Synopses & Reviews
Since its original publication in 1983, Evolution: The History of an Idea has been recognized as a comprehensive and authoritative source on the development and impact of this most controversial of scientific theories. This new edition has been entirely rewritten to take account of the latest work of historians and scientists. The sequence of chapters has been reconstructed in a way that will help students and general readers to understand the key phases in the development of modern evolutionism. The book's substantial bibliography has been updated to serve as a valuable introduction to the immense literature on this topic.
Synopsis
Peter J. Bowler's comprehensive, fascinating account of the history of evolutionary theories introduces specialist and nonspecialist alike to one of the most potent scientific ideas of modern times. This new edition is updated in its content and includes an augmented bibliography that offers an unparalleled guide to further reading. As in the original edition, Bowler's even-handed approach not only clarifies the history of his controversial subject but also adds significantly to our understanding of contemporary debates over it. The idea of evolution continues to evolve.
About the Author
Peter J. Bowler is Reader in the History of Science at Queen's University, Belfast, and is well known on both sides of the Atlantic for his books on the history of evolutionism.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface to the Third Edition
Preface to the First Edition
1. The Idea of Evolution: Its Scope and Implications
The Old Worldview and the New
The Possibilities of Change
The Nature of Science
The Historian's Problems
2. The Pre-evolutionary Worldview
Human History
Theories of the Earth
The Meaning of Fossils
Natural Theology
The New Natural History
The Problem of Generation
3. Evolution in the Enlightenment
Human Nature
The Origin of Society
The History of the Earth
The Chain of Being
The New Classification
The New Theories of Generation
The Materialists
The First Transmutationists
4. Nature and Society, 1800-1859
The Invention of Progress
The Framework of Science
Georges Cuvier: Fossils and the History of Life
Catastrophism and Natural Theology in Britain
The Philosophical Naturalists
Radical Science
The Principle of Uniformity
The Vestiges of Creation
5. The Development of Darwin's Theory
Darwin's Early Career
The Crucial Years: 1836-1839
Development of the Theory, 1840-1859
Wallace and Publication of the Theory
6. The Reception of Darwin's Theory
The Foundations of Darwinism
The Scientific Debate
Darwinism and Design
Human Origins
Evolution and Progress
7. The Eclipse of Darwinism: Scientific Evolutionism, 1875-1925
Reconstructing the History of Life
The Age of the Earth
Neo-Lamarckism
Orthogenesis
Neo-Darwinism
Mendelism and the Mutation Theory
8. Evolution, Society, and Culture, 1875-1925
The Missing Link
The Origins of Culture and Society
Evolution and Race
Social Evolutionism
Biological Determinism
Neo-Lamarckism and Society
Evolution and Philosophy
Evolution and Religion
9. The Evolutionary Synthesis
Population Genetics
The Modern Synthesis
The Origin of Life
Wider Implications of the Synthesis
10. Modern Debates and Developments
The History of Life
Human Origins
Sociobiology and Ultra-Darwinism
Opponents of Ultra-Darwinism
Anti-Darwinians
Darwinism not Scientific?
Creationism
Bibliography
Index