Darwin and Evolution

The Big Idea: Scientists Who Changed the World

by Paul Strathern

THE BIG IDEA is a hugely popular series of science books that, at only 96 pages each, are an accessible read for the amateur.
At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...



When it was first published, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, with its now commonplace central idea of 'natural selection', scandalised the world. But in the context of modern times, how do we grasp just how original and daring it was in 1859?

Darwin & Evolution is a riveting look into the life of Charles Darwin and his reluctant rise from being a quiet and eccentric bug enthusiast to one of the greatest scientists of all time. Darwin's Big Idea is explained in a straightforward and gripping style, providing an account of the importance of his groundbreaking voyage on HMS Beagle, and the implications of his revolutionary concept of evolution.



The Big Idea series is a fascinating look at the greatest advances in our scientific history, and at the men and women who made these fundamental breakthroughs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Evolution, Biography

96 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

About the author

Paul Strathern (born 1940) is a English writer and academic. He was born in London, and studied at Trinity College, Dublin, after which he served in the Merchant Navy over a period of two years. He then lived on a Greek island. In 1966 he travelled overland to India and the Himalayas. His novel A Season in Abyssinia won a Somerset Maugham Award in 1972.

Besides five novels, he has also written numerous books on science, philosophy, history, literature, medicine and economics.

Reviews

[Guilherme Passos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um dia eu zero essa série. Um dos melhores até agora.

[Ubiratan Coutinho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traz se forma sintética uma visão das brigas internas de Darwin e a forma como ele chegou a tão revolucionária pesquisa desafiando a igreja pérpetua redentora de informações que atrapalharam historicamente a evolução mundial.

[Xolrax · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Salutino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un buen libro, corto aparte siento que favorece mucho a Darwin, no fue tan objetivo esta ocasión.

[Sophie Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and informative on Darwin’s life and discoveries 🤩🤩

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biografía corta de Charles Darwin, sobre su personalidad, sus primeros años como estudiante y su viaje a bordo del Beagle alrededor del mundo, así como su vida posterior y como fue tomando forma su idea de la evolución de las especies.
Está bien para tener una idea general de la vida de Darwin, y sobre sus trabajos científicos, que además de la evolución se dedicó más de una década solo al estudio de los percebes.
Algo positivo es que al final se recomiendan algunos libros sobre Darwin para ampliar nuestra visión de él y su obra.
La mejor parte es de cuando está de viaje en el Beagle y allí mismo leerá el libro de geología de Lyell que lo introducirá en una nueva teoría geológica, que será lo que le llevará junto a su trabajo botánico, y sus observaciones sobre la geografía y fauna de Sudamérica, África y Oceanía a su posterior idea de que en toda la naturaleza hay un cambio constante.

[Alethleia · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Creyendo como yo creo que el hombre, en el futuro lejano, será una criatura mucho más perfecta de lo que ahora es, la idea de que tanto él como todos los otros seres que sienten estén condenados a la aniquilación después de un progreso tan lento y penoso es un pensamiento intolerable. Para aquellos que crean en la inmortalidad del alma humana, la destrucción de nuestro mundo no parecerá tan terrible».

[Laura (b00k-witch) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay I suppose, I felt like I should have been getting a summary of Darwin's main theories and ideas but this wasn't completely given. The book gives a comprehensive summary of Darwin's life with a basic overview of the theories. It was presented in a very conversational way with no references given leading me to distrust it a little. There are other volumes which execute the attempt made in this book much better.

[Luana Fortes Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biografia resumida e romantizada, traz a realidade do século XIX no desenvolvimento da teoria da seleção natural. A estrutura é de estória leve e não-séria, mas cita influências que Darwin teve até a publicação de A Origem das Espécies (como Malthus e a luta pela sobrevivência, e a coragem para publicação após Wallace ter chegado a conclusões próximas), e obras posteriores.

[Luís Garcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Lido em lampang, Tailândia)

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strathern doesn't really cover the 'Evolution' aspect of the book's title much, but as a brief glimpse into Darwin's life it was a fun page-turner. I had no idea Darwin was such a rebel!