Review of Edward J. Larson's "Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory"

Cover Image from Amazon.com. 

When I picked up this book at my local public library, my low expectations for what I assumed to be another pop-science introduction to an extraordinarily simple scientific principle were balanced by the both book's small size and the fact that it was free. But this book surprised me. Rather than a labored summary of the principles of natural selection, we are presented with a compelling social history. We are shown, for example, how the Enlightenment made room for scientists to develop (pre-Darwinian) theories on the succession of species, and how lingering strands of religious faith influenced those theories. Given the opportunity for a century and a half of retrospection, readers will ask themselves how the interpretation of empirical evidence might be similarly shaped by cultural context and the beliefs of the interpreter through history and to the present day. While theories of evolution are elaborated upon as they increase appreciation for the history of evolutionary understanding, Larson's Evolution is not primarily an introduction to these theories, but more of a case-study in the history and philosophy of science. I would recommend it as a quick read for aspiring scientists and other truth-seekers who want to take a critical perspective on their reality.