Evolution : the history of an idea / Peter J. Bowler.

Author/creator Bowler, Peter J.
Format Book
Edition25th anniversary ed.
PublicationBerkeley, Calif. ; London : University of California Press, ©2009.
Descriptionxxvii, 464 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Supplemental ContentTable of contents
Supplemental ContentTable of contents
Subjects
Evolution (Biology)--History.

Contents 1. The idea of evolution: its scope and implications -- The old worldview and the new -- The possibilities of change -- The nature of science -- The historian's problems -- 2. The pre-evolutionary worldview -- Human history -- Theories of the Earth -- The meaning of fossils -- Natural theology -- The new natural history -- The problem of generation -- 3. Evolution in the enlightenment -- Human nature -- The origin of society -- The history of the Earth -- The chain of being -- The new classification -- The new theories of generation -- The materialists -- The first transmutationists -- 4. Nature and society, 1800-1859 -- The invention of progress -- The framework of science -- Georges Cuvier: fossils and the history of life -- Catastrophism and natural theology in Britain -- The philosophical naturalists -- Radical science -- The principle of uniformity -- The vestiges of creation -- 5. The development of Darwin's theory -- Darwin's early career -- The crucial years: 1836-1839 -- Development of the theory, 1840-1859 -- Wallace and publication of the theory -- 6. The reception of Darwin's theory -- The foundations of Darwinism -- The scientific debate -- Darwinism and design -- Human origins -- Evolution and progress -- 7. The eclipse of Darwinism: scientific evolutionism, 1875-1925 -- Reconstructing the history of life -- The age of the Earth -- Neo-Lamarckism -- Orthogenesis -- Neo-Darwinism -- Mendelism and the mutation theory -- 8. Evolution, society, and culture, 1875-1925 -- The missing link -- The origins of culture and society -- Evolution and race -- Social evolutionism -- Biological determinism -- Neo-Lamarckism and society -- Evolution and philosophy -- Evolution and religion -- 9. The evolutionary synthesis -- Population genetics -- The modern synthesis -- The origin of life -- Wider implications of the synthesis -- 10. Modern debates and developments -- The history of life -- Human origins -- Sociobiology and ultra-Darwinism -- Opponents of ultra-Darwinism -- Anti- Darwinism -- Darwinism not scientific? -- Creationism.
Abstract "Since its original publication in 1989, 'Evolution: The History of an Idea' has been recognized as a comprehensive and authoritative source on the development and impact of this most controversial of scientific theories. This 25th anniversary edition is updated with a new preface examining recent scholarship and trends within the study of evolution."-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 383-449) and index.
Genre/formHistory.
ISBN9780520261280 (pbk.)
ISBN0520261283 (pbk.)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks QH361 .B69 2009 ✔ Available Place Hold