
The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
or, The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life
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Narrated by:
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Robin Field
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By:
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Charles Darwin
About this listen
The Origin of Species sold out on the first day of its publication in 1859. It is the major book of the 19th century and one of the most readable and accessible of the great revolutionary works of the scientific imagination. Though, in fact, little read, most people know what it says—at least they think they do.
The Origin of Species was the first mature and persuasive work to explain how species change through the process of natural selection. Upon its publication, the book began to transform attitudes about society and religion and was soon used to justify the philosophies of communists, socialists, capitalists, and even Germany’s National Socialists. But the most quoted response came from Thomas Henry Huxley, Darwin’s friend and also a renowned naturalist, who exclaimed, “How extremely stupid not to have thought of that!"
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First published in 1871, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex sees Darwin apply his evolutionary theory to the human race, controversially placing apes in our family tree. The book covers a range of adjacent themes, including differences between different peoples, the dominance of women in mate choice, and the relevance of evolutionary theory to general society.
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excellent reveal of Darwin's racism
- By Amazon Customer on 01-23-22
By: Charles Darwin
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Ask the Beasts
- Darwin and the God of Love
- By: Elizabeth A. Johnson
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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For millennia plant and animal species have received little sustained attention as subjects of Christian theology and ethics in their own right. Focused on the human dilemma of sin and redemptive grace, theology has considered the doctrine of creation to be mainly an overture to the main drama of human being`s relationship to God. What value does the natural world have within the framework of religious belief?
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Possibly the most important book I have read since I first fell in love with Jesus
- By J. Williams on 01-10-19
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Economics in One Lesson
- By: Henry Hazlitt
- Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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A million-copy seller, Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson is a classic economic primer. But it is also much more, having become a fundamental influence on modern “libertarian” economics of the type espoused by Ron Paul and others. Called by H. L. Mencken “one of the few economists in history who could really write,” Henry Hazlitt achieved lasting fame for this brilliant but concise work.
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The truth about Economics
- By Captain Amazing! on 02-01-03
By: Henry Hazlitt
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The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - translator
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
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Not for listening.
- By Larry on 03-13-11
By: Dante Alighieri, and others
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A Brief History of Time
- From the Big Bang to Black Holes
- By: Stephen W. Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God — where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.
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Easily Digestible Presentation of Complex Topics
- By James on 05-19-04
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Crime and Punishment
- By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: Anthony Heald
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In this intense detective thriller instilled with philosophical, religious, and social commentary, Dostoevsky studies the psychological impact upon a desperate and impoverished student when he murders a despicable pawnbroker, transgressing moral law to ultimately "benefit humanity".
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Wonderful reading, disturbing book
- By Tad Davis on 11-03-08
By: Fyodor Dostoevsky, and others
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Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century
- A Traveler’s Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen, André Santana, Bronson Pinchot, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In Neil deGrasse Tyson’s delightful journey through the cosmos, his fictional character Merlin responds to popular questions asked by adults and children alike. Merlin, a timeless visitor from Planet Omniscia in the Andromeda Galaxy, has observed firsthand many of the major scientific events of Earth’s history.
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Learning to love Space
- By Tara Nichol on 02-15-25
An excellent book of monumental importance.
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This work is quite a repetitive overview of his research which though interesting, was not exactly easy to listen to and I found my attention wandering during the narration.
Not exactly easy listening
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I loved the book
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It is Darwin presenting his most important work
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YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED
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Pleasant Listen
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Loved It
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Where does The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Near the top...probably in the top 5Who was your favorite character and why?
Um, is this a trick question...there are no characters in On the Origin of Species, but many animals...I like birds I guess...What does Robin Field bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He did alright.Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I greatly enjoyed this book and wish I would've read it while in college.Any additional comments?
After reading Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" I can see why its been noted as one of the most significant books ever written - especially when it comes to scientific literature and observation. I've come to realize that many of Darwin's ideas are over emphasized, underestimated, and way ahead of his time.To my point on being over emphasized, I have heard many assumptions by many people that assume Darwin wrote this book in a way that pushed evolution to being the explanation for all of life's origins. Many of his ideas and observations are either taken out of context or argued in a way that makes it seem like Darwin had all the answers. If people who openly debated evolution actually read this work, they would come to understand that many of his ideas make perfect sense within the context of his observations. He also dedicates a full chapter to problems with his theory - many of which are some of the arguments still made today.
To my point on being underestimated, I think that when people have taken Darwin's ideas out of context they are missing a grander point in that natural selection is a means by which we can explain evolution and change through time. I think that many people also misunderstand Darwin's observations in that he was able to use empirical evidence to support his ideas, which can be easily overlooked by individuals that attack his theory as an "opinion" or theory without explanation.
To my point on Darwin being ahead of his time, I found it extremely interesting that he was able to make predictions about tectonic plates and the movement of the earth's continents that allowed for the geographical distribution of species 50-60 years before scientists began working off of the theory of plate tectonics. I think many of his other observations have since been confirmed regarding inheritance, now that we have the technology to craft phylogentic trees and such - even to the extent of using mitochondrial DNA and rRNA to track ancestry.
Altogether I found this book fascinating and look forward to reading it again. I'll also look forward to checking out his other writings at some point. Part of me wishes I would've read this book in college when I would've had more opportunities to explore his ideas as well as take advantage of professors that could have spoken at great lengths on the subject.
Pros: Truly a classic when it comes to scientific observations and how science should be performed.
Cons: The chapter on hybrids was a bit dry and hard to follow.
Bottom line: Excellent read for anyone interested in life's origins or how there is commonality among life forms.
A must read for anyone interested in lifes origins
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everything down to addressing the steelman argument of skepticism around gradual evolution of complex structures like the eyes, i heard first from richard dawkins books
dawkins should sue.
cool book
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Struggled to finish
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