Darwin has been accused, apparently with good justification, of failing to give appropriate credit for his own ideas to other earlier thinkers including Buffon, Lamarck and his own grandfather, Erasmus Darwin. In reflecting on the contents of this book, I can think of additional examples of deceit such as Ernst Haeckel's 19th-century misrepresentation of embryos in order to support his concept of embryonic recapitulation. Even though some of these stories of deceptions can make interesting reading, I have no pleasure in contemplating them, and I would prefer to recall members of the army of dedicated scientists who have been models in standing for the highest ideals in pursuit of truth. Such were many of my professors including my own graduate advisors. On the whole the book is interestingly and insightfully written.
Science is meant to be a community of intellectuals, dedicated to a common goal.
History shows that, to the contrary, a community of scientists is often ready to swallow whole the dogma served up to them, as long as it is palatable and has the right measure of scientific seasoning. The book expresses many years of thought and effort and will on the whole, I believe, have a beneficial influence. All contents copyright Geoscience Research Institute. All rights reserved.