Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species

Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species

2009, Science  -   37 Comments
7.10
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Ratings: 7.10/10 from 31 users.

Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of SpeciesDocumentary telling the little-known story of how Darwin came to write his great masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, a book which explains the wonderful variety of the natural world as emerging out of death and the struggle of life.

In the twenty years he took to develop a brilliant idea into a revolutionary book, Darwin went through a personal struggle every bit as turbulent as that of the natural world he observed.

Fortunately, he left us an extraordinary record of his brilliant insights, observations of nature, and touching expressions of love and affection for those around him.

He also wrote frank accounts of family tragedies, physical illnesses and moments of self-doubt, as he labored towards publication of the book that would change the way we see the world.

The story is told with the benefit of Darwin's secret notes and correspondence, enhanced by natural history filming, powerful imagery from the time and contributions from leading contemporary biographers and scientists.

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Francis
Francis
6 years ago

if you haven't read 'on the origin of species', but find documentaries concerning evolution compelling, you would be pleased to do so. its a very entertaining, well-written book, and does not require really any particular background, other than a reasonable intelligence to appreciate and enjoy the delightful intelligence of the man who found biology as a cataloguing science (no insult, most sciences started that way) and left it a systematic science, true peer to the physical sciences.

Mom
Mom
11 years ago

Darwin never answered the simple question of how organic chemistry works to make life from dead chemical compounds? The primeordial soup of which the basic chemicals of life came is found in coal beds of dead organisms. Where is the magic transformation found in that soup?

Winston Smith
Winston Smith
12 years ago

at the start they quote from the close of Darwin's Origin of Species, and they removed the words 'by the creator' that Darwin used in his book! heh (or maybe Darwin did that in later edition than the 6th impression I have?)
"There is grandeur in this view of the world..."

Dillon Larson
Dillon Larson
12 years ago

he was a plagiarizer. barnacles to the origin of species instantly. plus he was wrong. true Darwinism revolves around random mutation and nothing but. however, every thing we have ever evolved has been from selected activation of our DNA through environmental influence

dennis bannister
dennis bannister
12 years ago

Denboy

Many times have I heard discussed, "The Origin of Species" with intelligent people, but only twice have I met individuals who have actually read the book. All the others have been happy to comment on this masterpiece without having taken the trouble to actually read it.
It's a masterpiece of honest scientific "argument", as Darwin himself called it.
Well worth reading are "The Descent of Man" and "The Voyage of the Beagle"

RileyRampant
RileyRampant
12 years ago

a really nice exposition on the context in which darwin came to present his grand synthesis.

darwin's important place within victorian society actually provides, adjunct to the importance of the work in progress, a penetratating view into the milieu of the time, and even for the many of us who came to science drenched in the trappings of familial religious tabus, something to, in a sense, relate to. religion dies hard.

the back story of the piece is, of course, his personal journey out of christian dogma, first by observation & reason, and later by tragedy.

when i read the 'origin', onto 20 years ago by now, was struck at the time by the sheer mass of PERSONAL research which went behind the ideas.

if you haven't read 'on the origin of species', but find documentaries concerning evolution compelling, you would be pleased to do so. its a very entertaining, well-written book, and does not require really any particular background, other than a reasonable intelligence to appreciate and enjoy the delightful intelligence of the man who found biology as a cataloguing science (no insult, most sciences started that way) and left it a systematic science, true peer to the physical sciences.

dogsaysbark
dogsaysbark
12 years ago

Charles Darwin was a gifted genius way ahead of his time!
He is by far the greatest scientist that has ever lived.

Nakor420
Nakor420
12 years ago

I believe in evolution, but Darwins ideas can be dangerous. Darwinism is the basis of marxist thought. The idea that humans are merely animals is a slippery slope, and has resulted in the deaths of millions. If you don't believe me, research the philosophies of Stalin and Mao.

robertallen1
robertallen1
12 years ago

Of course, he was not the only one. What about the Huxleys? It was just that he was the most aristocratic.

Gary V
Gary V
12 years ago

If Darwin had not had the intelligence & open-mindedness to have questioned the ideas of the past then we would all still be stuck in the Dark Ages & we would not have progressed as far as we have now. We should all never underestimate the greatness of the knowledge that he has bestowed upon us all.

wald0
wald0
12 years ago

This is mostly about Darwins perosonal life and the struggles he went through, and the reasons behind his hesitation to publish his work. It has very little to say about the science of evolution. I thought it was o.k., but I have already seen one documentary and one docudrama about this same subject so I got bored.

Gary V
Gary V
12 years ago

Superb doc, in HD too.

Watch & learn Creationists. lol