Ο Δαρβίνος και η γένεση της σύγχρονης εξελικτικής σκέψης

by Ernst W. Mayr, Σπύρος Σφενδουράκης (Translator)

Ο σύγχρονος εξελικτικός ανατρέχει διαρκώς στον Δαρβίνο. Αυτό δεν είναι παράξενο, αφού οι ρίζες όλης της εξελικτικής μας σκέψης φτάνουν πίσω σε αυτόν. Πολύ συχνά οι σύγχρονες αντιδικίες μας έχουν ως αφετηρία κάποια ασάφεια στα γραπτά του Δαρβίνου ή ένα ερώτημα που δεν μπορούσε να απαντήσει ο ίδιος λόγω της τότε ανεπαρκούς βιολογικής γνώσης. Στρέφεται όμως κανείς στα πρωτότυπα έργα του και για άλλους λόγους, πέρα από ιστορικούς. Συχνά ο Δαρβίνος κατανοούσε τα πράγματα με μεγαλύτερη διαύγεια από υποστηρικτές και αντιπάλους του, περιλαμβανομένων και των σημερινών.

Η ανάλυση οποιουδήποτε σχεδόν επιστημονικού προβλήματος οδηγεί αυτόματα στη μελέτη της ιστορίας του. Τα πολλά ανεπίλυτα ζητήματα στην εξελικτική βιολογία δεν αποτελούν εξαίρεση σε αυτόν τον κανόνα Για να κατανοήσει όμως κανείς την ιστορία ενός επιστημονικού προβλήματος, πρέπει να εκτιμήσει όχι μόνο την κατάσταση της αντικειμενικής γνώσης, αλλά και το Zeitgeist (πνεύμα της εποχής).

Genres: Science, Biology, Evolution, Nonfiction, History, Philosophy, History Of Science

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

For the computer scientist, see Ernst Wilhelm Meyr

Ernst Walter Mayr (July 5, 1904 – February 3, 2005) was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, and historian of science. His work contributed to the conceptual revolution that led to the modern evolutionary synthesis of Mendelian genetics, systematics, and Darwinian evolution, and to the development of the biological species concept.

Although Charles Darwin and others posited that multiple species could evolve from a single common ancestor, the mechanism by which this occurred was not understood, creating the species problem. Ernst Mayr approached the problem with a new definition for the concept of species. In his book Systematics and the Origin of Species (1942) he wrote that a species is not just a group of morphologically similar individuals, but a group that can breed only among themselves, excluding all others. When populations within a species become isolated by geography, feeding strategy, mate selection, or other means, they may start to differ from other populations through genetic drift and natural selection, and over time may evolve into new species. The most significant and rapid genetic reorganization occurs in extremely small populations that have been isolated (as on islands).

His theory of peripatric speciation (a more precise form of allopatric speciation which he advanced), based on his work on birds, is still considered a leading mode of speciation, and was the theoretical underpinning for the theory of punctuated equilibrium, proposed by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould. Mayr is sometimes credited with inventing modern philosophy of biology, particularly the part related to evolutionary biology, which he distinguished from physics due to its introduction of (natural) history into science.

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the books about Darwin and evolutionary theory, this one is the most understandable for students. Mayr presents the history of Darwin's idea along with the modern synthesis in a straightforward manner.

[Krish Sanghvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are books on Darwinism, and there are books on Darwin. Darwinism is the study of evolution (descent with modification), via gradualism, natural selection, and inheritance.
Darwin is Charles, the biologist. This book is on both.
It tells us the story of the history of biology, from lamarckian ideas to neo- Darwinism. One cannot understand science without understanding the history of ideas that underpin it. Sure, most lamarckian ideas seem irrelevant now (except epigenetics), but one needs to understand the uniformitarian view of Lamarck which thought about the mechanism by which species change, in order to understand the origin of Darwinian ideas.
This book hence, is very rich in ideas, in the history of ideas really. It talks about how our theories about the natural world have changed over 400 years- from believing in a non changing natural world only 4000 years old where all creatures were created by god, to a theory which doesn't need a creator, and where life changes over hundreds of millions of years of self referenced evolution.
This books also talks about Darwin's life. It's sort of like Darwin's biography. Any biologist should know these things about Darwin.

Evolution by natural selection is the most robust theory science has ever produced. Something that explains the mechanism is utmost detail, has immense evidence, has mostly remained unchanged and unrefuted, has high predictive and explanatory power, is multidisciplinary (think geology, chemistry, even quantum physics) and acknowledges the history of ideas that precede it. Yet, some things that Darwin got wrong, and which have been debated upon for over a century, still remain unresolved. These include- saltation vs gradualism, origin of life, structural vs informational changes in DNA. They have been subject to one long argument. And that's what this book is about.
Biology has come a long long way, especially when compared to physics, which is stuck in an unknown place since 80 years.

This book gives a good introduction on how ideas in biology changed once Darwin came to the scene. He introduced- non linear speciation, explained the mechanism for speciation, the mechanism for evolution, the definition and cause of adaptations, the pace of evolution, the factors that drive evolution. He also changed many ideas which were the zeitgeist of the 16th and 17th century- finalism, absolutism, progressivism, ultimate causationism, teleology, creationism, determinism, physicalism, and essentialism. His new ideas created a path for other sciences to have a similar paradigm shift- from classical to relational.

The strength of this book lies in how it explains essential ideas in evolution by referring to the history of ideas. Most popular evolution books today will only state and describe ideas without acknowledging the history of that idea. This book hence stands above those. It not only describes speciation, species concept, inheritance, constancy, descent etc. But also explains how these ideas have changed over time and why, and how this has affected the way we understand the nature of organisms.

The book Also discusses some contentious ideas of Darwin, which haven't been resolved yet, like gradualism (although Mayr was a strong believer In Gradualism, I think the argument for saltation can't be rejected yet), or the appearance of progress and trends in evolution, which may not be finalistic. Most informed non-biologists think that Darwin only came up with the idea of evolution, but there are many nuanced ideas within this- multiplication of species, natural selection, heritability, common descent, and gradualism, and this book discusses the fate and history of these ideas.
It’s also explains the modern synthesis pretty well and how different ideas of the 19th century were reconciled into one big theory of modern biology.
It also discusses the prevailing zeitgeist of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, and how this has changed over time from being essentialist, absolutist, non variationist (where all things were generalised and variation was ignored), anthropocentric, and. creationist, to their antonyms, all because of modern science (evolution, gen rel, QM). Variation is essential for natural selection to occur, and most philosophy before Darwin ignored the role variation played. They also ignored that phenotypes and individuals get acted upon within a population, and genes get selected upon and spread within a population, hence they ignored the role populations played.

This book is also a good introduction to Lamarck, especially for those who haven't heard of him or read his books. Even most biology students only know about lamarckian use and disuse, but Lamarck was a library of ideas- from gradualism, to spontaneous occurrence of traits, to relational evolution, adaptation to the environment, and non constant phenotypes. A lot of lamarckian ideas were very progressive for his time, and few are still very relevant (and find their essence in fields such as epigenetics). It was a shame that Wallace wasn't discussed enough in the book. It also discusses Malthus and how his essays on populations gave insights to Darwin to formulate his theory of natural selection and shift from a species centred view to a population and individual centred view of evolution.
Some really interesting chapters on the modern synthesis discuss the roles people like Weismann and Huxley and Mendel played, in reconciling evolutionary biology with other biologists like Mendelian inheritance, development and ontogeny, genetics.

This book also has some fantastic discussions on the pace of evolution, and progress and evolution. It refutes finalistic, goal oriented, saltational evolution by making some good arguments, and discusses how different biologists from different times have thought about these ideas. It discusses with brilliance, the difference between cosmic teleology- an absolute goal that the universe or life must achieve, and evolutionary teleology- which is either a consequence of selection, or a consequence of within individual processes such as ontogeny, physiology and behaviour. It's also talks about how pseudo- teleology arises via species selection, giving the impression of progress. So yes, evolution is teleological, but not directional, or absolute, or goal oriented, or foresighted. It also has a very good explanation of natural selection, and discusses how darwin's change of thought brought about this idea. The book also discusses how many of darwin's ideas have been/ are still misinterpreted, and provides some robust arguments to support his claims. This was really insightful, coz inspite of being a biologist, I was ignorant about some of these.

The forte of the book lies not it what it imparts as facts. Instead, it is the rich discussion of the history and progress of ideas in biology, and their implications and relevance and ideological underpinnings, which make it worth reading. This book is an ode to Darwin and Darwinian ideas, and an ode to the history and philosophy of biology.
Parts of the book seemed redundant because they discussed in utmost detail, darwin's life, which although seemed interesting, was a waste of time because of the excessive details.

The future of evolutionary biology needs to answer the following questions- what is the tempo and mode and pace of evolution? What is the target of selection? What are the levels of selection? How are acquired traits inherited? What is the main source of genetic variation? Does micro=macro evolution? Another major resolution needed in biology is to answer why different levels of evolution: proteins, genes, phenotypes, populations, species; evolve at different rates and are often disjunct, and why there is low equitibility in their rates of evolution.

Disclaimer- this book assumes that you have some knowledge of evolutionary biology and have at least heard of names like Lamarck and Wallace. It doesn't delve into explaining the basics of evolution coz this is assumed knowledge. Read Dawkins or losos before you read Mayr for a better appreciation of this book.

Post script- this book mentions many names which had influenced Darwins thought, the primary ones being Malthus, Lamarck, Lyell. I hope to read them soon.

[Julio Bernad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro indispensable para todo aquel interesado en la fascinante figura de Darwin y el darwinismo, escrito por uno de los padres de la síntesis evolutiva cuando ya contaba con 88 años, y es mas lucido y brillante que muchos biólogos mas jóvenes que me han dado clase sobre este mismo tema. Mayr realiza un recorrido por toda la historia del darwinismo, con sus luces y sus sombras, desde Lamarck y los preevolucionistas hasta los descubrimientos y nuevas teorías -nuevas en los 90, claro-, pasando por la famosa síntesis evolutiva que dio sentido a todas las doctrinas evolutivas de principios de siglo XX.
El retrato que nos ofrece de Darwin como científico es muy exhaustivo y fascinante, un hombre humilde y complejo, lleno de contradicciones al final de su vida que tuvo que ver como su teoría era ampliamente aceptada por la mayor parte de los científicos de su época, pero que muy pocos llegaban a comprenderla por completo. Es muy importante el rescate que hace de la figura de Weissmann, científico alemán de finales del siglo XIX que mayor defensa realizo del darwinismo en un momento en que éste pasaba por sus peores momentos.
Si estas haciendo un trabajo sobre Darwin y la teoría de la evolución, este debe ser tu libro de referencia: es corto, conciso, completo, esta muy bien esquematizado y tiene el aval de haber sido escrito por uno de los biólogos mas grandes del siglo XX. Imprescindible

[Champagne Drinking Teetotaler · Rating 2 out of 5]

a lot of straw men, some intellectual dishonesty, but I have learned valuable things about biology. Mayr's proposal for how to analyse teleological statements in biology (maybe not included in this exact edition) is a serious proposal, deserving further consideration! still much atheistic cringe, and bad history of philosophy

[Anthony Friscia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice overview of the development of evolutionary theory by Darwin, and the work that was done after him up to the time of publication. The book is from 1991, so much of the new research is dated (e.g., the material on molecular evolution), but the rest of it is Mayr writing at his best. The parts on the Evolutionary Synthesis are particularly good, since Mayr was heavily involved in the work of that time. His biases as a fairly strict selectionist are evident throughout the book. I don’t necessarily think he’s wrong in this way, but it does change the bent of the presentation a bit. A good read for those familiar with evolutionary theory and who want to go a bit deeper on it’s origins and development.

[Jason Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good look at the history and development of biology over the last 150 years within the Darwinian paradigm. Some people on here have complained that there was not much detail when it came to explaining some of the theories. I have to disagree as this book clarified a lot for me and filled in some loose ends -- I have in mind the section on mosaic evolution. This is the third book I've read from Mayr and it this book that is his most clear writing. I'd say drop Dawkins in the rubbish bin.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das wichtigste Buch, um moderne Sozialwissenschaften zu verstehen. Auf knapp 200 Seiten beschreitet Ernst Mayr den langen Weg des evolutionären Denkens von Darwin bis zur modernen Evolutionären Synthese.

Aber das wichtigste an diesem Buch ist nicht, die Historie der Idee der Evolution zu verstehen, sondern die zugrundeliegenden Annahmen von Darwin und seinen intellektuellen Nachfahren.
Der Bruch mit dem Determinismus, dem Teleologismus und dem Essenzialismus großer Denker wie Kant, Platon, oder auch Lamarck ist heute noch ebenso relevant wie damals.

Aus diesem Grund sollte das Buch in jedem Bücherregal aufzufinden sein, das etwas auf sich hält.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at Darwin's theories within the intellectual context of the past 150 years. Mayr doesn't go into a lot of detail about the theories or the data supporting them, however he does break the theories down into components that can be looked at against prevailing thinking in the scientific and philosophical communities. This leads to some interesting insights. For example, it had never occurred to me that scientists of Darwin's time accepted evolution and common descent but not natural selection. Selection seems far easier to see just by observing the world around you than common descent.

One thing that did bug me about the book was that Mayr dismisses some opponents of Darwin's theories with a bit of a sneer. He can't even be bothered to explain why these folks are wrong, just mentions that others have done so elsewhere.

[Isak · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One Long Argument" presents the history of Darwinism with brilliancy and conciseness.
It offers a compelling portrayal of Darwin, as a one-of-a-kind genius whose differences in mindset from other scientists and philosophers have engendered decades-long misunderstandings.
It also explains the tenets of Darwinian evolutionary thought with both clarity and philosophical nuance, without ever getting lost in the biological detail.
Lastly, it records the development of "Darwinism" in evolutionary biology with enlightening sociological considerations.
I would never say it is one of my favourite books - I also can't find anything wrong with it.
Enthusiastically recommended to anyone tangentially interested in the topic of evolution.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informational, contributing greatly to my understanding, not only of Darwin's theories but the circumstances of the times in which he wrote and what scientists have made of them since. I have actually read this through once, and am now half-way through a second read with extensive note-taking.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent enough book exploring Darwin's development of his theory and its acceptance over time, but I found the writing dry and sketchy, sometimes introducing concepts and detail without sufficient background. My fault that, I simply am not that familiar with the subtleties of the theory. Pushed through much of it, learning a few things.

[Dennis Ross]

I am looking for a book about Darwin for my book club. Feb 12th, tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of his birth. This book by the recently deceased Dean of American biology is good, but dry and technical. I will search further for my club

[Zrinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leads you through the relevant ideas and movements in the development of the modern evolutionary theory, putting much emphasis on Darwin and the impacts of "darwinism", with its different meanings and connotations. Mayr is a good storyteller.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps I need to give this one another chance. Mayr's writing style turned me off almost immediately when I picked this one up despite my having a great fascination for the subject.

[Bernie_dunham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1991. Ernst Mayr remains one of my favorite science authors.