The Origin of Species

By Charles Darwin

Categories: Science & Math

Charles Darwin took more than twenty years to publish this book, partly because he knew it would ignite controversy. When On the Origin of Species appeared in 1859, it marked a turning point in scientific thought, and its impact on science, philosophy, and theology is hard to overstate. It is also remarkably readable. Carefully reasoned and well documented, it sets out natural selection, adaptation, and the struggle for existence, ideas that became the foundation of modern evolutionary theory.

Recommended by 6 people

• Paul Graham
• Neil deGrasse Tyson
• Matt Ridley
• Darren Aronofsky
• Naval Ravikant: “Actually related to that, another great book that I would recommend is The Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin.”
• Winston Churchill: “From November to May I read for four or five hours every day history and philosophy. Plato's Republic... the Politics of Aristotle, edited by Dr. Welldon himself; Schopenhauer on Pessimism; Malthus on Population; Darwin's Origin of Species: all interspersed with other books of lesser standing.”