Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0-393-30819-7 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: August, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.36 (14 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Another Splendid Collection Of Essays On Science By Gould
Comment: "Panda's Thumb" is the second volume in a series of essay collections culled primarily from Gould's column "This View Of Life" that was published for nearly thirty years in Natural History magazine, the official popular journal of the American Museum of Natural History. Once more readers are treated to elegantly written, insightful pieces on issues ranging from racial attitudes affecting 19th Century science to evolutionary dilemnas such as the origins of the Panda's thumb (Not really a dilemna, though "scientific" creationists might argue otherwise; instead Gould offers an elegant description of how evolution via natural selection works.) and the evolutionary consequences of variations in size and shape among organisms. Gould is differential to the work of other scientists, carefully considers views contrary to his own, and even points the virtues of the faulty science he criticizes. Those who say contemporary science is dogmatic should reconsider that view after carefully reading this volume or any of the others in Gould's series. Instead, what we see are the thoughts of a fine scientist rendered in splendid, often exquisite, prose.
Rating: 5
Summary: Two Panda's thumbs up.
Comment: First published on 1980, The Panda's Thumb is a collection of slightly edited essays from Professor Gould's monthly column at Natural History Magazine.
The thirty one essays are grouped in eight chapters according to their similarities. The Chapters are:
Perfection and imperfection: A trilogy on a panda's thumb - that deals with comparative anatomy;
Darwiniana - that brings the context of Darwin's revolution and the preceding ideas;
Human evolution - that also brings an article on Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse evolution;
Science and politics of Human differences - that shows how science used to foster or justify prejudice and sexism.
The pace of change - in which Gould introduces his and Niles Eldredge's theory of Punctuated Equilibrium;
Early life - a chapter on pre-Cambrian biology or early ideas about pre-Cambrian biology.
They were despised and rejected - on evolutionary dead ends or not quite as in the essay about birds descending from dinosaurs and;
Size and time.
Most essays are very interesting and surprisingly up to date despite the fact that many were written almost thirty years ago. The essays can be read one by one in no particular order since they bring references to each other when necessary. The scope of the book goes way beyond biology including also geology, history of science, gender and race relations, and the ever lasting debate between science and religion. The style is again accessible and witty. After introducing the only exponential equation on the whole book the author almost apologizes.
In my opinion some of the most interesting essays are The Death Before Birth of a Mite; Caring Groups and Selfish Genes; Dr. Down's Syndrome; Nature Odd Couples; Our Allotted Lifetimes; Time's Vastness; and all essays under the chapter The Pace of Change.
The Pace of Change is the most original and still controversial chapter of the book. It introduces Gould and Eldredge's theory of Punctuated Equilibrium that is, in short, a slight correction on Darwin's belief of slow and continuous change throughout the process of evolution.
This is a very interesting and enjoyable book. I doubt anyone interested in science, just by reading a random article of this book, would not feel compelled to read the rest of the book and also other Stephen Gould's books.
Leonardo Alves - January 2001
Rating: 4
Summary: Evolutionary theory meets Mickey Mouse and selfish genes
Comment: The second collection of Gould's articles from Natural History continues to explore Darwin's themes and the resultant ideas since. There's several interesting essays here, including my favorite one in which the evolution of Mickey Mouse is discussed.
One of the essays here dealt with Richard Dawkins' controversial stand (in The Selfish Gene) on genes in which he states that a person is just a gene's way to make another gene. (This is different from normal evolutionary thought in that genes there are the subject of random variation which then is subject to the environment and tested.) Gould is not convinced by Dawkins' theory, mainly because, he says, there is no evidence that genes can be linked to specific attributes, i.e., there isn't an "eye" gene. Gould wrote this some years back, so it will be interesting to see if he revisits this subject now that researchers have indeed discovered the "eye" gene (through testing on flies).
Gould also covers Robert Bakker's theories about warm-blooded dinosaurs (later written up in Bakker's The Dinosaur Heresies) and the link to birds, a good essay for people to review prior to the hullabaloo that will follow Jurassic Park 2 (it's always fun to check up on an author's source material).
 |
Title: Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0393311031 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 1994 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0393308189 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: August, 1992 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: The Flamingo's Smile: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0393303756 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: February, 1987 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: Eight Little Piggies: Reflections in Natural History (Norton Paperback) by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 0393311392 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 1994 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould ISBN: 039330857X Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 1992 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
