The Descent of Man

by Charles Darwin, Tom Griffith (Editor), Janet Browne (Introduction)

Overview

The Descent of Man is Darwin’s second book, first published in 1871. In this edition, Darwin applies evolutionary theory to humans and details his theory of sexual selection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848705616
Publisher:	Wordsworth Editions, Limited
Publication date:	10/03/2013
Series:	Classics of World Literature
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	627
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Charles Darwin was born in England in 1809 and attended the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. When he decided against that vocation, he enrolled at Cambridge where he earned a degree in theology. During an expedition to Africa and South America, Darwin continued his studies in natural science and began writing about his theories of natural selection. His work led to the publication of On the Origin of Species, a book that changed the world.

Charles Darwin: Original Thinking
Each generation of students comes to Darwin's epoch-making works, several of which are the basis of our publishing program in biology and related fields: The Essential Darwin, 2006; The Descent of Man, 2010; The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 2006; and On the Origin of the Species, 2006.

In the Author's Own Words:

"A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn't there."

"I feel most deeply that this whole question of Creation is too profound for human intellect. A dog might as well speculate on the mind of Newton! Let each man hope and believe what he can."

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science."

"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."

"Man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system — with all these exalted powers — Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." — Charles Darwin

Date of Birth:

February 12, 1809

Date of Death:

April 19, 1882

Place of Birth:

Shrewsbury, England

Place of Death:

London, England

Education:

B.A. in Theology, Christ¿s College, Cambridge University, 1831

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Dover Edition v

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

Introduction xxv

Part I The Descent Or Origin Of Man

I The Evidence of the Descent of Man From Some Lower Form 3

II Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals 17

III Comparison of the Mental Powers of Man and the Lower Animals, continued 40

IV On the Manner of Development of Man from Some Lower Form 64

V On the Development of the Intellectual and Moral Faculties during Primeval and Civilised Times 95

VI On the Affinities and Genealogy of Man 112

VII On the Races of Man 131

Part II Sexual Selection

VIII Principles of Sexual Selection 155

IX Secondary Sexual Characters in the Lower Classes of the Animal Kingdom 188

X Secondary Sexual Characters of Insects 194

XI Insects, continued. Order Lepidoptera 197

XII Secondary Sexual Characters of Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles 221

XIII Secondary Sexual Characters of Birds 232

XIV Birds, continued 265

XV Birds, continued 299

XVI Birds, concluded 318

XVII Secondary Sexual Characters of Mammals 353

XVIII Secondary Sexual Characters of Mammals, continued 370

XIX Secondary Sexual Characters of Man 393

XX Secondary Sexual Characters of Man, continued 417

XXI General Summary and Conclusion 436

Index 451

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

One of the ten most significant books. (Sigmund Freud)"

Editorial Reviews

[Darwin’s] second great book . . . An intellectually daring feat.” —Richard O. Prum, in The Evolution of Beauty

From the Publisher