Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist

For Rulers: Priming Political Leaders for Saving Humanity from Itself As succinctly stated by the authors “More than any modern thinker – even Freud or Marx – this affable old-world naturalist from the minor Shropshire gentry has transformed the way we see ourselves on the planet” (Kindle location 371-373).This book helps to observe and partly understand how this happened by providing an outstanding profile of Darwin, as a human and an outstanding empirical researcher leading to one of the most momentous scientific revolutions, in the context of the ongoing transformation of England moving into the Victorian period. The text presents the emergence of main ideas and problems of the science of evolution which are not only of historic interest, but in large part continue to modern research. preoccupy essential for understanding its present standing. In particular, in my reading it also makes clear that the emerging ability of humankind to deliberately shape its future evolution thanks to leaping biological, nano-technological and artificial intelligence knowledge and tools – what is called the “Singularity” – require an additional paradigmatic quantum-leap, otherwise our species is quite likely to eradicate itself.But there is a serious problem: timely elaboration of a novel paradigm fitting the evolutionary challenges of the Singularity may well require a genius of the caliber of Darwin, in addition to building stones provided by high-quality but “normal” scientists and philosophers. All the more do I regret that the book does not provide any clear insights into what makes a genius, leaving this a perplexing riddle..This is not a complaint: Despite all the advances in cognitive psychology and neurosciences, the nature of “geniuses” remains an enigma which the authors should not be expected to solve. Still, as they know more about Darwin than anyone else, I would have welcomed their impressions, or at least some guesstimates, on the “genius” features of Darwin and their genesis. Was his breakthrough triggered by empiric impressions starting with his long sea trip, or/and by some ideas beginning to emerge in his period, or/and some kind of dreamlike inspiration, or what?As it is, the book is required reading for all who want to understand modernity and the challenes facing it, as largely shaped by the science of evolution founded by Darwin.Professor Yehezkel DrorThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The author covers each aspect of Darwin's life, going into his life as a child, how he related to his older sister and female cousins. Darwin was a sportsman and loved to bag animals. As a collector of beetles, he was near the top. He filled the role of country gentleman to a T. The book makes clear that Darwin was not very interested in becoming a clergyman but it was an avenue open to him and would provide an adequate, if small, living. Darwin was always more interested in examinging and dissecting nature, read insects. The book covers the state of English society during Darwin's life and gives an excellent overview of the influences working upon Darwin. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in history per se. Darwin was not a complex man in this rendition, but a creature of his time and place.

An excellent biography about Darwin. How Darwin kept procrastinating and delaying the publication of his Theory of Evolution until he had to, for fear that some young upstart who had come around to the same ideas was going to steal the thunder, not to mention the credit, from him. Gives us a good glimpse into Darwin's plodding creative process. Give little amusing tidbits that Darwin and Marx lived near each other. While Marx labored in poverty, Darwin did so in a privileged life. Darwin battled his epic bouts of migraines, while Marx battled against his perilous economy and the powers that be. A wonderful, insightful read. Highly recommended.

This is a really first class biography, bringing the full weight of Charles Darwin's "torment" to light. As a devoutly religious man during the oppressively Christian Victorian era, it took uncommon fortitude and intellectual honesty for him to follow the paths down which his researches led him, all the way to the ultimate conclusions which today bear his name.Much like H.W. Brands's biography of Benjamin Franklin, the authors here do an excellent job of bringing Darwin back to life, both the highs and the lows (including lots of personal tragedy) that shaped his monumental career. Heartbreak played as great a role in his life as discovery.Compulsively readable without sacrificing detail, all of the major milestones of his life are covered in a personal perspective which gives exactly as much emphasis as events must have had at the time -- even ones which have since reached mythic proportions. This is, as Steven Jay Gould touts on the cover, "Unquestionably, the finest [biography] ever written about Darwin..."

This is an excellent biography of Darwin. The writing is a bit choppy and the copious use of single sets of quotation marks can be distracting, but if you're reading for information rather than style, this book definitely fits the bill. There are nice glossy picture pages that give the reader an insight into what Darwin saw, and what motivated and excited him, and there is even a picture of Emma Darwin's daily diary which was a fun extra tidbit. All in all it's a marvelous book for those inclined to want a solid view of Darwin's path to his Big Theory. Of the Darwin biographies I've read, this one stands above the rest.

This biography helped me to see Darwin as a fellow human who lived in his own context. He did not come up with his ideas in a vacuum, but was influenced by family, politics, friends, etc just as we all are. Enlightening, humanizing, and even made me tear up a few times! A good read.

This book not only provides an in depth biography of Charles Darwin. It also paints a vivid picture of life for the elite in Victorian society. This telling exploded many myths for me and I must admit that I was unaware that Darwin sat on his ideas for so many years after the adventures on the HMS Beagle. The book shows why it was so difficult particularly for a man in Darwin's position to challenge the creationist view of nature. I was slightly disappointed by the authors treatment of the role of Arthur Wallace which to me seemed to be underplayed. Great piece of work though.

This book really is a masterly account of the great man. With huge detail and accuracy it charts his privileged and wealthy background and upbringing, through to his voyage on the Beagle and the development of his evolutionary theories and numerous other research works, as well as detail of his family life. The authors' hugely knowledgeable backgrounds have been ably assisted by the fact that Darwin kept prodigious notes and sent and received vast amounts of letters (14,500 of which still exist).Darwin's story goes hand in hand with the politics and religious change happening at that time, and there is much detail here too. In fact it is a major thread of the story how he delayed going public with his theories, and when he did, the effect they had on the world as well as his own personal life and health. Darwin was fully aware of the impact his ideas would have - in Victorian times religion, science, politics and economics were all closely interwoven, and he knew he would have a devastating effect on the status quo - in many ways potentially to the detriment to those close to him. He was never comfortable with this burden, but always had a steely confidence in his theories and an awareness of the importance his work would have in the advancement of the scientific understanding of the world.The book makes liberal use of quotes, and these inspire confidence in the accuracy and thoroughness of the coverage. A highly recommended read and a superb historical account.

I can' think of a biography that I have enjoyed more or been more impressed by. (1) It is extremely well-written, which makes it a very easy read. It is a wonderful story as much as anything else. (2) The book sets Darwin's life very nicely context - religious, scientific, political - and does so without labouring the point, providing just a nice amount of detail. (3) The theory of evolution is, of course, intrinsically interesting and important. I got it on kindle and am considering getting the hard copy as well, just because it's one of those books that I would like to have on my shelves, and would like to hold onto. I will definitely be reading it again.

I'm not a scientist, so was rather wary of a 700 page biography of Darwin. However I found it very readable and informative. The authors painted a broad picture which appeals to the specialist and non specialist alike. The only thing I would have liked was an inquiry, or speculation, about what illness Darwin suffered over many years. Having done a bit of research I have discovered that the current accepted theory is that he suffered from Crohn's Disease - which incidentally is now considered the cause of Prince Albert's death.A good read!

I have read several biographies of Darwin, and this is the most comprehensive, with a lot of background detail about life in Victorian England. From my perspective, there are still some notable omissions (downplaying the roles of Edward Blyth and Patrick Matthew) and the authors do tend to idolise their subject.