The Darwinian Revolution

By: Frederick Gregory, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Frederick Gregory

Published 150 years ago, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species - the text that introduced the world to natural selection - is among a handful of books that have changed the world. But the route to that status has been surprisingly circuitous and uncertain. Darwin's profoundly revolutionary message has often been misunderstood, as have his own views on evolution, the intellectual background that led to them, and the turbulent history of their reception.

Now, in 24 absorbing lectures by an award-winning teacher, you learn the remarkable story of Darwin's ideas, how scientists and religious leaders reacted to them, and the sea change in human thought that resulted.

You'll learn how Darwin arrived at his theory of natural selection-the idea that those members of a species best equipped to survive will tend to outlast others, thus changing the species over time-very slowly and cautiously. For he was all too aware of the intellectual dynamite inherent in its implication of no divine intervention being necessary for a rich diversity of life forms on earth.

And you'll see how Darwin worked out the details of his theory not only by building on both his own observations and the insights of others, but also through amazing leaps in the face of apparently contrary evidence. You'll also see how the firestorm of religious criticism Darwin's theory faced has scarcely subsided to this day, with Professor Gregory bringing this controversy up to date by carefully examining the claims of intelligent design, the latest and most sophisticated attempt to challenge Darwin on religious grounds.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2008 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2008 The Great Courses

A non-scientist who really understands Darwinism

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Well done research and voice presentation by this polished presenter. Gregory covers what at first seems esoteric factoids but then weaves them into a long and mildly complex narrative of the maturation of the theory of evolution, natural selection. He covers both the scientific discussions of the time and the parallel societal implications and reactions. Very well done.

Any additional comments?

May be the best of the last ten books.

The Professor was great but the material Difficult

The Professor was great but the material difficult to absorb in only 20+ hours of lecture. One could spend a lifetime on just the religious aspects confronting Darwinism. After listening to lectures like these in the great courses, I ask myself did I learn something? Absolutely but I still have more questions than were answered.

One of the best science histories

I delayed listening to this Great Course. I’m not sure why. It has to be the best Great Course I’ve listened to. Great storytelling,. Frederick Gregory was very engaging and managed to review a lot of early studies, criticisms, and articles without the listener getting lost. That’s frequently my challenge in the Great Courses; keeping track of when and where someone had said something. I’m not sure how he did it, but it’s a rare occurrence.

I also liked how Gregory outlined the historical and modern controversies arising from natural selection.

Excellent teaching that confronts hard questions

I think only cosmology confronts the boundaries between religion and science as profoundly and provocatively as has Darwin's theory of natural selection. This course is an outstanding survey of how that borderland has been shaped and feuded over across the past few centuries.

The course as a whole is an in-depth exploration of the concept of evolution, which pre-dates Darwin, then the formation and impact of his theory of natural selection, and on through the legacy of his work, including its impact on modern genetic research and the arguments over teaching evolution in schools. All of this is presented clearly and thoroughly -- I can't imagine many people needing a more in-depth appreciation of this subject.

But intrinsic to the ongoing controversies surrounding Darwin's work are questions about the nature of science. At first, these debates emerge from people who assume a Creator and who willfully abuse the workings of science to try to preserve their perspective. Over time, those roles shift as scientists are forced to ask questions about whether their method is predicated on certain foundational assumptions just as much as religion can be. Some reviewers seem troubled by Dr. Gregory's choice to confront this topic head on. As someone who has studied the philosophy of science, I have to say I think he does a wonderful job of explicating how and why such question come to be raised -- and the ways in which they are, in fact, valid questions to be explored.

Like Dr. Gregory, I ultimately believe that Creationism or Intelligent Design can never truly be part of a scientific approach to understanding the world because they originate from irreconcilable premises. But the care and open-mindedness with which he explores these concepts and conflicts is EXACTLY what great teaching looks like, to me. He endeavors to fairly lay out the arguments and assess their implications, shares his takeaways, but leaves the student with basis of information from which to explore and shape their own perspective on the arguments.

Nice history of the theory of evolution... disappointing last chapters.

The book goes through many subjects and it is therefore a good historical testimony. However, the end is disappointing since the author gives the impression that the theory of evolution by natural selection is still debatable and somewhat there is no consensus in the scientific community. The discussion hypotheses and beliefs has no place. It looks like the author is one of those people that believe in belief. At places it looks like the author does not really understands the theory.

Anyway, this is a good book and especially the first chapters are quite captivating.