The Evolution Theory

Consisting of a series of lectures given by the German biologist Dr August Friedrich Leopold Weismann (1834-1914), Professor of Zoology at the University of Freiburg, The Evolution Theory is one of the most important contributions to evolutionary theory since Darwin's Origin of Species . As a companion work to The Germ-Plasm: A Theory of Heredity (also published by Thoemmes Press, May 2002) this classic work is of central importance to the history of evolutionary thought. As a strong defender of Darwin's theory of evolution, Weismann was a leader among Neo-Darwinists arguing the case for natural selection. This is a reprint of the first English edition which was translated from the second German edition and provides an account of the development of his theories on evolution in which he extended and developed further Darwin's original account of natural selection. This work, together with The Germ-Plasm , is one of Weismann's most important theoretical statements and an essential resource for historians of biology and evolutionary thought.