Darwin, Then and Now: Species

Species

Darwin did not define the term “species” in the text or in the“GLOSSARY OF THE PRINCIPAL SCIENTIFIC TERMS” in The Origin of Species.

Darwin concluded that the term “species” was not definable:

It is all-important to remember that naturalists have no golden rule by which to distinguish species.

[There] is no possible test but individual opinion to determine which of them shall be considered as species.

Defining the term species is now known as “The Species Problem“.

According to Massimo Pigliucci, evolutionary scientist and organizer of the largest convening of leading evolutionary scientists, the Altenberg Summit:

First, the species problem is not primarily an empirical one, but it is rather fraught with philosophical questions that require – but cannot be settled by – empirical evidence.

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A SCIENCE WAR is raging over the scientific evidence. Discover the history behind the rise and fall of Darwinism during the past 150 years in this history of evolution narrative—with over 1,000 references quoting directly from scientists.

With Charles Darwin as the central main character, Darwin Then and Now defines how the accumulating scientific evidence continues to define the battle lines of this twenty-first century war.