Publication date 1982 | Originally published 1982 | |
Subject Charles Darwin, Evolution Publisher University of New Mexico Press | ||
Evolution Without Evidence: Charles Darwin and "The Origin of Species" is a 1982 book by historian Barry G. Gale.
Contrary to the title, the book is not on the Creation–evolution controversy. Gale attempts to explain why Charles Darwin waited twenty years to publish his theory of natural selection and how his theory evolved during this period. The book heavily relies on Darwin's letters, notebooks, essays and papers. Darwin's private correspondences with Asa Gray and Joseph Hooker are cited.
Reception
The book has received positive reviews, but the title has been criticized as misleading. Muriel L. Blaisdell a professor of interdisciplinary studies praised the research of the book and described it as "easily accessible to the general reader... A new portrait of Darwin with its distinctively modern styling."
Historian of science Philip F. Rehbock positively reviewed the book, stating it "will prove most useful to those who are looking for a direct path into the mountain of Darwinian literature. They will find Gale's route clearly articulated, heavily documented, adequately indexed, and unburdened by technical terminology."
Biologist Richard Lewontin commented in a review "What is appealing in Gale’s work is a picture of a life in the social community of science that corresponds to our everyday experience of how careers are built."
Biologist Gert Korthof has reviewed the book in depth.