The Essential Darwin PDF Download

Author: Charles Darwin
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486452301
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 162

View

Book Description

Author: Bill Price
Publisher: Oldcastle Books
ISBN: 1842435590
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 141

View

Book Description
The publication of The Origin of Species in 1859 was the culmination of more than twenty years of work by Charles Darwin and the ideas he presented in it would lead to a fundamental change in the way we think about life on earth. Evolution, as it came to be known, described how the extraordinary variety of life could develop and adapt by natural means rather than being entirely the creation of a supreme being. It was controversial at the time and now, as the bicentenary of Darwin's birth approaches in 2009, it remains the subject of bitter argument, with the opposing sides of the debate, the supporters of Darwinian evolution like Richard Dawkins and the proponents of intelligent design, as polarised as they have ever been. Bill Price looks at the origins of Darwin's theory and the arguments that have surrounded it ever since.

Author: Michael Shermer
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429900903
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 230

View

Book Description
A creationist-turned-scientist demonstrates the facts of evolution and exposes Intelligent Design's real agenda Science is on the defensive. Half of Americans reject the theory of evolution and "Intelligent Design" campaigns are gaining ground. Classroom by classroom, creationism is overthrowing biology. In Why Darwin Matters, bestselling author Michael Shermer explains how the newest brand of creationism appeals to our predisposition to look for a designer behind life's complexity. Shermer decodes the scientific evidence to show that evolution is not "just a theory" and illustrates how it achieves the design of life through the bottom-up process of natural selection. Shermer, once an evangelical Christian and a creationist, argues that Intelligent Design proponents are invoking a combination of bad science, political antipathy, and flawed theology. He refutes their pseudoscientific arguments and then demonstrates why conservatives and people of faith can and should embrace evolution. He then appraises the evolutionary questions that truly need to be settled, building a powerful argument for science itself. Cutting the politics away from the facts, Why Darwin Matters is an incisive examination of what is at stake in the debate over evolution.

Author: Philip Kitcher
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780199724994
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

View

Book Description
Charles Darwin has been at the center of white-hot public debate for more than a century. In Living With Darwin, Philip Kitcher stokes the flames swirling around Darwin's theory, sifting through the scientific evidence for evolution, Creation Science, and Intelligent Design, and revealing why evolution has been the object of such vehement attack. Kitcher first provides valuable perspective on the present controversy, describing the many puzzles that blocked evolution's acceptance in the early years, and explaining how scientific research eventually found the answers to these conundrums. Interestingly, Kitcher shows that many of these early questions have been resurrected in recent years by proponents of Intelligent Design. In fact, Darwin himself considered the issue of intelligent design, and amassed a mountain of evidence that effectively refuted the idea. Kitcher argues that the problem with Intelligent Design isn't that it's "not science," as many critics say, but that it's "dead science," raising questions long resolved by scientists. But Kitcher points out that it is also important to recognize the cost of Darwin's success--the price of "life with Darwin." Darwinism has a profound effect on our understanding of our place in the universe, on our religious beliefs and aspirations. It is in truth the focal point of a larger clash between religious faith and modern science. Unless we can resolve this larger issue, the war over evolution will go on.

Author: John Gribbin
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 1472116038
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 160

View

Book Description
Charles Darwin was the epitome of the Victorian gentleman amateur scientist, living entirely off inherited wealth and the income from his books. At the same time, however, he was the most professional scientist of his day. Darwin's life is full of contrast. In his youth, he seemed likely to become a wastrel, yet he became a hard-working and renowned scientist. His family life in a small Kentish village was mostly idyllically happy; but the loss of his favourite daughter, Annie, brought him intense misery that lasted long after her death. Darwin shunned publicity; but he became the most famous scientist of his time, for an idea which shook the foundations of Victorian society. Even today, some people reject his idea - evolution by natural selection - without bothering to find out what Darwin said. But it is one of those great achievements of the human intellect with which everyone should be acquainted.

Author: Mark Ridley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

View

Book Description

Author: Ted Peters
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 166

View

Book Description
"Although modified and adapted, evolution's basic principles remain firmly in place. However, the implications for belief are still being sorted. In this book, the authors review Darwin's milieu and give an overview of the conflicts among today's interpreters of Darwin."--BOOK JACKET.

Author: Steve Stewart-Williams
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139490990
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages :

View

Book Description
If you accept evolutionary theory, can you also believe in God? Are human beings superior to other animals, or is this just a human prejudice? Does Darwin have implications for heated issues like euthanasia and animal rights? Does evolution tell us the purpose of life, or does it imply that life has no ultimate purpose? Does evolution tell us what is morally right and wrong, or does it imply that ultimately 'nothing' is right or wrong? In this fascinating and intriguing book, Steve Stewart-Williams addresses these and other fundamental philosophical questions raised by evolutionary theory and the exciting new field of evolutionary psychology. Drawing on biology, psychology and philosophy, he argues that Darwinian science supports a view of a godless universe devoid of ultimate purpose or moral structure, but that we can still live a good life and a happy life within the confines of this view.

Author: Tim M. Berra
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press+ORM
ISBN: 0801896304
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 146

View

Book Description
A brief biography of English naturalist responsible for the advancement of the science of evolution. Two hundred years after Charles Darwin’s birth (February 12, 1809), this thoroughly illustrated, yet concise biography reveals the great scientist as husband, father, and friend. Tim M. Berra tells the fascinating story of the man and the idea that changed everything. Berra discusses Darwin’s revolutionary scientific work, its impact on modern-day biological science, and the influence of Darwin’s evolutionary theory on Western thought. But Berra digs deeper to reveal Darwin the man by combining anecdotes with carefully selected illustrations and photographs. This small gem of a book includes 20 color plates and 60 black-and-white illustrations, along with an annotated list of Darwin’s publications and a chronology of his life. “Berra meets the essential curiosities a reader new to Darwin will have about a scientist still controversial in some quarters: Berra describes Darwin’s wealthy family background; notes his search for a purpose in life, which led to his embarkation on the survey ship HMS Beagle; chronicles Darwin’s fabled voyage on that ship; steers Darwin into his happy marriage to an heiress to the Wedgwood pottery fortune; and recounts the éclat with which On the Origin of Species burst upon the world in 1859. . . . A finer asset of this volume is its abundance of portraits and illustrations, including a suite of photos taken by Berra of Darwin’s home.” —Booklist

Author: 50 minutes
Publisher: 50Minutes.com
ISBN: 2806276055
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 41

View

Book Description
Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the essential points of Darwin’s theory of evolution in next to no time with this concise guide. 50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of Darwin’s theory of evolution. After setting sail aboard the Beagle to carry out a scientific expedition, Charles Darwin made some surprising discoveries: using the example of finches on the Galapagos Islands, he concluded that each of the 13 species he found must have evolved from one common ancestor and adapted to best suit their environment. This led to him developing his theory of evolution and identifying natural selection as the cause, both of which are explained in his world-famous On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. In just 50 minutes you will: • Understand the context in which Darwin published his theory and the source of the many controversies surrounding it • Learn more about Darwin’s life and career and how it led him to his astounding discovery • Analyse the progression of Darwin’s work, including his travels, discoveries and the final publication of his theory after 20 years of development ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | History & Culture 50MINUTES.COM will enable you to quickly understand the main events, people, conflicts and discoveries from world history that have shaped the world we live in today. Our publications present the key information on a wide variety of topics in a quick and accessible way that is guaranteed to save you time on your journey of discovery.