Review: On the Origin of Species

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Do youself a favor and review or print out the Divergence of Taxa diagram. to know what Darwin is explaining, as he often refers to this image. As such, this is one of the reasons this technical work is actually a poor choice for an audiobook. Also, this particular narrator of the 2nd (1859) British edition has some unusual pronunciation mannerisms: "pupae" sound like excreta in the eye, "inference" has furry accent on an indentified second syllable, and "protean" is a homonym to "protein". Who knew!

Still, I like to listen to Darwin tell of his experiments in applying the scientific method to his theory: tickling aphids, floating seeds, picking at duck feet, and more. A lot here reminds of [b:Sidereus Nuncius, or The Sidereal Messenger|984782|Sidereus Nuncius, or The Sidereal Messenger|Galileo Galilei|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328873274s/984782.jpg|1229651] in the joy of being on the edge of science. The differences are Darwin is rushing to print and breathlessly touring us through his thought-cathedral as like-minded innovators are going to print with their independent discoveries. It just goes to show it was all "in the air" at the time. Darwin makes convincing arguments about the logical results of natural selection from his journeys to Tierra del Fuego and beyond as well as speaking in detail of the results of then contemporary paleontology (more advanced than I had realized, to study ahead and know your Silurian period from your Cretaceous) as well as strong, studied examples in homology, vestigal forms, and embryology.



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