Download S. Name 1 Student Name, Per. 8 Mar. 2, 2015 Ms. Laroche

Student Name, Per. 8
Mar. 2, 2015
Ms. Laroche
Annotated Bibliography
Darwin, Charles. The Descent of Man. 1871. Selected and Edited by Philip Appleman. Norton
Critical Editions. New York: Norton, 1979. 154-176. Print.
This book describes the origin of man as it was understood in Darwin’s time. He found
that the physical and mental diversity among men of the same race or even different races
was incredibly great. He also observed that it is true for animals in that they can have
very different mental processes from each other as well. In terms of natural selection,
variation among men has been caused by the same general factors that cause variation
among animals. Men, similarly to animals, learned to adapt to their environments in
order to survive. Those who could not adapt then died off, and the beneficial traits of
men were selected for over the others. Darwin also writes that man as he now exists “is
the most dominant animal that has ever appeared on this earth” due to his intellectual and
social abilities. An important point he makes is that we cannot know whether man
descended from a small or large species of primates, so we cannot know whether man has
become stronger or weaker than his ancestors. Darwin believes that it is the intellect of
man that will widen the gap between the civilized and uncivilized species of earth.
---. The Origin of Species. 1859. Selected and Edited by Philip Appleman. Norton Critical
Editions. New York: Norton, 1979. 88-103. Print.
Darwin describes what he believes to be beneficial traits that evolved but he is uncertain
as to how they actually occur because he is not able to observe the “intermediate form.”
He asserts that this happens very slowly and over long periods of time, and that many
intermediate varieties existed but only the fossil record remains. Darwin tries to give
S. Name 2
examples of transitional states of existing species but is only able to find a few, and only
with “the finest gradation.” He acknowledges the many questions that are raised by his
theory. He also points out that not enough is known about the importance of various
organs and traits to the survival of particular animals in order to know whether they are
the product of natural selection. The process of natural selection does not necessarily
lead to perfection.
---. The Voyage of the ‘Beagle’. London: Heron Books, 1845. 372-401. Print.
This is Darwin’s first book and it is essentially a record of his job as a naturalist on board
the ‘Beagle.’ The most significant chapter related to his later work is one on the
Galapagos archipelago. He notes that the animals there are found nowhere else, although
they have similarities to animals on the continent. He is amazed at the number of unique
species given how small the islands are. He found the same wide variety among the
plants as well. He estimated that a large majority of the animals and about half of the
plants only existed on those islands. Some animals are different from one island to the
next, even though the islands are very close. The birds and animals were especially tame
because they had never learned to fear man. Darwin theorized that the deep ocean
between the islands and the likelihood that they were never a part of the same landmass
was one explanation for how the islands could be so diverse and different from each
other. This shows the beginning of Darwin’s thinking regarding the characteristics of
certain species and how important they were to their survival.
S. Name 3
Thomas, Lewis. The Fragile Species. New York: Collier Books, 1992. 99-115. Print.
This book describes a wide range of natural phenomena, including evolutionary biology
and human heritage. Thomas writes that life started with bacterial cells that organized
themselves to evolve over millions of years to become all the species in the world today.
Scientists identified chemical molecules that bacteria used to communicate among
themselves. Thomas views this as a form of thinking. Through DNA, enormous
amounts of information are continually transmitted between organisms. He is critical of
the idea that we have learned too much about nature and that people are discovering facts
they cannot handle. Thomas believes the opposite – we are learning how little we know
and how we do not fully understand what we do know.
Weiner, Jonathan. The Beak of the Finch. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. 213-223. Print.
This book describes how scientists are discovering that natural selection in the Galapagos
is happening faster than people previously believed. Darwin was troubled by variations
because he did not know the “laws of variation.” He predicted that someday scientists
would figure this out. He envisioned invisible characters in the blood as a type of code to
be deciphered. Scientists are using the code now known as DNA to understand much
more about evolution. Changes in the genes of finches in the Galapagos now are
happening as fast as when Darwin had visited.
“Man is But a Worm.” Punch or the London Charivari. 1882. Punch. 2015. Web. 23 Feb.
2015.
This cartoon ridicules Darwin’s scientific theories by showing modern man’s descent
from primates which in turn are shown in a circle as descending from worms. It shows
worms growing heads and feet with their ends becoming a primate’s tail, with the
S. Name 4
primates progressing into human forms in successive drawings. Darwin is shown looking
down on the process dressed in robes as if he was God.
“Punch’s Fancy Portraits. – No. 54.” Punch or the London Charivari. 1881. Punch. 2015.
Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
The caption of this cartoon reads “Charles Robert Darwin, LL.S., F.R.S. In his Descent
of Man he brought his own species down as low as possible – i.e., to ‘A hairy quadruped
furnished with a tail and pointed ears, and probably arboreal in its habits’ – which is a
reason for the very general interest in a ‘family tree.’ He has lately been turning his
attention to the ‘politic worm.’” The image shows Darwin sitting on the ground with a
large worm, and he appears to be thinking about something. Next to him there is a book
titled “Diet of Worms,” as if he was studying it so he can know what to eat, since “man is
but a worm.” This cartoon also ridicules Darwin’s theories by showing how he has
reduced the species of man to a worm.