The Origin of Species

A permanent contribution to philosophical and scientific thought.

Written for the general public of the 1850s, The Origin of Species is a rigorously documented but highly readable account of the scientific theory which lies at the root of our present attitude to the universe.

Charles Darwin established an evolutionary view of the world which challenged contemporary beliefs about Divine Providence and the fixity of species. He also set forth the results of his pioneering work on the related subject of the interdependence of species – the ecology of animals and plants.

In his helpful and entertaining Introduction, Professor Burrow examines the background to Darwin’s work, and the intellectual forces which helped, or in some cases hindered, its development.