The Descent of Man

by Charles Darwin

Overview

Published to honor the anniversary of Darwin's 200th birthday, these prime excerpts from the great naturalist's landmark work build on the evolutionary concepts introduced in On the Origin of Species. The earlier work provided a basic exposition of Darwinian theory. The Descent of Man, published a dozen years later, asserts that humans are the descendants of apes, which were descended from even more primitive creatures.

This fascinating treatise on evolutionary psychology explores the two defining forces of human and animal evolution-natural selection and sexual selection. Numerous examples from Darwin's years of study illustrate its compelling conclusion: However much we differ from other animals, we are descended from common ancestors and have evolved in similar ways. Based upon the original edition, this abridgement by a noted Darwinian scholar offers a highly readable version of one of the most important books in the history of science.

Dover (2010) abridged version of the edition published by John Murray Publishers, London, 1871.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783734059902
Publisher:	Outlook Verlag
Publication date:	09/25/2019
Pages:	702
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 1.54(d)

About the Author

Charles Darwin, a Victorian scientist and naturalist, has become one of the most famous figures of science to date. Born in 1809 to an upper-middle-class medical family, he was destined for a career in either medicine or the Anglican Church. However, he never completed his medical education and his future changed entirely in 1831 when he joined HMS Beagle as a self-financing, independent naturalist. On returning to England in 1836 he began to write up his theories and observations which culminated in a series of books, most famously On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, where he challenged and contradicted contemporary biological and religious beliefs with two decades worth of scientific investigation and theory. Darwin's theory of natural selection is now the most widely accepted scientific model of how species evolve. He died in 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Damien Hirst is an internationally renowned English artist, who has dominated the art scene in England since the 1990s. Known in particular for his series of works on death, Hirst here provides a contemporary, visual take on Darwin's theory of evolution - the struggle between life and death in nature.

William Bynum is Professor Emeritus of the History of Medicine at University College, London, and was for many years Head of the Academic Unit of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine. He edited the scholarly journal Medical History from 1980 to 2001, and his previous publications include Science and the Practice of Medicine in the Nineteenth Century; The Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine (co-edited with Roy Porter); The Oxford Dictionary of Scientific Quotations (with Roy Porter), The Dictionary of Medical Biography (with Helen Bynum), and History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction. He lives in Suffolk.

Date of Birth:

February 12, 1809

Date of Death:

April 19, 1882

Place of Birth:

Shrewsbury, England

Place of Death:

London, England

Education:

B.A. in Theology, Christ¿s College, Cambridge University, 1831

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Dover Edition v

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

Introduction xxv

Part I The Descent Or Origin Of Man

I The Evidence of the Descent of Man From Some Lower Form 3

II Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals 17

III Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals, continued 40

IV On the Manner of Development of Man from Some Lower Form 64

V On the Development of the Intellectual and Moral Faculties during Primeval and Civilised Times 95

VI On the Affinities and Genealogy of Man 112

VII On the Races of Man 131

Part II Sexual Selection

VIII Principles of Sexual Selection 155

IX Secondary Sexual Characters in the Lower Classes of the Animal Kingdom 188

X Secondary Sexual Characters of Insects 194

XI Insects, continued. Order Lepidoptera 197

XII Secondary Sexual Characters of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles 221

XIII Secondary Sexual Characters of Birds 232

XIV Birds, continued 265

XV Birds, continued 299

XVI Birds, concluded 318

XVII Secondary Sexual Characters of Mammals 353

XVIII Secondary Sexual Characters of Mammals, continued 370

XIX Secondary Sexual Characters of Man 393

XX Secondary Sexual Characters of Man, continued 417

XXI General Summary and Conclusion 436

Index 451

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

One of the ten most significant books. (Sigmund Freud)"

Editorial Reviews

[Darwin’s] second great book . . . An intellectually daring feat.” —Richard O. Prum, in The Evolution of Beauty

From the Publisher