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Evolution is a fundamental process that cuts across boundaries of art and science and has beguiled thinkers for ages. This collection of articles about all aspects of evolution is a feast of challenging ideas, drawing together world-renowned thinkers and communicators with their own intriguing insights. This impressive cast of contributors takes on such questions as: Why and how do civilizations and societies change over time? Why do our cells develop the way they do? Why are some villages still villages while others have grown into vast cities? Can we learn from our evolutionary past to plan a better future for our health and society? Tracing the history of biological evolution, through the evolution of cultures, society, science and the universe, contributors such as Stephen Jay Gould, Freeman Dyson, and Martin Rees address these mysteries by considering parallels from all levels of life. From the evolution of the embryo to the evolution of a star, common threads emerge to tell a fascinating story with surprising implications.
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EVOLUTION
THE DARWIN COLLEGE LECTURES
EVOLUTION SOCIETY, SCIENCE AND THE UNIVERSE Edited by A. C. Fabian
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521572088 © Cambridge University Press 1998 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1998 Reprinted 1998 This digitally printed first paperback version 2006 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Evolution: Society, Science and the Universe / edited by A.C. Fabian, p. cm. - (The Darwin College lectures) Includes index. Contents: On transmuting Boyle's law to Darwin's revolution / Stephen Jay Gould - The evolution of cellular development / Lewis Wolpert — The evolution of guns and germs / Jared Diamond — The evolution of London / Richard Rogers - The evolution of society / Tim Ingold - The evolution of the novel / Gillian Beer - The evolution of science / Freeman Dyson - The evolution of the universe / Martin Rees. ISBN 0 521 57208 8 (hardcover) 1. Evolution. I. Fabian, A. C, 1948- . II. Series. B818.E82 1998 116-dc21 97-23260 CIP ISBN-13 978-0-521-57208-8 hardback ISBN-10 0-521-57208-8 hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-03217-9 paperback ISBN-10 0-521-03217-2 paperback
Contents
Introduction
1
ANDREW C.FABIAN
1
On Transmuting Boyle's Law to Darwin's Revolution
4
STEPHEN JAY GOULD
2
The Evolution of Cellular Development
28
LEWIS WOLPERT
3
The Evolution of Guns and Germs
46
JARED DIAMOND
4
The Evolution of London
64
RICHARD ROGERS
5
The Evolution of Society
79
TIMINGOLD
6
The Evolution of the Novel
100
GILLIAN BEER
7
The Evolution of Science
118
FREEMAN DYSON 8
The Evolution of the Universe MARTIN REES
136
Notes on Contributors
161
Acknowledgements
163
Index
165
Introduction ANDREW C.FABIAN
The concept of evolution means different things to different people. To a biologist it simply means genetic evolution, whereas in many other disciplines it can mean ch