《on the origin of species》pdf高清文字版本|百度网盘下载-云顶国际集团
born at shrewsbury, darwin came from an affluent family, descended
from successful country doctors on one side and the wedgwood family
(of pottery fame) on the other. he was intended to follow the family
tradition of medicine, but couldn’t stand the bloody nature of surgery,
and seemed likely to become a wastrel. his father sent him to
cambridge to study theology with a view to turning him into a country
parson, but darwin became fascinated by geology and natural history,
impressing his tutors so much that they recommended him for a
vacancy that arose as an unpaid naturalist and companion for the
captain on the voyage of the beagle. the round-the-world voyage
lasted from 1831 to 1836, and gave darwin a rare insight into the
geology of different parts of the globe and the variety of life on earth.
back home, he found he had a reputation as a geologist, based on
the reports and materials he had sent back during the voyage, but was
not known as a naturalist at all. although he almost immediately came
up with the idea of natural selection, he set about establishing a
reputation in biology before thinking about publishing it. indeed, he only
published at all when alfred russel wallace came up with the same
idea independently.
darwin was a semi-invalid for most of his life, perhaps a result of a
tropical infection picked up on the voyage, and lived in seclusion in kent
surrounded by a large family and attended by a loving wife.
independently wealthy (and made more so by the success of his books)
he never had to work for a living —but, paradoxically, worked far harder
than most people (when he was well enough) at what strictly has to be
called his hobby.
john gribbin
i will here give a brief sketch of the progress of opinion on the origin
of species. until recently the great majority of naturalists believed that
species were immutable productions, and had been separately
created. this view has been ably maintained by many authors. some
few naturalists, on the other hand, have believed that species undergo
modification, and that the existing forms of life are the descendants by
true generation of pre-existing forms. passing over allusions to the
subject in the classical writers,* the first author who in modern times
has treated it in a scientific spirit was buffon. but as his opinions
fluctuated greatly at different periods, and as he does not enter on the
causes or means of the transformation of species, i need not here enter
on details.
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