Review of ON THE ORIGIN OF EVOLUTION

A history of thinking on evolution

I will not be releasing posts on Bookmarked Reads next week on November 1st or 3rd. Regular posting will resume on November 8th.

Many of us who have studied evolution know the familiar – and famous – story of how Charles Darwin was rushed to publishing in 1859 classic, On the Origin of Species, after receiving note from fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who had also discovered the mechanism of evolution. Darwin, having sat on his ideas of evolution for more than 20 years, reluctantly released his ideas to the world. The rest was history.

But there’s more to the story. Darwin and Wallace aren’t the only two major players in the story of evolution’s, well, evolution. In On The Origin of Evolution: Tracing ‘Darwin’s Dangerous Idea’ from Aristotle to DNA, John and Mary Gribbin share the full story of scholarly thinking on why and how species change.

Although Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is quite new in the broader history of scientific thought, he was not the first one (nor was Wallace) to think about evolution and notice that species change over time. Rather, ancient philosophers across the world (e.g., outside Europe) mused about evolution. What was original to Darwin and Wallace was the mechanism of evolutionary change.

For example, early Greek philosophers in the sixth century BCE hinted at the idea of human origins and the idea that first humans were not fully formed. In third century BCE China, Zhuang Zhou rejected the idea of fixed biological species and even got close to the ideas of Thomas Malthus that would later greatly influence Darwin. And in 13th century Persia, Nasir-al-Dinal-Tusi wrote:

The organisms that can fain the new features faster are more variable. As a result, they gain advantages over other creatures. […] The bodies are changing as a result of the internal and external interactions.

Clearly thinking on evolution was not constrained to 18th century Europe. What I enjoyed most about this book was the broadening of my understanding of evolutionary thinking pre-Darwin, and beyond Mendel and Malthus.

On the Origin of Evolution is organized in three parts. The first describing the work on evolutionary thinking pre-Darwin and Wallace. The second part telling the story of Darwin and Wallace, which evolutionary scholars will likely know much of. Then the final part on the DNA revolution, and what’s referred to as the “modern synthesis” between DNA and Darwinian evolution. The third part, having read a lot on genetics, felt a bit shallow and rushed, especially the final chapter on epigenetics.

Overall, this was a great, quick read, especially the first part, on the origin of evolutionary thinking. This was a random find during a bookstore run a couple months ago and it turned out to be a useful read, having learned quite a bit from the first few chapters. Would recommend for folks interested in the history of evolutionary thinking.

Format: Hardcover

Published: June 2022

Publisher: Prometheus Books

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If you think this sounds interesting, bookmark these other great reads:

• The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution by David Quammen (2006)

• Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne (2009)

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