Darwin's Spectre: Evolutionary Biology in the Modern World

by Michael R. Rose

Book Overview

Extending the human life-span past 120 years. The "green" revolution. Evolution and human psychology. These subjects make today's newspaper headlines. Yet much of the science underlying these topics stems from a book published nearly 140 years ago--Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Far from an antique idea restricted to the nineteenth century, the theory of evolution is one of the most potent concepts in all of modern science.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691050082
• ISBN13: 9780691050089
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Darwinism explained for the general public.

Rose has written a nice, generally nontechnical introduction to Darwinism and its uses (both practical and speculative) for the layman, yet even advanced readers will find some parts of his book provocative.

Spiritual account of the overwhelming relevance of Darwinism

Michael R. Rose makes an excellent contribution to the understanding of the overwhelming relevance of Darwinism to the Modern World. The first part of the book allows the unfamiliarized reader to grasp the main building of Darwinism, knowledge that is then masterly canalized to present the importance of the field for applied Science (2nd part). Finally, last but not least, comes the best part of the book, which was seriously lacking in the literature, a personnal, Darwinian view of our Society(ies), with its many intrincacies. Throughout the book, and contrary to the normal, regrettable tendency of Academics, the author does not fear neither spiritual style nor to present many times personnal views, which makes the reading most pleasant and enriching, from the start till the end. It is a major contribution to bring to the 'Darwinian side' those that, though intellectually interested, were kept till now apart, due to excessively academic presentations of Darwinism and its contribution to the understanding of the Modern World. It is only regrettable that Rose did not deepen more the third part of the book. More works like this are severely needed.