Chapter 2 preamble

Because this book is structured differently, most of this preface will be devoted to explaining why it has been written this way.This book deals with the history of evolution, but not as an academic treatise, but as an introductory work for readers without a background in biology or history.However, this book is not about writing history as bedside reading for the sake of popularization.This book is aimed at those who have a keen interest in evolution and its applications and who have not previously had a detailed understanding of these issues.In fact, the book was originally intended primarily as a university history of science textbook, and I certainly hope it will also be of value to professional biology and historians looking for a concise text on the field of evolution.Because of the variety of potential readers, experts in some fields may want to include what the book describes that is very familiar to them but unfamiliar to experts in other fields. $$ There have been many books on the history of evolution, some of which are of a very high level.But the vast majority are old books published decades ago, and none seem to serve as an introductory book for historians exploring the field.I have my own views on what should characterize a book written for non-experts, including college students.

First, such a book must be organized as a systematic introduction to a problem, not as if something is already known.This is especially true for books on the history of science, since many readers who are interested in the history of science do not have a scientific background.For example, a non-scientist may not understand Linnaeus nomenclature, and if he is not told explicitly, he will be puzzled when he encounters this problem.Also, historical issues should be clarified so that non-experts (and here scientists themselves) can identify different approaches to an issue.I am in no hurry to express my opinion on controversial issues, but rather try to present different points of view and suggest where information on the issue can be found.

Second, introductory books must be comprehensive.It must cover all the issues that are likely to be relevant to a person interested in studying the field.This is certain, since the book is likely to be used in an introductory university course, requiring a textbook that meets the traditional requirements.Therefore, this book〖HTH〗is not〖HTF〗just a book about the Darwinian revolution.This is a book about the history of "evolution," which is used here in a broad sense to include any theory that has been proposed about the development of life on Earth through natural processes.Significant work had been done in geology and natural history before its advent, and the impact of Darwin's theory cannot be truly understood without an understanding of earlier developments.Conversely, the situation after Darwin must also be properly dealt with.It is inconceivable to teach non-scientists the implications of evolution without introducing them to events up to the "modern synthesis".At all stages, the relation of scientific theories to the relevant culture needs to be discussed.

A negative consequence of attempting a sweeping overview of such a vast field is that space constraints make it difficult to develop every issue.It is based on this that I gave up the practice of general academic works and did not give extensive quotations and notes, which can make the narrative more sufficient.At the same time, I kept information about the scientists' lives and backgrounds to a minimum.The main purpose of this book is to introduce the idea of ​​evolution itself, and due to the complexity of the idea, I will try to be as straightforward as possible.Background material on the lives of scientists can be found in many books, including The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists (Gillispie, ed., 1970-80).In any case, I'm not too convinced that students with introductory knowledge would be interested in a very specialized scientific background.It is important for them to get the basic idea as clearly as possible.In the lecture, the teacher himself can add other materials according to his own specialty.

This leads to my third point: such books must serve as guides for further reading.I anticipate that many experts will find this book useful because of the references in this book.The references in this book are also invaluable for students preparing for term assignments.Some people may criticize that the material cited in this book is too advanced for freshmen, but we have the responsibility to guide such students to further reading.I hope that the references in this book will enable them to find the material that meets their needs.And for teachers, it's not too difficult to add new literature for their students in addition to the references listed here.Students new to the field will also find the references useful.In the teaching of the history of science, even the target audience is graduate level, and there may be no certain background.Such students are somewhat disadvantaged because they must absorb the basic ideas and then read the advanced stuff.I hope this book will lighten their load.

I originally planned to list the cited references at the end of each chapter so that it might not feel too intimidating to beginners.However, I gave up this plan, because listing the same document multiple times will undoubtedly increase the cost of printing.I had also intended to list primary and secondary readings separately, but doing so in a single bibliography is unlikely, and when it comes to the 20th century it can be difficult to distinguish between primary and secondary readings.For foreign language documents, I try to quote English translations.As for original documents published before 1900, I have also focused on citing recently reprinted and easily accessible texts.Ancillary readings focus on the classics in the field, along with specialized literature published over the past few decades.I am very grateful to Mrs Hilary Joyner, secretary of our department, who typed up the original bibliography manuscript.

As an introductory book on perhaps the most controversial theoretical development in science, this book seeks to bridge the divide between the "two cultures" that still exists in our society today.There are few fields that allow people from the humanities and science disciplines to meet directly with each other and find genuine connections to each other like a history of science major.It is the professional historian of science's responsibility to ensure that appropriate readings are provided to facilitate this harmonization, without disguising differences between cultures by over-popularizing knowledge.Despite the relentless call to write books for a non-specialist audience, many of us still write a large number of highly technical articles and books.I myself try to fully introduce the issues with which I am familiar to non-experts.Whether or not the book succeeds, so long as the true function of history of science remains the same, then the kind of literature I offer will be useful.

In the last two chapters of this book, I provide some background on contemporary debates ranging from the mechanisms of evolution to the teaching of evolution in schools.Scientists may be interested in issues that have been discussed throughout the history of evolution and are still debated today.A few years ago it was difficult to write a book on the history of evolution away from modern Darwinism, which was at the height of its success.Now we see that the most basic problems are not solved.I do not expect scientists to draw any technical insights from reading the works of their predecessors, but such reading will give them a better understanding of the nature of some of the fundamental problems that arise in their work.I express my views more fully in this book on the creationism problem.Historians, like everyone else, have the right to evaluate certain systems, and it is these systems that determine what theories we accept. In the early eighteenth century, naturalists working in the field also evaluated certain systems.I think, however, that scientists will better understand where they stand when they recognize the complex position of scientific theory in general—and evolution in particular.

I am qualified to write this book for two reasons.First, I have taught the history of evolution for many years in different countries (Canada, Malaysia and the UK).This, I think, helps me understand the difficulty of showing the nature of complex intellectual development to someone unfamiliar with a field.Second, I have published—initially by accident, then by design—research on the history of many areas of evolution from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century.While there are people who are more familiar with a field than I am, there are not many experienced historians dealing with issues of this magnitude.I have no direct knowledge of the field of modern biology, including the last two chapters of this book.I do my best to present contemporary Darwinism and its opposition to the layman.I hope I have not simplified or misrepresented important arguments, or misinterpreted the views of some of those currently embroiled in this debate.

Here I would like to express my sincere gratitude to some people for their intellectual assistance.It was Robert Young who sparked my interest in the origins of contemporary evolution, and I have since benefited from a number of scholars whose works are listed in the bibliography.Two people deserve special mention, John Green and Malcolm Kotler, who read the original manuscript and, in their own opinion, critiqued the overall structure of the book and suggested how it could be better organized as a whole integrate.They also make detailed recommendations on some insights and uses of information.Of course, the views expressed in the book are my own, and I am solely responsible for the errors in the book.

Pete J. Baller Queen's College Belfast, September 1982