Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea
Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea is a popular science book by Carl Zimmer. It was written to accompany the PBS documentary series Evolution. Per BioScience, "Zimmer presents his rich and up-to-date view of evolution in four units that focus on Charles Darwin and the rise of Darwinism, the creation and extinction of species, 'evolution's dance,' and humanity's place in evolution. These units are informed by disciplines as diverse as primatology, paleontology, and genetics and include fascinating stories about topics ranging from the mysteries of sex to the development of the human brain." Per The American Biology Teacher, “This work, along with the video series and other resources development, provide exceptional resources for teachers designing instructional units on evolution.”
Contents
In the introduction, Stephen Jay Gould looks at evolution as fact and theory. Gould writes that “misunderstanding of the broader implications of Darwinism, in particular our misreading of his doctrine as doleful, or as subversive to our spiritual hopes and needs, rather than as ethically neutral and intellectually exhilarating, have hindered public acceptance of our best documented biological generality.”; Part One Slow Victory: Darwin and the Rise of Darwinism
;Part Two Creation and Destruction
; Part Three Evolution’s Dance
; Part Four '''Humanity’s Place in Evolution and Evolution’s Place in Humanity'''
Reception
A review in The American Biology Teacher writes that "What sets Zimmer's work apart from the multitude of other titles on the topic is his ability to present the history and science of evolution in while placing it firmly within a modern social context. He accomplishes this with the best of a journalistic style that is direct and clear in meaning with the eloquence of an exceptional storyteller."Kenneth R. Miller says that "Zimmer’s book is to be recommended for the broad scope that it gives to the influence of evolutionary ideas in modern biology. It is brilliantly written and above all it is profusely illustrated – a great 'coffee table' book. It is a book you can lay on the table and let visitors leaf through and chat about, enjoying the pictures and the fine prose at the same time."
A review in BioScience calls it "an accessible and elegantly designed volume that most biologists will want to buy. Charles Darwin would have loved it."
P. D. Smith writes “From the voyage of the Beagle to the latest DNA research on Galápagos finches, Zimmer takes us on a comprehensive tour of the history and implications of evolution that is hard to fault.”
C. Brandon Ogbunu refers to it as "one of the few evolution books that could truly be taught anywhere."