What Evolution Is

by Ernst W. Mayr

At once a spirited defense of Darwinian explanations of biology and an elegant primer on evolution for the general reader, What Evolution Is poses the questions at the heart of evolutionary theory and considers how our improved understanding of evolution has affected the viewpoints and values of modern man. Science Masters Series

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

318 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2001

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

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

"WHAT EVOLUTION IS", a classic book on this topic, opens with an interesting foreword by Jared Diamond (author of Guns, Germs and Steel and The third Chimpanzee among other books), approaching the importance of how and why evolution needs to be understood not only by the scientific community but also by the general public. I have to say that now I understand the great influence Ernst Mayr I have read on Diamond's publications, specially the role that geography plays on speciation.

In my opinion, this is a fascinating book that will lead you from the biogeographically, molecular and embryological evidence there is on evolution and explain the basic concepts you will need to understand how and why evolution takes place. Evolution, that opportunist process, is not an easy field of study. To fully understand it you need a broad knowledge of many fields of science in which genetics plays a major role, since mutation is the principal source of genetic variation in a population. Molecular biology has and still continues to make great and astonishing contributions to our understanding of the evolutionary process and strengthening Darwinism. In this aspect, Mayr makes a successful explanation of the principles of inheritance and genetics in a very simple manner for anyone interested to understand, from the micro all the way to macroevolution.

Charles Darwin views on evolution are referred to as The Darwinian Theory, but lets remember that in the scientific community the meaning of the word theory is: "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on knowledge that has been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation ". Darwin contributed with five major theories of evolution. Two of them that make the theory of common descent, and marks the first Darwinian revolution. The other three: gradualism, speciation and the well known natural selection, make the second Darwinian revolution. So, you will definitely get familiar with the Darwinian theory throughout this book.

Ernst Mayr closes beautifully with chapter on: how did mankind evolve, human uniqueness and altruism. It is a book that was published on 2001 and you will probably read parts where he writes that some things are still unknown but are now explained and well documented. To name a few examples: short and long term memory is now well explained from a molecular approach that led Eric Kandel win a Nobel prize on 2004; also, those genes that led to the development of our language such as the FOXP2gene. You will probably ask: "What about the mind and consciousness, is there an explanation for that, do animals have consciousness?" Yes, animals have consciousness and human consciousness evolved from animal consciousness! Hopefully, the reductionist molecular approach will soon give us a clear and definite answer and will finally settle that endless debate that has been for science, religion and philosophy for many, many years and explain us in detail what makes us human. I'll just paraphrase Mayr on this: "intelligence and consciousness is our most highly evolved end point of a long evolutionary history".

Evolution is a fact.... but, like Mayr says on his preface: "That evolution has taken place is so well established that such a detailed presentation of the evidence is no longer needed. In any case, it would not convince those who do not want to be persuaded".

If you want to want to fully grasp the meaning and the basic concepts of evolution and why it is important for you to understand it, bring out your curious human side and read What evolution is by Ernst Mayr. An essential reading on the subject!

"Nothing in biology makes sense, except in the light of evolution" T. Dobzhansky

[Mircea Petcu · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte care mi-a răspuns la întrebările pe care le aveam despre teoria evoluției:

1) Ce evoluează?
Este populația. Evoluția este cel mai bine înțeleasă ca modificarea genetică a indivizilor fiecărei populații, de la generație la alta.

2) Este selecția naturală un proces întâmplător sau determinist?
Selecția naturală cuprinde două etape. În prima etapă este produsă variabilitatea nouă, în mare parte prin intermediul mutațiilor, în care întâmplarea are un rol decisiv. A doua etapă, cea a selecției propriu-zise, este un amestec de întâmplare și determinism. Evident, acei indivizi ce asigură cea mai mare adaptabilitate au cea mai mare probabilitate de supraviețuire. Dar nu este un determinism pur. Spre exemplu, catastrofele naturale pot ucide indivizi altminteri adaptați.

3) Ce este adaptarea?
Adaptarea este un produs secundar al precesului de eliminare prin selecție naturală. Procesul adaptării este strict pasiv, supraviețuitorii nu contribuie la procesul de a deveni mai bine adaptați prin nicio activitate specială.

E o carte destul de tehnică. Mi-a umplut memoria cu termeni de specialitate.

Recomand

[Riku Sayuj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am guessing most of the science text-books borrowed from this masterpiece to convey these ideas effectively. But that also means that when someone goes back and reads the original it sounds too text-book-ey, in presentation and content. Not many ideas here which you wouldn't have been exposed to, but still a valuable book to turn to if you are coming to the field for the first time, or after a long break.

I am giving it 3 stars only because I didn't get much out of it and had to skim through it looking for paragraphs which I couldn't predict the content of by merely glancing at the first sentence. However, it is a well presented, coherent summation of the most important scientific discovery of the age. Worth a read. Worth assigning to any class of young students.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ernst’s lucid writing makes the subject of evolution accessible to any educated layperson . . . I can summarize my views on What Evolution Is by saying that anybody with even the slightest interest in evolution should own and read this book. You will be richly rewarded. There is no better book on evolution. There will never be another book like it.” -Jared Diamond

I share Professor Diamond’s view of this book with one small exception; I would say that any “educated layperson” who wants to delve into the intricacies of the science and come away with a better understanding of its principles should own and read this book—if your interest is only “slight” I recommend you give this one a pass. Mayr starts at square one but he ends at square nine thousand two hundred and ten.

On the Bible

To Mayr’s credit, he doesn’t waste a lot of time countering the circular and scientifically illiterate arguments of creationists and ID (intelligent design) propagandists…

“. . . there is no longer any need to present an exhaustive list of the proofs for evolution. That evolution has taken place is so well established that such a detailed presentation of the evidence is no longer needed. In any case, it would not convince those who do not want to be persuaded.”

But it’s only a theory…

After one hundred and sixty plus years of confirming discoveries, literal mountains of new found fossil evidence, enormous advancements in genetic science, and predictive computer modeling that substantiates and validates the process, it is time to put the antiquated specter of guesswork to bed.

“It is very questionable whether the term “evolutionary theory” should be used any longer. That evolution has occurred and takes place all the time is a fact so overwhelmingly established that it has become irrational to call it a theory . . . evolution as such is a fact. It has taken place ever since the origin of life.”

Questions, Questions, Questions

Here are but a few of those pertinent and burning scientific questions that Mayr addresses in this book [with no spoilers]:

1. Was there an RNA world before the DNA world?
2. What role does chance play in the process of natural selection?
3. Is Homo habilis really a late-stage Australopithecus?
4. Why has no amphibian ever successfully adapted to saltwater?
5. Why are there no woodpeckers in New Guinea?
6. As evolving human beings, is our transition from quadrupeds to bipeds complete?
7. How do post-reproductive ailments (like osteoarthritis and dementia) affect human evolution?
8. Why are all the fossil hominids older than 2 million years found in Africa?
9. Is it true that chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than they are to gorillas?
10. With over 8.1 billion humans on the planet, are any two truly identical?

I probably say this every time I read a good book on evolution, but this one is the best I’ve read so far (I’ll go back and edit all the others). 5 stars.

[Dennis Littrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid first course in evolution

(But not for dummies.)

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this book is that the author was born in 1905. What legendary biologist Ernst Mayr might next want to share with us is his secret for remaining so mentally acute for so many years! Reading this exposition on evolution by "The world's greatest living biologist and a writer of extraordinary insight and clarity" (Stephen Jay Gould, on the jacket cover) is somewhat like taking Evolution 101 as it might be taught by Professor Mayr. As he writes in the Preface, his purpose is didactic. He would like us to know more about evolution and how it works.

First he presents the evidence for evolution, explaining (I hope) once and for all how evolution can be established as a fact even though we cannot perform experiments as we might in physics or chemistry: "Evolution...must be inferred from observations. Such inferences subsequently must be tested again and again against new observations, and the original inference is either falsified or considerably strengthened..." (p. 13) He adds on page 276, "I cannot see why...an overwhelming number of well-substantiated inferences is not scientifically as convincing as direct observations. Many theories in other historical sciences, such as geology and cosmology, are also based on inferences. The endeavor of certain philosophers to construct a fundamental difference between the two kinds of evidence strikes me as misleading."

To this I might add that all the evidence we have of the external world is from inference. Even so-called direct observations (whatever they may be) are inferences from the evidence of our senses and must be checked against the same inferences that others make.

Next Mayr explains how change and adaptation take place. He then explains why there is biodiversity. These are the first three parts of the book. Part Four is on human evolution and Chapter 11 in particular is a splendid, concise interpretation of the evidence for human evolution.

One of the thorny issues Mayr addresses is selection. He explains that it is the individual (the phenotype) that is selected, and not the gene and not the population. "[A] gene as such can never be the object of selection" because it "is only part of a genotype, whereas the phenotype of the individual as a whole (based on the genotype) is the actual object of selection." (p. 126) The gene cannot be the object of selection for another reason, namely that a single gene seldom, if ever, acts independently of other genes. They work together to bring about some feature of the phenotype and are subject to the action of regulatory genes (hox and pax genes). (p. 127) Furthermore, "Many genes do not have standard selective value. A gene may be beneficial when placed in one particular genotype, but it may be deleterious when placed in a genotype with different genes." (p. 128)

One of the things I learned here (p. 129) is that the phenotype includes "all the products of the behavioral genes. This includes the nest a bird builds, or the web of a spider, or the path of migration of a migratory bird." It also includes the gametes. Thus the ability of a spermatozoon to "swim" is part of the phenotype and is subject to natural selection.

Another interesting issue is group selection. Mayr defines two group types, "casual groups" and "cohesive social groups." Members of the former "are associated in a group [that] makes no contribution to their fitness." The latter, however, "owing to social cooperation among its members" "can indeed be a target of selection." This cleared up the group selection fuzziness for me.

It is interesting to note, however, that Mayr's argument seems to imply that if the cooperating group is the same as the species, then a species can be selected. However he writes on page 280, "The species as a whole is never the target of selection." He explains that "the differential success of [an] entire species is superimposed on...individual selection." Or, if I may phrase it another way, the differential success of a species is the result of the differential success of its individual members. What this really means, however one wishes to phrase it, is that selection can apply to an entire species (through its members).

A very fine example of Mayr's intelligence and sensitivity can be gleaned from reading his answer to the question on page 262, "Are there human races?" There are indeed races, Mayr explains, but the "race problem" is a result of "a faulty understanding of race. These people," he continues, "are typologists, and for them every member of a race has all the actual and imaginary characteristics of that race. To translate this bias into an absurd example, they would assume that every African-American can run the 100-meter dash faster than any European-American." What a race is, is a population and its members are individuals, not types. This is true of species as well.

There are a number of other technical and crucial issues in evolution that Mayr addresses including saltation and punctuated equilibria, altruism, kin selection, speciation, the origin of birds, etc. He even goes into a little exobiology on page 263. The book includes two appendices designed to help the reader cope with criticisms and questions about evolution. Appendix B sets forth 24 questions about evolution, such as "Is evolution a fact?" (yes) and "Is the Gaia hypothesis incompatible with Darwinism?" (no), etc. There is a glossary and an excellent index. There is some repetition, but I think we can take that as emphasis since this is an exercise in public education.

Although Mayr uses a minimum of jargon and writes in a straightforward manner, the issues are not simple. They need to be studied to be understood and appreciated. This is why I call this book Evolution 101 by Professor Mayr.

--Dennis Littrell, author of “Understanding Evolution and Ourselves”

[NA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought that reading biology book will be freakingly fun. Walaupun ga ngerti-ngerti amat yah pemirsa karena istilahnya banyak banget ya Allah tolong.

Pokoknya makasih yah om Ernst Mayr yang udah nulis buku sebagus ini. Gimana ga bagus, om Mayr nyeritain tentang evolusi sehalus itu dan kebantu banget sama terjemahannya KPG yang bagus banget.

KPG TERBAEQ 👏

Oh iyah, jadi sebenernya buku ini menurut om Jared Diamond (di bagian Pengantar) emang ditulis untuk orang-orang dari kalangan umum -yang ga mempelajari biologi secara khusus-.

Manfaatnya apa buku ini? Yah bisa tahu evolusi secara garis besar, kalo udah tahu yah barulah boleh nghina-hina Darwin kalo dirasa teorinya agak kurang cocok di hati dan jiwa yah pemirsa.

Yang paling aku suka dari buku ini, penjelasan yang detail tapi tetap menyenangkan. Om Mayr ngejelasin dari awal apa itu evolusi, hipotesisnya apa, metode penelitian apa yang dipake Darwin, referensi penelitian dari siapa, dan itu bener-bener rapih nyeritainnya, berasa lagi didongengin sama kakek sendiri.

Sejujurnya, aku sedih, kenapa baru tahu buku ini pas udah tua dan masuk fisika. Btw, buku ini pantes dijadiin pegangan untuk guru-guru buat dipelajarin bareng anak-anak muridnya. Urusan untuk ikut mahzabnya Om Mayr menempuh aliran Darwinisme mah urusan belakangan.

Jadi apakah Naya percaya teori evolusi?

Oh, ofkors.

Tapi apakah Naya percaya bahwa manusia adalah keturunan simpanse? Nah ini aku ga bisa jawab, karena pada bab Manusia-pun, yang aku tangkep, penulis sendiri ga bisa mastiin 100% bahwa manusia beneran berasal dari simpanse walaupun 99% yah DNA kita mirip simpanse, karena oh karena, baca ajah di bukunya langsung.

Jadi apakah buku ini layak dibaca?

Aku sih yes, ga tau kalo mas Anang.

P.S:
1) Aku suka banget buku ini nyediain daftar istilah, jadi aku bisa bolak balik ke daftar istilah selama baca.
2) Kayak lagi baca skripsi, banyaaaaak banget buku-buku layak baca di daftar refensi untuk belajar evolusi level advance. Termasuk buku Darwin-nya langsung.
3) Aku dulu beli bukunya di @bokabuo - toko buku online favorit aku soalnya sering kasih aku buku gratisan dan yang punya juga rajin baca buku -terus kenapa.

[Mohammad Noroozi · Rating 3 out of 5]

‫مجموعه‌ی مطالب کتاب، تنوع موضوعات، سیر کلی‌، فصل‌بندی‌ها و میزان پرداختن به جزئیات (در اکثر مواقع) برای من مناسب بود و حس می‌کنم مؤلف به هدفش، یعنی نوشتن کتابی درباره‌ی تکامل برای همگان، رسیده بود. موارد معدودی بود که به‌نظرم نویسنده بیش از حد وارد جزئیات شده بود یا کلی‌گویی کرده بود و اکثر سرفصل‌ها رو دوست داشتم.
‫ترجمه هم یک‌دست و روان بود. البته می‌شه گفت لحن نویسنده خشک و شبیه به کتب دانشگاهیه.

‫اما به‌نظرم کتاب چند تا ایراد داشت:
‫۱. خیلی از جاها نویسنده خودش رو تکرار می‌کرد و یک مطلب رو دو یا سه بار (گاهی در فصل‌های مختلف) توضیح می‌داد.
‫۲. فهم مبانی ژنتیک مندلی (فصل ۵) برای منی که هیچ اطلاعاتی ازش نداشتم سخت بود و خوب توضیح داده نشده بود. مجبور شدم از یک سری ویدئوی یوتوب کمک بگیرم و فصل رو از اول بخونم.
‫۳. چندین جا نویسنده از مفاهیم و اصطلاحات زودتر از شرح و تعریفشون استفاده می‌کرد و نیاز می‌شد که به عقب برگردم و از اول بخونم. اوایل کتاب این مشکل بیشتره.
‫۴. بعضاً جداول، شکل‌ها و نمودارها چندین صفحه با جایی که به‌اشون ارجاع داده می‌شد فاصله داشتن. (ممکنه این مسئله فقط مربوط به نسخه‌ی فارسی باشه)

[Ömer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared Diamond tarafından yazılan önsözünde, bu kitabın “Türlerin Kökeni’nden sonra yazılan en iyi evrim kitabı” olduğu söyleniyor. Benim bunu değerlendirecek yetkinliğim yok ama tam bir Evrim 101 kitabı olduğunu söyleyebilirim çünkü evrimi anlamak için, evrimle ilgili her şey tek tek ve kolay anlaşılabilir şekilde açıklanıyor. Doğrudan Darwin okumaya başlamadan önce sağlam bir kaynak olabilir.

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect. Here at last is a great book explaining the essential facts about evolutionary biology to everyone -novices and afficionados alike. There's a lot of introductory books on the topic, but this one stands out for at least two reasons.

First, Ernst Mayr is not taking side when dealing with arguable issues. Well, he certainly has his convictions (pro-gradualism, anti-selfish gene hypothesis...) but, he is very honest and fairplay with views opoosite to his own. We can't say the same about every author...

Then, and above all, he's not assuming his readers are a bunch of fools unable to grasp such difficult topics if they are not trained and qualified for it. He defines every key concepts, even the toughest ones in a enlightening prose, supported by enough examples to make the whole understandable even by laymen (like me!). There's a lot to learn, that's what we are here for.

Besides, the plan is well structured and organised: proofs that evolution is a fact, how it works and accounts for biodiversity and, finally, a closing chapter about human evolution. A straighforward appendix draws back on the main points by completing them. There's even a glossary to make the whole easier to go through.

A MUST read.

[Samaneh Toutounchian · Rating 4 out of 5]

فکر کردم بعنوان یکی که تجربی خوندم و به زیست‌شناسی علاقه دارم و تکامل و مسای۲ل مربوطه‌ش خیلی بهم مربوطه، نیازه که با دید علمی به این قضیه نگاه کنم و اساسش رو یاد بگیرم. و خب کی بهتر از ارنست مایر؟
موقع خوندن کتاب خودمو بخاطر روزایی که فکر می‌کردم حفظ کردن دوران زمین‌شناسی خیلی چرته، سرزنش کردم. واقعاً به یه حدی از علوم مختلف نیاز دارم. دنیا داره روز به روز بیشتر به سمت دید کلی‌نگر پیش می‌ره و با تک‌بعدی بودن کار پیش نمیره.
توضیحاتش عالی بوده. از بیسیک نوشته بود. مترجم کارش عالی بود. قسمت انسانش که دیگه فوق‌العاده بود و من محوش بودم.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

اين كتاب با زبان نسبتا ساده به توضيح نظريه ي تكامل داروين و موافقان و مخالفان بعدي پرداخته است.
ظهور جهان زنده، پيدايش و انقراض تبارها، منشا حيوانات و گياهان پيچيده تر براساس يافته هاي فسيلي و مطالعات ملكولي و سلولي توضيح داده شده است.
در فصل اخر كتاب نيز تكامل انسان از دودمان شامپانزه و پيدايش هومو و تكامل اخلاقي انسان پرداخته شده است.

[Mark Minasyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernst Mayr'ın adını ilk kez 2000 yılında, SETI üzerine 1995 yılında yazdığı bir eleştiri -ve Carl Sagan'ın ona cevabı ile devam eden yazışmaları- sayesinde duymuştum. 1996'da Sagan 62 yaşında, 2005'te ise Mayr 101 yaşında vefat etti. Bu kitap da 2001 yılında basılmış. Türkçe'ye çevrilmesi ise 2016 yılında gerçekleşmiş.

Kitap, evrimin artık bir teoriler grubu değil, reddedilemez ve çürütülemeyen bir gerçek olduğunu kanıtları ve açıklamalarıyla gözler önüne seriyor.

Kitabın arkasında onar sayfalık terimler sözlüğü ve kaynakça yeralıyor. Sözlüğe rağmen, bu kitabı bütünüyle anlamak için kaynakçadaki bazı kitaplardan yardım almak gerekebilir.

Kitabı bitirmek için aceleci davranmamak, gerektiğinde bazı bölümlerde internetten biraz araştırma yaparak detayları daha iyi anlamaya çalışmak bu kitabın size sağlayacağı aydınlanmanın etkisini mükemmel hale getirecektir. Yine de bunun yerine yoğun dikkati eksiltmeden yapılacak bir okuma da kitaptan alınacak bilgiyi ve keyfi size fazlasıyla sağlayacaktır.

Biraz da bu yönde merakınız varsa, bu kitap büyük ihtimalle evrim konusunda okumak isteyeceğiniz bir dizi kitabın önünü açacak bir eser niteliğinde. Benim evrimle ilgili okuduğum ilk kitap oldu ve bitirdiğimde doğru bir "ilk kitap" olduğunu düşündüm.

[Monique Clariza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kalau ada buku terbaik yang merangkum keseluruhan tentang biologi evolusi, tak lain adalah karya mendiang Ernst Mayr ini. Bacanya memang lumayan bikin 'capek' karena banyak istilah yang baru aku ketahui, tapi Mayr mengupasnya secara linear dengan gaya tulisan yang 'ramah' mulai dari pengertian evolusi serta bukti-buktinya, bagaimana evolusi dapat terjadi, jenis-jenis spesiasi, dan ditutup dengan evolusi kita sendiri—manusia.

Ada baiknya membaca ini sebelum menggolongkan diri sebagai antievolusionis, sebab evolusi bukan hanya sekadar teori, melainkan fakta. ;)

Dan tak dapat dipungkiri, adanya evolusi memberi banyak sumbangsih bagi kehidupan kita, seperti pengendalian vektor penyakit, mengatasi kekebalan antibiotik pada kuman, produksi tumbuhan budidaya, pemahaman atas ciri manusia, dsb.

[Charles Eliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading Stephen Jay Gould's final book, "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory". For all the book's impressive bulk, the central argument is straightforward.

The modern interpretation of Darwin's theory (steady, continuous, and incremental evolution filtered by the agent of natural selection) has vanquished the theories that came before it (saltation, orthogenesis, Lamarkism, etc) but some key questions linger. For example, fossils often show species staying unchanged, in evolutionary stasis, for millions of years. Fossils also show the sudden appearance of new species. Are these counter-examples to the principle of evolutionary gradualism artefacts of a woefully incomplete fossil record, or is something else going on? Gould calls that something else "punctuated equilibrium", and "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory" is an extended argument for his theory and its implications.

One of the implications is that evolution occurs at multiple conceptual levels. In the 1940s scientists reached a consensus about the mechanism of evolution, grandly called "The Synthesis" because it brought together thinking about genetics, systematics and populations. The Synthesis insists that natural selection acts on individual organisms, and in so doing alters the distribution of genes in the larger population, increasing the proportion of advantageous gene combinations. Gould argues that pressure to evolve comes not only from the relative reproductive success of individuals, but is also felt by local groups, entire species, and even groups of species.

Gould has an axe to grind with the biologists who forged The Synthesis. While he agrees with the vital essence of the theory, he believes The Synthesis shut down legitimate discussion of levels of selection other than the individual. He demonstrates that concerns about the locus of evolution have been around for as long as scientists have been thinking about the subject. Before Darwin and the discovery of genetics, evolutionary theorists were discussing much that was later shown to be hooey. Gould believes that in their excitement at discovering a compelling mechanistic explanation for evolution, the Synthesists swept aside not just now-disprovable claims such as inheritance of acquired traits, but also legitimate and long-standing questions about the rate of evolution and the targets of selection.

I've been reading "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory" in chunks of one or two chapters, taking breaks between to read other books. I've reached the point where Gould has set out the background to his argument: pre-Darwinian theories of evolution, Darwin's impact, and The Synthesis. It was a good time to take a break, and I decided to read something from one of the main contributors to The Synthesis, Ernst Mayr.

Ernst Mayr was an extraordinary scientist of stunning longevity. He wrote "What Evolution Is" in his 90s, and he died a few years later, in 2005, at the age of 100. He was a great ornithologist and field researcher, and his contributions to evolutionary biology and The Synthesis were foundational.

In places "What Evolutions Is" is a sloppy book. Ideas are repeated, sometimes in the very next paragraph. At one point Mayr says he will describe seven factors, then lists eight. That's frustrating, but by no means a fatal problem. I was more concerned with the sometimes dismissive and condescending tone. I was reading with my ears open to evidence of what Gould calls the "hardening" of The Synthesis around a single dogmatic point-of-view, and there was plenty of evidence to be found. Mayr was a bone fide great man of science, and had earned the right to thunder out his views, but I found his attitude to Gould's concerns confusing and inconsistent. Early in the book Mayr describes punctuated equilibrium as "an ephemeral dispute". Ouch! But when Mayr discusses peripatric speciation - an idea of Mayr's that contributed directly to the theory of punctuated equilibrium - he brings up many of the same concerns Gould addresses, but labels them as difficult problems for further investigation.

I came away from "What Evolution Is" feeling that Mayr and Gould were actually on the same page, but Mayr - for reasons of his own - didn't want to admit it. Mayr was much too good a scientist to deny the controversy, and he had some legitimate reservations with specific aspects of the punctuated equilibrium theory. Perhaps Mayr thought Gould was attacking deeper into the essence of The Synthesis than Gould actually was. Or maybe Mayr thought parts of punctuated equilibrium were rubbish, and therefore wasn't willing to take the theory seriously.

"What Evolution Is" is not, however, a book about a specific theory of macroevolution. It's a broad treatment of the whole of modern evolutionary theory from a great scientist. If you only read one book about evolution in your life, "What Evolution Is" might be a great choice. If, like me, you've read many and intend reading many more, it's still a good read, but you can detect some narrowness in the point-of-view, and a tendency to lecture and pronounce.

[Tolga Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zannımca bu evrensel kavrama dair okunabilecek en doyurucu kitaplardan biri olabilir. Hem uzman detaycılığında bir anlatım hem de dışardan meraklı birinin anlayacağı açık bir üslup.

[Marian-Cristian Rotariu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The evolution description in this book is comprehensive, with various perspectives from philosophical point of view to biological or religious, but sometimes I had the impression of fast-forward or lack of depth. For example, the figures from the edition that I read are terrible, black and white and very low resolution. If you really want to extract all the knowledge from this book you'll need auxiliary sources, at least for the figures.
Also, you need to view the facts in the appropriate temporal context as many facts are outdated or plain obsoleted. Even the amount of religious references in this book is too much for our times. Many simple ideas are repeated over and over, while complex technical terms are referenced without any deduction or explanation. I, a non-specialized reader, hopelessly stumbled toward the middle of the book in unnecessary biological terms and enumerations of species names.
On the bright side, through this book I discovered fascinating subjects, like evolutionary psychology, abiogenesis or comparative embryology.
Overall, I like the motivation of the book and its representation of this wonderful subject, the evolution, but I honestly recommend other books to begin with.

[Vildan Acar · Rating 4 out of 5]

biyolojiyle ve evrimle ilgili ön bilgi olmadan okunduğunda anlaşılması zor diye düşünüyorum o yüzden not for beginners, insan evrimi kısmı dışında

[Buğra Davutluoğlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernst Mayr, içine Darwin kaçmış, evrimin modern sentezinin en önemli mimarlarından 100 yıllık bir çınar.

Evrim, artık bir teori değil, devasa bir kanıt dağıyla belgelenmiş, düpedüz bir gerçek.

Yine evrim, sadece bilim insanları tarafindan değil, yaşamı anlamlandırmaya çalışan her sıradan insan tarafindan anlaşılması gereken bir kavram.

Ernst Mayr bu amaçla, belirli bir eğitim seviyesindeki herkesin istifade edebileceği bir başlangıç kitabı hazırladığını belirtmiş.

Açıkçası ben çok şey öğrendim. Ama zamanında aldığımız tıp eğitime rağmen zaman zaman teknik ayrıntıları takip etmekte zorlandım. Tekrar tekrar okumam gerekti, ama değdi. 🙂

[Ramon van Dam · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books about the broad topic of evolution, covering a vast portion of this fascinating area of science. The fact that Mayr was an influential researcher on genetics is shown by the fact that he could quote his own works from many decades earlier on several occasions.

I found it refreshing that Mayr was quite opinionated and did not feel the need to tiptoe around delicate subjects, for instance when he discusses his own views that are opposite to the ones of Richard Dawkins regarding the primary unit of evolution.

It is a bit dry at times and several tables could have been swapped for more lively real examples, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it quite useful.

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ernst W. Mayr (1903 - 2004) a fost un biolog evoluționist. A contribuit decisiv la impunerea teoriei lui Darwin. Se înțelege, la început, mulți savanți au socotit-o o fantezie. Și pentru motivul că zdruncina un venerabil mod de gîndire, bazat pe esențialism și finalism (pp.104-107). Speciile erau considerate imuabile. Creația lumii avea un scop precis: apariția unei ființe inteligente. A accepta opinia că omul provine dintr-un strămoș comun cu cimpanzeul era un scandal pentru orice minte „sănătoasă”.

Prin urmare, teoria lui Darwin nu a fost acceptată instantaneu și în unanimitate, a fost nevoie de argumente, de dovezi empirice și de timp. Teoria evoluționistă s-a impus abia la mijlocul secolului XX. Ernst Mayr a participat activ la disputele de idei. Neîndoielnic, lucrările sale au rafinat teoria, i-au limpezit postulatele filosofice și au prezentat dovezi în sprijinul ei. Renunțarea la gîndirea prin „cauze finale” (ceva se întîmplă în chip necesar în virtutea unui scop) „a avut o importanţă fundamentală pentru filozofie” (p.114).

Omul acceptă cu greu că e un rezultat al hazardului. Nu-i prea plac strămoșii cu care l-a înzestrat selecția naturală. Și e foarte tulburat cînd află că „putem urmări unele gene pe tot parcursul evoluției, în sens invers, de la animale sau plante spre bacterii” (p.127). Asta înseamnă că toate ființele sînt construite din aceleași „cărămizi” biologice. La originea omului stă o bacterie cu o vechime de 3500 de milioane de ani (p.247). Imposibil! O astfel de concepție e o blasfemie strigătoare la cer, ar exclama un creaționist. Iar dacă adăugăm că printre înaintașii omului sînt și „lemurienii zburători” (p.290), îl aruncăm în acea mai neagră depresie.

Asta este. Nu mai are nici un rost să ne amăgim. Homo sapiens este rodul unui accident petrecut acum 250.000 de ani: firește, „nu a fost un simplu accident, întrucît fiecare etapă în transformarea unui australopitec în om a fost favorizată de selecţia naturală” (p.286). Trei lucruri au accelerat umanizarea: folosirea focului, a uneltelor de piatră și apariția limbajului (p.307). Deși cimpanzeul e mai apropiat de om decît de gorilă (p.293), el „nu posedă structurile nervoase necesare pentru a adopta sintaxa și nu poate vorbi despre viitor sau trecut” (p.314). El trăiește aici și acum, într-un prezent continuu pe care nici nu-l percepe. Nenorocirea noastră e că putem imagina un viitor din care vom lipsi...

Ernst W. Mayr crede că specia homo sapiens nu are nici o șansă să se dividă în alte specii (ea e capătul acestui traseu evolutiv) și nici nu poate deveni o „specie nouă”, de supraoameni (p.323). Într-un sens, omul e pe cale de a deveni o „fosilă vie”, asemenea coelacanthului (un soi de pește). Stagnarea evolutivă e, desigur, foarte surprinzătoare (p.244). Dar spre deosebire de coelacanth, omul are posibilitatea de a se sinucide. Dispune de mai multe soluții, să vedem pe care o va prefera...

De la bacterie la om: Evolutia lumii vii este o carte cu o construcție limpede, convingătoare, un manual din care poți învăța o mulțime de lucruri...

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other day I got dragooned into seeing that bland new Star Wars movie. Whatever. I was most entertained though by the ridiculously stupid trailer for the new "Planet of the Apes" movie which ends with Woody Harrelson (you can tease out the irony yourself) actually saying the words "Planet of the Apes".
I found the irony chilling, as I settled back into my plush theatre chair, opposable thumbs mandating popcorn kernel after popcorn kernel into my short, flat moral-bearing jaw, that Mayr's book was precisely about that we DO have a Planet of the Apes and that anyone who thinks differently is just, as Mayr bluntly puts it: batshit fucking insane (pg. 3).
I watched as other higher primates ran about on the screen, cold and emotionless, shooting lasers at each other in an imaginary universe that other higher primates had designed on a computer somewhere, with their own opposable thumbs, their large beards and pasty white bellies bulging up against creationist dogma by sheer dint of their incredible adaptations, and the pieces of paper that other higher primates had given them (a kind of leaf money, perhaps, a holdover from the savannah years) to construct the flashing lights and howling, crashing spaceships.
I watched as cringe-worthy dialogue spewed forth against the foul vituperation of the "Death Star", really just a testicular metaphor for creationism at its most foul and I wondered, what if the finely adapted ape Mayr had written this movie? Would he have been able to make it any better?
I like to dream (another ape-leap): yes.

[Ikhlasul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dengan susah-payah dan kemungkinan gagal mendapatkan penjelasan populer tentang evolusi dari buku ini harus saya hadapi. Dengan judul bab dan sub-bab yang cukup menggoda, seperti, "Dalam Dunia Macam Apakah Kita Hidup?", penjelasan di dalamnya sangat kental bersuasana ilmu hayati yang membuat kening saya berkerut.

Kendati demikian, saya tetap mendukung adanya seri terjemahan semacam ini, yakni ditulis oleh para ahli sesungguhnya, berisi kajian ilmu yang spesifik, dan tidak menjadi masalah jika harus menggunakan sudut pandang murni ilmu tsb. Hal ini akan menguatkan pembaca yang memiliki bekal ilmu tsb. dan mengenalkan cara penyusunan argumentasi ilmiah buat awam. Lebih khusus untuk Indonesia, kita sedang memerlukan buku-buku keilmuan berkualitas.

[Franziska Self Fisken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully easy-to-read book that explains evolution in good accessible English and contrasts the theory of evolution with other theories and philosophies such as creationism. My daughter had borrowed it as background reading for her Biology undergraduate course but I felt that it was geared to intelligent laymen too. Due to hectic time pressures, I only had a few hours. However, I managed to skim through the book in only a couple of hours, as it was laid out in such a manner one could easily pinpoint the most important points.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, even if you are religious or not, this book will certainly answer any queries you have on evolution.
why i chose to read this- my father recommended this book to me because of my fascination with natural history and biology.
who would i recomend this to- anyone who is wondering how evolution works.
i loved this book it is probably the best book i have read since the origin of species.

[Ipek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written about the basics of evolution. You don't need to have detailed knowledge in biology but of course it is necessary to have some knowledge to be able to understand why what is said in the book, because evolution is a really big topic to be explained detailed enough in a book XD. I enjoyed reading it and also would recommend it to poeple who want to get a basic idea of everything about evolution.

[O. Araz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kitabın bir kısmında geçen teknik terimler yüzünden zorlansam da ufkum açıldı. Özellikle seçilimi ve insanın evrimini çok iyi anlatıyor. Bence lise düzeyi biyoloji bilgisi olan herkesin okuması gerekli, özellikle de "evrim çürütülmüş bir teoridir" diyen dangalak siyasetçiler. Kitaptan bir alıntı: "Evrim göz önünde tutulmadıkça biyolojide hiçbir şey bir anlam ifade etmez."

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well-written and informative on the topic of evolutionary biology. It is not, in my opinion, well-suited to beginners in the subject, and is quite dense. I would recommend Jerry A. Coyne's "Why Evolution Is True" over this book for those newer to the topic of evolution who don't want to read a textbook. Even so, this is well worth a read.

[Marc Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dogmatic in places, but still a good intro. Still not fully convinced of the Darwinian critique of teleology, though “failing upwards” or “succeeding through failure” is very Hegelian and ipso facto Christian. The telos of all things is Christ, Mary’s boy—specifically him crucified and risen.

[Ana-Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that did not grip me, in spite of it’s marketing presentation. Reading it, it felt like having to read a classroom handbook. I am used to teading science books, but this one was too scholastic for my taste.

[Jamshid Dastjerdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read some last chapters of Persian translation of this book
چند فصل آخر این کتاب را خواندم، کتابی بسیار خوب و مستند و ساده است، بیشتر مطالب آن را می دانستم