Apr 09, 2024
This lecture series, taught by Sonia Kleindorfer, explored Darwin’s On the Origin of Species chapter by chapter, combining historical context with modern evolutionary insights. Over five weeks, we met every Tuesday to examine the core arguments presented by Darwin. The course was grounded in Darwin’s original text, but framed through the lens of current evolutionary theory and recent empirical studies. In particular, she emphasized how Darwin’s reasoning foreshadowed many modern developments in population genetics, phylogenetics, and developmental biology.
The structure of the course emphasized critical reading: understanding Darwin’s claims, but also engaging with the text as an argument that had to be defended against rival explanations. By the final week, we had defined twenty key concepts central to evolutionary theory, such as natural selection, speciation, common descent, adaptation, and population thinking.
The written exam asked us to define five of these concepts and to critically reflect on the content and significance of one selected chapter from the book. We traced how Darwin’s “one long argument” continues to shape how we ask questions about biodiversity, adaptation, and the origins of species today.
Introduction to the Origin of Species
Variation under Domestication
Variation under Nature
Struggle for Existence
Natural Selection
Laws of Variation
Difficulties on Theory
Instinct
Hybridism
On the Imperfection of the Geological Record
On the Geological Succession of Organic Beings
Geographical Distribution I
Geographical Distribution II
Mutual Affinities of Organic Beings
Recapitulation and Conclusion