Book description
At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...
When it was first published, Charles Darwin's theory of
evolution, with its now commonplace central idea of 'natural
selection', scandalised the world. But in the context of modern times,
how do we grasp just how original and daring it was in 1859?
Darwin & Evolution is a riveting look into the life of Charles
Darwin and his reluctant rise from being a quiet and eccentric bug
enthusiast to one of the greatest scientists of all time. Darwin's Big
Idea is explained in a straightforward and gripping style, providing
an account of the importance of his groundbreaking voyage on HMS
Beagle, and the implications of his revolutionary concept of evolution.
The Big Idea series is a fascinating look at the greatest
advances in our scientific history, and at the men and women who made
these fundamental breakthroughs.
Paul Strathern was born in London and studied philosophy at Trinity
College, Dublin. He was a lecturer at Kingston University where he
taught philosophy and mathematics. He is a Somerset Maugham
prize-winning novelist of
A Season in Abyssinia
, as well as four other novels. He is also the author of the
Philosophers in 90 Minutes
series
.
He wrote
Mendeleyev's Dream
which was shortlisted for the Aventis Science Book Prize,
Dr.
Strangelove's Game: A History of Economic Genius
,
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance
,
Napoleon in Egypt
and most recently,
The Artist, The Philosopher and The Warrior
,
which details the convergence of three of Renaissance Italy's most
brilliant minds: Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Cesare
Borgia. He lives in London and has three grandchildren.
