Evolution: A Very Short Introduction

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Less than 450 years ago all European scholars believed that the earth was the centre of a universe that was at most a few million miles in extent & that the planets sun & stars all rotated around this centre. Less than 250 years ago they believed that the universe was created essentially in its present state about 6000 years ago. Less than 150 years ago the special creation by God of living species was still dominant. The relentless application of the scientific method of inference from experiment & observation without reference to religious or governmental authority has completely transformed our view of our origins & relation to the universe in less than 500 years. Few would dispute that this programme has been spectacularly successful particularly in the twentieth century. This book is about the crucial role of evolutionary biology in transforming our view of human origins & relation to the universe & the impact of this idea on traditional philosophy & religion. The purpose of this book is to introduce the general reader to some of the most important basic findings concepts & procedures of evolutionary biology as it has developed since the first publications of Darwin & Wallace on the subject over 140 years ago. Evolution provides a unifying set of principals for the whole of biology; it also illuminates the relation of human beings to the universe & each other. In addition many aspects of evolution have practical importance; for instance the rapid evolution of resistance by bacteria to antibiotics & of HIV to antiviral drugs are pressing medical problems. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable.