Klowey’s Reviews > On the Origin of Species > Status Update
2 likes · Like flag
Klowey’s Previous Updates
Klowey
is 59% done
Finished Chapter 3
(natural selection, instinct, intermediate traits)
Starting Chapter 4
— Feb 08, 2026 11:04PM
(natural selection, instinct, intermediate traits)
Starting Chapter 4
Klowey
is 37% done
Dawkins' 2003 version reserves the first edition's 14 chapters intact but abridges by cutting ~50% of the text, removing repetitive examples, lengthy footnotes, some digressions while retaining core arguments & nearly all chapter headings.
— Feb 07, 2026 03:56AM
Klowey
is 37% done
Finished Chapter 2: Variation under Nature
Summary:
Darwin argues that variation occurs ubiquitously in wild species, with the line between varieties and species being arbitrary and fluid. Well-marked varieties can become "incipient species," setting the stage for divergence through natural means.
— Feb 07, 2026 03:50AM
Summary:
Darwin argues that variation occurs ubiquitously in wild species, with the line between varieties and species being arbitrary and fluid. Well-marked varieties can become "incipient species," setting the stage for divergence through natural means.
Klowey
is 37% done
Chapter 1: Variation under Domestication
Darwin illustrates how humans have profoundly modified plants and animals through selective breeding, producing vast diversity from common ancestors, like numerous pigeon breeds from the rock dove. He emphasizes small, inherited variations accumulated over generations, showing modification on a scale relevant to natural processes.
— Feb 07, 2026 03:49AM
Darwin illustrates how humans have profoundly modified plants and animals through selective breeding, producing vast diversity from common ancestors, like numerous pigeon breeds from the rock dove. He emphasizes small, inherited variations accumulated over generations, showing modification on a scale relevant to natural processes.
Klowey
is 37% done
Summaries of 1 & 2: focus on variation as the foundation for evolution. abridged edition retains Darwin's original content, with annotations and a preface but no major rewriting of the core text.
— Feb 07, 2026 03:49AM
Comments Showing 1-3 of 3 (3 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Cynda
(new)
Feb 10, 2026 01:25AM
If you're starting, I am too! I got that Richard Dawkins audiobook. Good suggestion as now I will be able to listen to argument without all the tediousness of Darwin's writing style.
reply
|
flag
Cynda wrote: "If you're starting, I am too! I got that Richard Dawkins audiobook. Good suggestion as now I will be able to listen to argument without all the tediousness of Darwin's writing style."And apparently many, many examples in the original. I have to keep reminding myself that he wrote this as an argument for the idea of evolution and natural selection that he had 'discovered.' In that sense, it's astounding. But it's not like reading a novel. ;-)
I'm excited to read Galapagos since it's Vonnegut's tribute to Darwin.
I agree. I was responding here, talking, talking when I realized we will be talking soon. I plan to start tonight.I did a Vonnegut study last year of something like 6 or 7 novels. I am glad that I have not yet read Galapagos so that we can read together and with others too.
