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1、THEEVOLUTIONARYWORLDHowAdaptationExplainsEverythingfromSeashellstoCivilizationGEERATJ.VERMEIJTHOMASDUNNEBOOKSST.MARTIN'SPRESSSSNEWYORKToAlfredG.FischerandEgbertG.LeighJr.,twogreatmentorsCONTENTSPrefaceAcknowledgmentsCHAPTERONE:TheEvolutionaryWayofKnowi
2、ngCHAPTERTWO:DecipheringNature'sCodebookCHAPTERTHREE:OnImperfectionCHAPTERFOUR:TamingUnpredictabilityCHAPTERFIVE:TheEvolutionofOrderCHAPTERSIX:TheComplexityofLifeandtheOriginofMeaningCHAPTERSEVEN:TheSecretsofGrass:InterdependenceandItsDiscontentsCHAPTE
3、REIGHT:Nature'sHousingMarket,orWhyNothingHappensinIsolationCHAPTERNINE:DispatchesfromaWarmerWorldCHAPTERTEN:TheSearchforSourcesandSinksCHAPTERELEVEN:Invaders,Incumbents,andaChangingoftheGuardCHAPTERTWELVE:TheArrowofTimeandtheStruggleforLifeCHAPTERTHIRT
4、EEN:HistoryandtheHumanFutureSuggestedFurtherReadingNotesPREFACEThisbookisapersonal,andinmanywaysanunconventional,lookatevolution,anideasopowerful,sobeautiful,andsofar-reachinginitsimplicationsforhumanexistence,thateveryeducatedpersoncanbeenrichedandenl
5、ightenedbyit.Evolution—descentwithmodification—isaconceptthatorganizes,explains,andpredictsamultitudeofunconnectedfactsandphenomenaoflifeinnaturepastandpresent.Itprovidesacoherentframeworkforunderstandingwherewecamefrom,wherewearegoing,andhowweandthere
6、stoflivingnaturecreatebewilderingcomplexity,aworldofmeaning,andsurpassingbeauty.Quitesimply,evolutionhasoutgrownitsoriginalhomeinbiologyandgeology.Itisthefoundationofaworldviewinwhichenvironments,genes,organicarchitecture,physiology,chance,theeconomics
7、truggleforlife,andhistoricalnarrativecometogethertoilluminatehowweliveintheworld.Yetevolutionisoftenmisunderstood,misconstrued,despised,andevendeniedbyhundredsofmillionsofpeople.Skepticsharborlegitimatequestionsandreservationsaswellasill-foundedgrievan
8、ces.Somefindrandommutationandselectioninsufficienttoaccountforadaptation.Othersunderestimate,orseemunawareof,thepoweroflivingandinanimatepartsofnatureactingtogethertocreatenewstructureswithnovelproperties,andthereforewonderwhetherevolut