it is also a science for a new age that transforms the competitive individualism into a post-modern science of qualities.


From the Back Cover

"This is a brilliant book, wonderfully written. . . . Goodwin is a real scholar, of great breadth and insight. He writes beautifully, conveying difficult themes in an exciting manner."--Simon Levin, Princeton University

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Something very curious and interesting has happened to biology in recent years. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not actually an attack on Natural Selection, 28 Aug 2001
By A Customer
A splendid book, but to see it as an attack on Natural Selection is almost certainly a mistake - rather it sets out to show that NS is not the whole story when it comes to biological forms. The two are definately complementary

Thought provoking, valuable, and answers a number of questions that natural selection struggles with.

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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent view of evolution from complexity, 29 April 2000
By A Customer
This book is certainly a very good contribution to the area of evolutionary biology. It introduces the reader into the view of morphogenesis and evolution from a fresh perspective and shows how important are the dynamical rules in shaping life. I really enjoyed it.
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3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst books I have read in a long time., 14 April 2008
By Guy Dalziel (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The problem with this book is that from the word go it assumes that complexity can not arise from the gradual accumulation of tiny variations over a large amount of time. It argues that the current view of evolution - that we are driven by competition, survival and selfishness - is merely a "perspective", one that makes most sense to us because of our experience in terms of our current culture.

Because of the attempt to be "just another perspective" it attempts to appear to be on the side of evolution and creep in under the radar. It's almost as if the author decided that evolution by natural selection made his life worthless - that he is merely "an arbitrary collection of genes that has passed the survival test" - and thus required him to step in and give organisms back their "intrinsic value".

The problem however is that the author rather assumes that because the natural world is driven by competition, survival and selfishness, that this somehow gives us permission to be competitive and selfish. In no way does this give us permission to act uncivilized. I am repulsed at the suggestion that our current understanding is the root of moral corruption, and this serves as nothing more than a reassurance for those who wish the cat had never been let out of the bag.

The further reading is barely a page long and is practically all the authors own work, so it rather suggests that this is nothing more than crackpot literature. The back of the book claims he is a professor of biology and seems to forget to mention the fact that he retired in 1992.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Evolution of forms from complexity
Execellent view on how forms are emerged from complexity. An orthodox sample of BZ reaction is described vividly and that give you basic idea about complexity, chaos and related... Read more
Published on 31 Jan 2004 by tbkle

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