Darwin: Portrait of a Genius (2012 original; edició 2012)

Interestingly, Johnson's "portrait" of Darwin isn't very flattering. He highlights Darwin's shortcomings and mistakes, his arrogance, his lack of intellectual discipline, his biases, his inability to understand the subtleties of human nature, his pettiness, his intolerance, and his mean-spiritedness. That being said, this short book is still a quick and interesting read. ( )

Some interesting information on this quiet genius.

Some interesting information on this quiet genius.

This was just okay a lot dry at times, but I did learn a few new facts about the man and his work. ( )

interesting short book. Not traditional biography, not exactly history. Johnson looks at Darwin's personal hisstory, and at the effects of his ideas on Darwin's own life and on society. I enjoyed most of it, but Johnson inserts some of his own ideas in the final chapter that seem odd to me. Applying natural selection to inanimate objects that do not reproduce sexually misses the point in my opinion, and feeds the ideas of social darwinism that take the superficial view and apply to other situations. Bu perhaps he is more subtle than I and this is his point.... ( )