The Structure of Evolutionary Theory.

GOULD, Stephen Jay (1941-2002):

ISBN 10: 0674006135 / ISBN 13: 9780674006133

Published by Cambridge & London: Harvard University Press, 2002., 2002

About this Item

First printing of the First Edition, with 2002 on the title page (there are at least six printings). xxii, 1 leaf, 1,433 pp; illus. Original cloth, large 8vo. Near Fine, in near fine dust jacket. Please note: while some later printings contain explicit statements of which printing they are on the copyright page, more recent ones do not, but they can be distinguished from the First Edition offered here by their lack of the date 2002 on the title page. Not surprisingly, Gould's book was widely reviewed, primarily by the best known of his peers (Michael Ghiselin, Francisco Ayala, Douglas Futuyma, David Hull, John R. G. Turner, et al.). Perhaps surprisingly, many of the reviews, in particular Ghiselin's (fascinating for its personal content), are largely negative. From my reading, even Ayala's (published in Theology and Science) seems a bit misleadingly titled: 'On Stephen Jay Gould's monumental masterpiece'. Moreover, it was immediately apparent to anyone who appreciated Gould's work how regrettable it was that he died just two months after its publication (March 21, 2002; May 20, 2002); anyone who's read even a portion of his back-and-forth with John Maynard Smith knows that Gould would have fully prepared himself to reply to his critics, had not a second bout of cancer taken his life far too soon. One might even go so far as to say that this will endure as one of the great tragedies in the history of evolutionary biology. My hope would be that these reviewers, and the rest of Gould's peers who survived him, will continue working to elucidate some positives in the book and to expand on them; surely there are some?

Seller Inventory # 17331

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Structure of Evolutionary Theory.
• Publisher: Cambridge & London: Harvard University Press, 2002.
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674006135
• ISBN 13: 9780674006133
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine

About this title

Synopsis

The world's most revered and eloquent interpreter of evolutionary ideas offers here a work of explanatory force unprecedented in our time--a landmark publication, both for its historical sweep and for its scientific vision.

With characteristic attention to detail, Stephen Jay Gould first describes the content and discusses the history and origins of the three core commitments of classical Darwinism: that natural selection works on organisms, not genes or species; that it is almost exclusively the mechanism of adaptive evolutionary change; and that these changes are incremental, not drastic. Next, he examines the three critiques that currently challenge this classic Darwinian edifice: that selection operates on multiple levels, from the gene to the group; that evolution proceeds by a variety of mechanisms, not just natural selection; and that causes operating at broader scales, including catastrophes, have figured prominently in the course of evolution.

Then, in a stunning tour de force that will likely stimulate discussion and debate for decades, Gould proposes his own system for integrating these classical commitments and contemporary critiques into a new structure of evolutionary thought.

In 2001 the Library of Congress named Stephen Jay Gould one of America's eighty-three Living Legends--people who embody the "quintessentially American ideal of individual creativity, conviction, dedication, and exuberance." Each of these qualities finds full expression in this peerless work, the likes of which the scientific world has not seen--and may not see again--for well over a century.

About the Author

Stephen Jay Gould was Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University and Vincent Astor Visiting Professor of Biology at New York University. A MacArthur Prize Fellow, he received innumerable honors and awards and wrote many books, including Ontogeny and Phylogeny and Time’s Arrow, Time’s Cycle (both from Harvard).