Want to learn the ideas in The Origin of Species better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, Robin Field here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of The Origin of Species

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on The Origin of Species, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Charles Darwin, Robin Field.

1-Page Summary of The Origin of Species

Overview

On the Origin of Species was published in 1859 by Charles Darwin. It’s considered to be a foundation of evolutionary biology and inspired many other scientists, including Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently conceived the same theory. The book presented evidence for his scientific theory that species evolved over time through natural selection and common ancestry. He included evidence he gathered on his expedition around the world on HMS Beagle (1831–36) as well as subsequent findings from research, correspondence, and experimentation.

The theory of evolution had been proposed by various scientists to explain new findings in biology. This idea was gaining traction among dissident anatomists and the general public, but during the first half of the 19th century, England’s scientific establishment was closely tied to the Church of England, which conflicted with science being part of natural theology. The political implications were intensely debated because this theory contradicted ideas that species were unchanging parts of a designed hierarchy and humans were unique and unrelated to other animals.

The book was written for non-specialist readers and attracted widespread interest upon its publication. As Darwin was an eminent scientist, his findings were taken seriously and the evidence he presented generated scientific, philosophical, and religious discussion. The debate over the book contributed to the campaign by T. H. Huxley and his fellow members of the X Club to secularise science by promoting scientific naturalism. Within two decades there was widespread scientific agreement that evolution with a branching pattern of common descent had occurred, but scientists were slow to give natural selection the significance that Darwin thought appropriate. During “the eclipse of Darwinism” from the 1880s to 1930s various other mechanisms of evolution were given more credit than natural selection; during this time period evolutionary biologists came up with alternative explanations for how new species arise in nature through processes such as mutation or genetic drift rather than via natural selection alone (which they believed could only produce minute changes within pre-existing species). By mid 20th century researchers developed techniques that enabled them to observe molecular changes within organisms’ DNA which led them to conclude that some degree of gradual change is possible within lineages (as opposed to speciation occurring abrupty due solely to catastrophic events such as meteorite strikes). This paved way for modern evolutionary synthesis in 1940’s which incorporated these ideas among others into a coherent theoretical framework explaining how evolution works at both macroscopic level (e.g., patterns between different breeds/species) & microscopic levels (e.g., mutations leading towards antibiotic resistance or development of drug addiction)

The Origin of Species

Introduction

Darwin begins his book by telling us that while he was on the HMS Beagle, a ship in South America, he made observations about animals and land which eventually formed his theory of natural selection. He hopes this theory will shed light on “the mystery of mysteries”, the origin of species.

Darwin went on a five-year voyage to South America and the Galapagos Islands. When he returned home, he realized that his research may be worth investigating further. He spent years accumulating information and reflecting on it before writing “On the Origin of Species”.

He wrote this book after reading the manuscript of Alfred Russel Wallace, who also had similar ideas and was about to publish his findings. As an abstract he notes that it may be incomplete or imperfect at times, but any questions can be answered with his full publication.