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Darwin. Żywot uczonego
Dzieje życia i pracy wielkiego uczonego, twórcy najważniejszej teorii naukowej w biologii - teorii ewolucji. Opowieść o człowieku, który wbrew panującym poglądom dostrzegł porządek chronologii życia na Ziemi. Znamy go jako autora epokowego dzieła: "O pochodzeniu gatunków", ale napisał też wiele prac z różnych innych dziedzin: botaniki, zoologii, antropologii i psychologii.
344 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
8 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Michael White
46 books137 followersMichael White was a British writer who was based in Perth, Australia. He studied at King's College London (1977–1982) and was a chemistry lecturer at d'Overbroeck's College, Oxford (1984–1991).
He was a science editor of British GQ, a columnist for the Sunday Express in London and, 'in a previous incarnation', he was a member of Colour Me Pop. Colour Me Pop featured on the "Europe in the Year Zero" EP in 1982 with Yazoo and Sudeten Creche and he was then a member of the group The Thompson Twins (1982). He moved to Australia in 2002 and was made an Honorary Research Fellow at Curtin University in 2005.
He was the author of thirty-five books: these include Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science; Leonardo: The First Scientist; Tolkien: A Biography; and C. S. Lewis: The Boy Who Chronicled Narnia. His first novel Equinox – thriller, an occult mystery reached the Top Ten in the bestseller list in the UK and has been translated into 35 languages. His non-fiction production included the biography Galileo: Antichrist. Novels following Equinox include The Medici Secret, The Borgia Ring and The Art of Murder.
White wrote under two further names, Tom West and Sam Fisher. He used the latter pseudonym to publish the E-Force trilogy, State of Emergency, Aftershock, and Nano.
A further novel by White, The Venetian Detective, features characters including Galileo and Elizabeth.
White wrote a biography of Isaac Newton, The Last Sorcerer. He was both short-listed and long-listed for the Aventis prize. Rivals was short-listed in 2002, and The Fruits of War long-listed in 2006. He was also nominated for the Ned Kelly Prize for First Novel (for Equinox in 2007).
He was a science editor of British GQ, a columnist for the Sunday Express in London and, 'in a previous incarnation', he was a member of Colour Me Pop. Colour Me Pop featured on the "Europe in the Year Zero" EP in 1982 with Yazoo and Sudeten Creche and he was then a member of the group The Thompson Twins (1982). He moved to Australia in 2002 and was made an Honorary Research Fellow at Curtin University in 2005.
He was the author of thirty-five books: these include Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science; Leonardo: The First Scientist; Tolkien: A Biography; and C. S. Lewis: The Boy Who Chronicled Narnia. His first novel Equinox – thriller, an occult mystery reached the Top Ten in the bestseller list in the UK and has been translated into 35 languages. His non-fiction production included the biography Galileo: Antichrist. Novels following Equinox include The Medici Secret, The Borgia Ring and The Art of Murder.
White wrote under two further names, Tom West and Sam Fisher. He used the latter pseudonym to publish the E-Force trilogy, State of Emergency, Aftershock, and Nano.
A further novel by White, The Venetian Detective, features characters including Galileo and Elizabeth.
White wrote a biography of Isaac Newton, The Last Sorcerer. He was both short-listed and long-listed for the Aventis prize. Rivals was short-listed in 2002, and The Fruits of War long-listed in 2006. He was also nominated for the Ned Kelly Prize for First Novel (for Equinox in 2007).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 17, 2013
This biography of Darwin was less dry than I feared. I've got a couple of Michael White's other biographies, and I've recently read his biography of C.S. Lewis, and it wasn't a fluke that I enjoyed it. He and his co-author wrote very clearly and engagingly; despite Darwin's less than emotional tendencies, they manage to bring out his character very well, at the same time as discussing his science. (Good companion to this book: the Darwin Song Project CD. Karine Polwart's "We're All Leaving" breaks my heart over and over.)
Given that I have a decent level of knowledge re: Darwin's work, genetics more generally, and modern developments concerning the field, I found the scientific detail a little frustrating, because it retrod ground I'm very used to. If you want to approach the idea of evolution through an accessible figure, though, Michael White and John Gribbin did a great job here.
My main criticism is the same as for White's biography of Lewis: it isn't chronological, but rather thematic, leading to the problem of repeated information and other such redundancies, and a sense of not being quite sure when in Darwin's life they're actually discussing.
Given that I have a decent level of knowledge re: Darwin's work, genetics more generally, and modern developments concerning the field, I found the scientific detail a little frustrating, because it retrod ground I'm very used to. If you want to approach the idea of evolution through an accessible figure, though, Michael White and John Gribbin did a great job here.
My main criticism is the same as for White's biography of Lewis: it isn't chronological, but rather thematic, leading to the problem of repeated information and other such redundancies, and a sense of not being quite sure when in Darwin's life they're actually discussing.
July 15, 2023
Kim tak naprawdę był Karol Darwin, genialny biolog i autor teorii, która zrewolucjonizowała postrzeganie świata?
Z jednej strony był to człowiek słabego zdrowia i początkowo bez jasno określonego celu życiowego, a jednak udało mu się przetrwać prawie pięcioletnią podróż na okręcie HMS Beagle, a następnie dzięki swoim obserwacjom i odważnym wnioskom, stworzyć dzieło przełomowe – teorię ewolucji drogą doboru naturalnego. Teorię, o której wiedział, że nie zostanie przyjęta z entuzjazmem.
Największą chyba bolączką, nie do zaakceptowania przez ówczesny świat, było umieszczenie człowieka na drzewie filogenetycznym. O ile ewolucję pozostałych zwierząt jakoś od biedy można było dokleić do kreacjonizmu, tak człowieka stworzonego na boskie podobieństwo już nie za bardzo. Antropogeneza stanowiła wręcz obrazę uczuć religijnych i dla wielu naukowców tamtych czasów, stanowiła największą przeszkodę do zaakceptowania teorii Karola Darwina. Chociaż poglądy współczesnych mu fizyków np. Williama Thomsona, który szacował wiek Ziemi na 100 mln lat, czyli czas stanowczo za krótki jak na potrzeby ewolucji, również sprawiły, że Darwin zaczął w siebie i swoją teorię wątpić. Dowody, których potrzebował, zjawiły się już po jego śmierci.
Jeżeli chodzi o samą książkę, to nie do końca jestem z niej zadowolona. Przeszkadzał mi występujący momentami brak ciągłości między rozdziałami – przeskakiwanie do przodu lub cofanie się w wydarzeniach, powodujący niepotrzebny chaos. Było też kilka komentarzy, z którymi nie do końca się zgadzam, np.:
„Jak na ironię, wyjaśnieniem melancholii Darwina może być właśnie to, że wiódł tak komfortowy żywot i na niczym mu nie zbywało. Huxley i Hooker musieli zwalczać przeciwników politycznych i naukowych, pracować równocześnie na kilku posadach, borykać się z kłopotami finansowymi, wypełniać swoje obowiązki w Towarzystwie Królewskim i pewno nie zostawało im zbyt wiele czasu na popadanie w depresję”.
6/10
Z jednej strony był to człowiek słabego zdrowia i początkowo bez jasno określonego celu życiowego, a jednak udało mu się przetrwać prawie pięcioletnią podróż na okręcie HMS Beagle, a następnie dzięki swoim obserwacjom i odważnym wnioskom, stworzyć dzieło przełomowe – teorię ewolucji drogą doboru naturalnego. Teorię, o której wiedział, że nie zostanie przyjęta z entuzjazmem.
Największą chyba bolączką, nie do zaakceptowania przez ówczesny świat, było umieszczenie człowieka na drzewie filogenetycznym. O ile ewolucję pozostałych zwierząt jakoś od biedy można było dokleić do kreacjonizmu, tak człowieka stworzonego na boskie podobieństwo już nie za bardzo. Antropogeneza stanowiła wręcz obrazę uczuć religijnych i dla wielu naukowców tamtych czasów, stanowiła największą przeszkodę do zaakceptowania teorii Karola Darwina. Chociaż poglądy współczesnych mu fizyków np. Williama Thomsona, który szacował wiek Ziemi na 100 mln lat, czyli czas stanowczo za krótki jak na potrzeby ewolucji, również sprawiły, że Darwin zaczął w siebie i swoją teorię wątpić. Dowody, których potrzebował, zjawiły się już po jego śmierci.
Jeżeli chodzi o samą książkę, to nie do końca jestem z niej zadowolona. Przeszkadzał mi występujący momentami brak ciągłości między rozdziałami – przeskakiwanie do przodu lub cofanie się w wydarzeniach, powodujący niepotrzebny chaos. Było też kilka komentarzy, z którymi nie do końca się zgadzam, np.:
„Jak na ironię, wyjaśnieniem melancholii Darwina może być właśnie to, że wiódł tak komfortowy żywot i na niczym mu nie zbywało. Huxley i Hooker musieli zwalczać przeciwników politycznych i naukowych, pracować równocześnie na kilku posadach, borykać się z kłopotami finansowymi, wypełniać swoje obowiązki w Towarzystwie Królewskim i pewno nie zostawało im zbyt wiele czasu na popadanie w depresję”.
6/10
June 14, 2020
I started this book in 1996, before my first child was born. Thought it might be time to finish it!
An excellent overview of Darwin's life, well written though repetitive at times. As far as I can tell, the authors did not really have or claim to have new discoveries or insights, but it was a successful compilation of elements that readers interested in Darwin might know already from other sources.
An excellent overview of Darwin's life, well written though repetitive at times. As far as I can tell, the authors did not really have or claim to have new discoveries or insights, but it was a successful compilation of elements that readers interested in Darwin might know already from other sources.
January 11, 2025
Reading about the lives of creative people who dig deep into their passions and discover / build something lasting for generations to come is fast becoming one of my favourite genres, especially when it comes to those learning about our physical world, be it through science or travel. While this might not be the most well written biography out there, this book still did a decent job presenting both the life and the work of Charles Darwin in an interesting and very consumable format.
December 30, 2017
I was afraid this would be a dry read but gladly I was wrong (not sure why I had the doubts in the first place). I'm a biologist myself and was obviously familiar with Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection but I knew very little about Darwin himself. This book filled my gaps of knowledge about him quite well and it also made me reflect evolution more carefully once again.
To be honest, reading this was a long project for me, almost a year, but it's not the book's fault. I enjoyed reading this; I found it interesting and even entertaining. I liked that the chapters alternated between Darwin's personal life and his work. I had no idea about his bouts of illnesses and the fact that he was still able to produce one of the most important scientific works ever written is highly respectable and, quite frankly, a little humbling. I also didn't know how prolific he was, I knew his major works but he published a tons of other things as well.
By coincidence, I heard a lecture about Darwin just a couple of weeks ago and that lecture was maybe a little more critical about Darwin than this book. I don't want to undermine Darwin's prestige and I don't think that lecture was doing that either, but I feel that maybe this book left out things that would have made Darwin look more like a flawed human being and less like a genius who couldn't do anything wrong. I think that's kind of shame because I like to know the good and the bad. There was this self-deprecating quote by Darwin on Darwin at the end of the book which I liked a lot and it just made him much more interesting and accessible than all the appraisal in the world could have done.
I've had this in my shelf for years and I'm glad I finally read it. This is highly interesting biography of a person whose contributions to science are immeasurable and whose work has deeply affected my own personal view of the world.
To be honest, reading this was a long project for me, almost a year, but it's not the book's fault. I enjoyed reading this; I found it interesting and even entertaining. I liked that the chapters alternated between Darwin's personal life and his work. I had no idea about his bouts of illnesses and the fact that he was still able to produce one of the most important scientific works ever written is highly respectable and, quite frankly, a little humbling. I also didn't know how prolific he was, I knew his major works but he published a tons of other things as well.
By coincidence, I heard a lecture about Darwin just a couple of weeks ago and that lecture was maybe a little more critical about Darwin than this book. I don't want to undermine Darwin's prestige and I don't think that lecture was doing that either, but I feel that maybe this book left out things that would have made Darwin look more like a flawed human being and less like a genius who couldn't do anything wrong. I think that's kind of shame because I like to know the good and the bad. There was this self-deprecating quote by Darwin on Darwin at the end of the book which I liked a lot and it just made him much more interesting and accessible than all the appraisal in the world could have done.
I've had this in my shelf for years and I'm glad I finally read it. This is highly interesting biography of a person whose contributions to science are immeasurable and whose work has deeply affected my own personal view of the world.
June 28, 2010
White and Gribbin have produced a thorough and enjoyable insight into the life, work and death of Charles Darwin from his childhood in Shrewsbury to his time on the Beagle and his subsequent life as a published and respected scientist and writer. Although his theory of evolution and Origin have their own chapters, they don't dominate the book but rather compliment the other chapters detailing Darwin's other works, achievements and life as a husband and father. Whilst not the most in depth or analytical account of his life, this is by far one of the more readable and thus accessable accounts to one of Britain's greatest scientific minds and one who has since been overshadowed by only one of his many great works (although, as the authors point out, this goes to show the enormity and value of this work).
August 13, 2015
I will always have a great respect for this man. The qualities that touched me the most were his modesty, open mind - especially for those times - and eagerness to work despite his weak health. I must admit that I was very sad while reading the chapter about his death. However, I don't know if I will ever be 100% evolutionist. I feel that there has to be something more, a deeper meaning...
Once again Malcolm Gladwell 's idea from "Outliers" proves to be right: succes is the result of more cumulative advantages. Imagine Darwin being born in a poor family or becoming poor at some point in his life... Having to work in some other way and not having enough time to develop his theories.
To conclude, the book is very interesting but poorly written. The same ideas are presented 2 or 3 times in different chapters.
Once again Malcolm Gladwell 's idea from "Outliers" proves to be right: succes is the result of more cumulative advantages. Imagine Darwin being born in a poor family or becoming poor at some point in his life... Having to work in some other way and not having enough time to develop his theories.
To conclude, the book is very interesting but poorly written. The same ideas are presented 2 or 3 times in different chapters.
February 28, 2016
A wonderfully written book about Darwin's life, I have read it with enthusiasm. I enjoyed the most the way the authors succeeded in explaining briefly and simply not only Darwin's life but also his fundamental ideas about evolution, and how Darwin reached them.
June 20, 2010
Para quem não teve que encontrar, ao longo do seu percurso académico, Darwin e a sua Teoria da Evolução, esta biografia é um admirável Mundo novo! Para os restantes, que como eu, arranharam a superfície dos meandros da formação das espécies e da supremacia do mais apto, é igualmente surpreendente!
A maioria, concorde ou não com a Teoria da Evolução e a sua contradição do Criacionismo, reconhece em Darwin um cérebro singular e um cientista que merece um reconhecimento incontornável.
A sua biografia é uma descoberta a cada página, qual naturalista espreitando a cada rocha vulcânica nas Galápagos! Enganem-se aqueles que pensam que Darwin ocupou grande parte da sua longa vida dedicando-se apenas à Evolução!
Mais que um biólogo, ele foi principalmente um geólogo, tendo sido altamente reconhecido pela comunidade científica da sua época neste campo. Aliás, sem os seus estudos geológicos e inferência da idade do planeta Terra, a Teoria da Evolução teria sido mais parca e menos conclusiva! Mas a Geologia e a Evolução não foram os amores únicos deste cientista. Dotado de uma curiosidade quase infantil por todo o Mundo natural, Darwin estudou e publicou de tudo um pouco. Desde ensaios sobre plantas e minhocas, às expressões faciais humanas, a herança de Darwin está presente em todas as grandes áreas científicas actuais.
Espantoso foi também descobrir a vertente pessoal, desde as suas incapacitantes maleitas físicas à vida familiar e reservada, que paralelamente influíram preponderantemente no seu profícuo trabalho.
Numa linguagem simples e escorreita, esta biografia lê-se facilmente, e é uma lição de História Natural para todos, tendo ou não conhecimentos científicos sobre tal assunto.
A maioria, concorde ou não com a Teoria da Evolução e a sua contradição do Criacionismo, reconhece em Darwin um cérebro singular e um cientista que merece um reconhecimento incontornável.
A sua biografia é uma descoberta a cada página, qual naturalista espreitando a cada rocha vulcânica nas Galápagos! Enganem-se aqueles que pensam que Darwin ocupou grande parte da sua longa vida dedicando-se apenas à Evolução!
Mais que um biólogo, ele foi principalmente um geólogo, tendo sido altamente reconhecido pela comunidade científica da sua época neste campo. Aliás, sem os seus estudos geológicos e inferência da idade do planeta Terra, a Teoria da Evolução teria sido mais parca e menos conclusiva! Mas a Geologia e a Evolução não foram os amores únicos deste cientista. Dotado de uma curiosidade quase infantil por todo o Mundo natural, Darwin estudou e publicou de tudo um pouco. Desde ensaios sobre plantas e minhocas, às expressões faciais humanas, a herança de Darwin está presente em todas as grandes áreas científicas actuais.
Espantoso foi também descobrir a vertente pessoal, desde as suas incapacitantes maleitas físicas à vida familiar e reservada, que paralelamente influíram preponderantemente no seu profícuo trabalho.
Numa linguagem simples e escorreita, esta biografia lê-se facilmente, e é uma lição de História Natural para todos, tendo ou não conhecimentos científicos sobre tal assunto.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2011
Charles Darwin led a much more interesting life than I had suspected, and the authors write engagingly about it.
Most people probably know that Darwin's father wanted him to become a cleric, but I for one did not know 1) that young Charles was very much a rich socialite who at college age caroused in London with his brother, 2) that after the Beagle voyage, Darwin lived with his wife in London for a number of years before moving to Down House, 3) that he invested with a great deal of care and watched over these investments closely, 4) with Emma he had 10 children and he was a devoted family man.
There are more surprising details like these throughout the book, but the focus is on Darwin's work, his standing as a scientist, and the battles fought over natural selection as the mechanism of evolution. Good reading there, and I learned a great deal about other Victorian scientists, such as Joseph Dalton Hooker, who was a good friend to and of Darwin.
The book suffers from a lack of good editing, and redundant episodes are poorly disguised by phrases such as "as we mentioned in Chapter 10" and "as will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 6." The practice became so annoying that it detracted from the enjoyment of what would otherwise most certainly have been a 4-star book.
Most people probably know that Darwin's father wanted him to become a cleric, but I for one did not know 1) that young Charles was very much a rich socialite who at college age caroused in London with his brother, 2) that after the Beagle voyage, Darwin lived with his wife in London for a number of years before moving to Down House, 3) that he invested with a great deal of care and watched over these investments closely, 4) with Emma he had 10 children and he was a devoted family man.
There are more surprising details like these throughout the book, but the focus is on Darwin's work, his standing as a scientist, and the battles fought over natural selection as the mechanism of evolution. Good reading there, and I learned a great deal about other Victorian scientists, such as Joseph Dalton Hooker, who was a good friend to and of Darwin.
The book suffers from a lack of good editing, and redundant episodes are poorly disguised by phrases such as "as we mentioned in Chapter 10" and "as will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 6." The practice became so annoying that it detracted from the enjoyment of what would otherwise most certainly have been a 4-star book.
November 11, 2013
An unexpectedly enjoyable read! It erases false theories of character and gives a solid background of the science he was involved in.
There were a few exaggerated moments, especially the constant explanations concerning his state of health which I found rather boring after a while.
There were a few exaggerated moments, especially the constant explanations concerning his state of health which I found rather boring after a while.
May 31, 2009
A clear explanation of Darwin's Life, how he came to be on the Beagle, and some of the background issues that were relevant in Victorian times.
December 7, 2009
A decent and easy to read overview of his life and his work.
September 3, 2024
Ok biography.
But not very Captivating.
But not very Captivating.
October 7, 2015
This is a pretty dry read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews