5 Matching Annotations
  1. Last 7 days
  2. www.gutenberg.org www.gutenberg.org
    On the Origin of Species, 1st Edition by Charles Darwin
    5
    1. Jasmine.H7M 17 Sep 2026
      A few naturalists, endowed with much flexibility of mind, and who have already begun to doubt on the immutability of species, may be influenced by this volume; but I look with confidence to the future, to young and rising naturalists, who will be able to view both sides of the question with impartiality. Whoever is led to believe that species are mutable will do good service by conscientiously expressing his conviction; for only thus can the load of prejudice by which this subject is overwhelmed be removed.

      A very nice call to action here, he's simultaneously defending himself by anticipating the inevitable backlash while addressing those who may have taken his ideas to heart. Perhaps this is an example of a major social evolution, something that might become archeologically invisible far into the future but observable as of right now. He really believed in his ideas! It really exemplifies how revolutionary this book was, it really was the first of its kind.

    2. Jasmine.H7M 17 Sep 2026
      I believe that animals have descended from at most only four or five progenitors, and plants from an equal or lesser number. Analogy would lead me one step further, namely, to the belief that all animals and plants have descended from some one prototype.

      Really really interesting note here becuase Darwin brushes really close up against the idea of LUCA (last universal common ancestor). Darwin himself was never entirely clear on how old he thought the earth was. only that it was VERY old, so its really incredible that he was able to identify the possibility of a 4.3 billion year old living organism when at the time, people had only imagined as far back as 6000 years.

    3. Jasmine.H7M 17 Sep 2026
      Disuse, aided sometimes by natural selection, will often tend to reduce an organ, when it has become useless by changed habits or under changed conditions of life; and we can clearly understand on this view the meaning of rudimentary organs.

      Touches here on vestigial organs and how features that may be present on one organism may become obsolete on others. Environment and behaviour are driving forces behind evolution but there is little mentioning about the role that chance plays in evolution as well. Chance is also a driving force, random with respect to the environment. Genetic drifts like bottlenecks and founders aren't mentioned/thought of?

    4. Jasmine.H7M 17 Sep 2026
      It is inexplicable on the theory of creation why a part developed in a very unusual manner in any one species of a genus, and therefore, as we may naturally infer, of great importance to the species, should be eminently liable to variation; but, on my view, this part has undergone, since the several species branched off from a common progenitor, an unusual amount of variability and modification, and therefore we might expect this part generally to be still variable.

      Darwin directly contends with the idea that one God created all living things by pointing out the fact that the unique features of a species seem to not exist for an intended purpose. If all living things are a product of intelligent design, why are we all so highly variable and unique for seemingly no apparently reason? Highly variable traits are highly variable becuase evolution has no "selector".

    5. Jasmine.H7M 17 Sep 2026
      Dominant species belonging to the larger groups tend to give birth to new and dominant forms; so that each large group tends to become still larger, and at the same time more divergent in character. But as all groups cannot thus succeed in increasing in size, for the world would not hold them, the more dominant groups beat the less dominant.

      I think it's a really neat observation Darwin is making here about speciation as well as the beginnings of understanding interactions between organisms by what ecological niche's they fill. Additionally there is attention paid to the balance that is demanded by nature: if two dominant species occupy the same niche, one will eventually outcompete the other. Side note, I also really like the poetic language he uses here. "- for the world cannot hold them," so beautiful!

    Visit annotations in context

    Annotators

    URL

    gutenberg.org/files/1228/1228-h/1228-h.htm