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Title: Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
ISBN: 039330700X
Author:
Stephen Jay Gould
Publicate Date: 1990-09-01
Publish: 1990-09-01
List Price: $16.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.24
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.47
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.53
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| Customer Review: |
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1: "What had that flower to do with being white?"
In the beginning of Wonderful Life, Gould writes:
"Words, of course, must be varied, if only to eliminate any jargon and phraseology that would mystify anyone outside the priesthood, but conceptual depth should not vary at all between professional publications and general exposition. I hope that this book can be read with profit both in seminars for graduate students and-- if the movie stinks and you forgot your sleeping pills-- on the businessman's special to Tokyo."
I am not qualified to discuss whether it should be taught in graduate seminars. I am more qualified to discuss reading it on a plane, since that is exactly where I did read the book. I think for my audience type, at least, he hits the mark.
I resisted the book quite a bit in the beginning. Honestly, reading it felt a little bit like homework. The casual reader needs to pick his or her way through a variety of classifications and discussions on methodology in order to begin to understand the point(s) of the book. Once I stopped resisting and got through the necessary definition chapters, I found that I really enjoyed the book and felt as though I learned a great deal about something which I had earlier known very little.
Gould's points are both about the remnants found in the Burgess Shale and, more largely, about the role of history and bias in interpreting data. Walcott is a fascinating character, and Gould is by turns both critical and affectionate about his nature and work.
I understand that there is quite a bit of debate regarding Gould's ideas-- many people taking notion with the contingency vs. ecology discussion. I'm not arrogant enough to join that discussion. It is worth noting to future readers that although this book is by most accounts a classic in its area, it is dated and there have been a number of corrections and revisions over the years.
Recommended. At least, I liked it.
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2: Mysteries of the Complex
I am a fan of science and have enjoyed reading many recent books by great authors like Carl Sagan, Richard Leakey, Tim Flannery, Richard Dawkins and Jared Diamond. For some reason I hadn't had the chance to get around to reading a book by the legendary Stephen Jay Gould. Therefore, when I purchased my copy of his book entitled Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, I was very excited and couldn't wait to read it. I was aware that before Gould's passing he was a promoter of science and that he was well known. However, I must confess I was extremely disappointed by this book. The first few chapters started off quite good, however, as the book progresses into the desciptions of the creatures of the Burgess Shale, I felt it becomes comes quite technical. Also, unlike the previous authors I mentioned, Gould seems to offer little in the way of explanations of some of the biological terminology that he uses in the book. Therefore, I feel that this book may be well suited for a person with a complex understanding of biology or palaeontology, however, it is not well suited for the lay person, or even a person with a slightly better than average understanding of these study areas.
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3: Not Good
This book is quoted so often in the literature that I thought I was going to read something profound. It isn't. Conway Morris and others were right to criticize it. Not sure what all the fuss is about. As a well reasoned argument Gould missed the mark.
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4: LIFE 101
I READ THIS BOOK WHEN CAME OUT YEARS AGO. NOW YOU CAN GET IT AT AMAZON AS A BARGAIN BOOK. THIS WONDERFUL STORY TELLS ABOUT AN ALTERNATE EARTH THAT NEVER MADE IT. SOMETHING DESTROYED IT UTTERLY. AND WONDERFUL LIFE FOUGHT BACK AND WITH TIME BECAME GIANT ANIMALS ROAMING THE LANDS OF THE EARTH. THE K-T EVENT. WACKED AGAIN! BUT LIFE ENDURED AND BECAME US...
READING THIS BEATS WATCHING THE FLUFF ON SATELLITE AND CABLE. AND IT MAKES YOU THINK. IT HELPS YOU PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER TO ARRIVE AT YOU!
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5: Revolution in thinking about evolution
Burgess Shale is the most important find ever of remains of early animal life on earth. Stephen Jay Gould explains why, and also why it took almost seventy years before the true significance of this treasure trove began to dawn upon the scientific world. In Gould's view, the 1970's reappraisal of the Burgess Shale fossils represents no less than a Copernical revolution in thinking about the way life on earth has evolved. While this may be, or may not be the case, the tale of how this reappraisal came about is thrillingly and competently told.
As a complete layman in the field of paleontology, I found the insets, explaining the basics and the terminology of the science very helpful. The beautiful drawings by Marianne Collins also helped me a lot to get a feel of what the amazing creatures of Burgess Shale must have been like while living.
The tale of how three British paleontologists, through their work on the fossils, arrived, much to their own surprise, upon conclusions very different from Walcott's (who first discovered Burgess Shale) is a captivating one. Gould's analysis of why Walcott in his time could not possibly have seen his find in it's true light, is something I could have done without.
But then, even if this part holds less interest for me than the main story, were it not for social obligations, I would have finished this book in one sitting!
Heartily recommended for all interested in the history of life on earth.
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