Product Description

A new edition of this bestselling examination into the most vitriolic feud in modern science.

Published weeks before his death in 2001, Stephen Jay Gould's magisterial The Structure of Evolutionary Theory laid down his argument about evolution, about what Darwin means in the age of genes and memes and why, contra Richard Dawkins, evolution by natural selection is only one of many ways of explaining us and our world. Dawkins is yet to respond. Is this legendary feud finally over?

Science has had its fair share of punch-ups over the years but few as vitriolic as that between these two leading lights of evolutionary science. Kim Sterenly moves beyond the caricatures of the Dawkins and Gould camps and shows that this conflict extends beyond evolution to their very beliefs in science itself; and, in Gould's case, to domains in which science plays no role at all.

A fully revised, indexed, updated and longer edition with more diagrams and illustrations, this is ideal background reading for anyone interested in the most heated debate in science today.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46719 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

British Society for the History of Science, Autumn 2001
This book provides a useful and highly readable introduction to some potentially confusing debates in [evolutionary] biology.

Nature (issue 413)
'Slim and Readable'

Focus, August 2001
'Book of the Month'

Customer Reviews

Really nice overview of both evolutionary theory and the Gould v Dawkins conflict
I spent some time looking for a decent primer on evolutionary theory. I've not as yet found something which strikes the right balance between simplicity and depth, but in looking I came across this.

It really is an excellent little book. Gould vs Dawkins for beginners was never going to be easy because you have the challenge of explaining both their actual argument, and the theory behind their argument which is often quite complex. Sterelny manages this well, his explanations are comprehensible to someone who hasn't studied science since GCSE but not too patronising for someone who already grasps the ideas pretty well.

Explaining the differences between Dawkins and Gould is in itself a difficult task because at the end of the day they're pretty slim. But after I'd read the book I felt like I'd picked up a fair understanding of not only what those differences are (or were) but also how they fit into the wider picture of Dawkin and Gould's approaches to science.

Definitely a must for anyone who wants to know a little more about the theory of evolution.

A pacifier from the Pacific
Kim Sterelny's overview of the Stephen Gould - Richard Dawkins conflicting views of evolution is a masterful summation. Setting himself an immense task, he addresses the material published by the two evolutionists, assessing evidence, logic and interpretation. To Sterelny's lasting credit, personality is almost entirely omitted in this account. A brief education background note [Dawkins studied under Tinbergen, Gould's mentor was George Gaylord Simpson] and Sterelny moves quickly to the essence of the debate. His presentation makes this a fine introduction to the issues involved.

Debate is a gentle word to apply to some of the acrimonious exchanges the pair engaged in either directly or through proxies. The opening shot was Gould's scornful review of Daniel C. Dennett's "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" in which Dennett challenged Gould and Eldredge's notion of punctuated equilibrium as setting the pace of evolution. The clash brought to light more fundamental differences in outlook - gene-centred evolution or a multi-level interacting set of forces. As Sterelny ultimately points out, the two are subject to merging into a broader synthesis. Dawkins has made that point frequently, as Sterelny notes, but that reality failed to find fertile ground on this side of the Atlantic.

Gene-centred evolution results in the creation of adaptations through mutations. Whether these adaptations are successful over time is the story of evolution. Gould found many ways to challenge this theme, chiefly because it would apply equally to human evolution, something Gould always found abhorrent. Gould's argument went deeper than human evolution. He advanced "contingency" and mass extinctions of whatever cause, as more viable mechanisms than what he labelled "gene centrism". Sterelny presents both positions with admirable clarity and laudable equilibrium. It would be churlish to criticise Sterelny's temperate treatment of Gould's notions. Dawkins and Dennett have already performed the task sufficiently, although Sterelny skirts Dennett's examination.

The loss of Gould to cancer has not quelled the debate, thus proving it wasn't simply a clash of personalities. A Gould "camp", with adherents on both sides of the Atlantic, maintains the heated dispute. Lewontin and Kamin in America and the Rose cabal in the UK still launch verbal missiles at the Dawkins target. Sterelny keeps his focus tight in this book, not being diverted to these disputants. In performing this feat, Sterelny might be criticised for failing to note why the debate is worth notice by a wider audience. He certainly hasn't written this for the academic community, although many in other disciplines might benefit from his insights and brisk narrative. Sterelny's position as a philosopher located in New Zealand is sufficient example to show how far the debate has reached. Its very universality might have prompted him to reflect on its impact on social questions. Even so, his effort is highly commendable and deserves the widest possible readership. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Excellent synthesis
I found Kim Sterelny's review to be a very accurate yet understandable summary. I have read many books written by Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould, so I already had a rough sketch of their contention. Sterelny's book was a great way to solidify the nature of Gould and Dawkins' scientific conflict and a great way to fill in the gaps.

I was particularly grateful by the Gould section. Dawkins has stated his views on evolution and Gould quite extensively, but I have been less exposed to Gould's original writings on punctuated equilibrium (probably because, as Sterelny noted, Gould has written about the subject mostly in essays and scientific papers). The Gould section in this book was a great clarification of punctuated equilibrium and other Gould theories.

I have not heard the opinions of the title subjects on this book, although I would very much like to. But for the moment, I found 'Dawkins vs. Gould' to be an objective, impartial and fair description of this well-known scientific clash.