Darwin: The Life and Legacy

This two-part 1998 BBC series offers a judicious treatment of famed naturalist Charles Darwin's life and influence, beginning with a fine biographical sketch, combining narration, archival material, location footage, dramatic recreations, and commentary from scholars to construct a balanced but admiring portrait of the man and his world-shaking theory of evolution through natural selection. What really distinguishes this offering, however, is the second part, which follows the evolution of the theory itself, not only in terms of negative employment in public policy through social Darwinism and eugenics, but also looking at contemporary refinements such as “punctuated equilibrium” (advanced by Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge) and the concept of co-evolution. Also considered are the theory's applications in such fields as sociobiology, which argues for genetically based explanations of social behavior; and evolutionary psychology, which suggests that the mind has evolved along with the body—an idea that has been taken up in fields ranging from economics to political science. These extensions of Darwinian principles, it's argued, have implications for the analysis not only of human interrelationships but also of the connections of humanity to other species and to the natural environment as a whole. Contributions to the conversation from figures such as Richard Dawkins and Eldredge himself make for a fascinating, thought-provoking treatment of how Darwin's theory is altering the very idea of human nature. Released in connection with the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)