The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time

The text incorporates much scientific information and numerous studies beyond the Grants’. What structural choices does Weiner use to organize the information and make it accessible to any reader?

Discuss the ways Weiner characterizes Charles Darwin throughout the book. What does this portrayal add to the narrative, and how does it influence the reader’s understanding of evolutionary theory?

Name and analyze two to three images that Weiner offers as apt metaphors for understanding life and evolution. Explain why it matters to revise and reimagine such images, as Weiner does.

In Chapter 10, Weiner notes a growing trend in science: “More and more naturalists are shifting their efforts from the study of pattern and structure to the study of process and motion” (148). How might the study of evolution have contributed to this shift?

Weiner explains: “The word species comes from the Latin verb specere, to see. Linnaeus used the word to mean groups of animals and plants that look distinctly different to the eye” (166). In the book, a tension emerges between sight as a form of knowledge and seeing as an experience that can obscure the truth. Using examples, analyze this tension between the seen and the unseen in the narrative.

Vocal and sometimes forceful skepticism of Darwinism appears throughout the book. Using examples, explain what purpose these voices and arguments serve in the telling of Darwin’s story.

Weiner employs strategic shifts of scale, pace, and perspective to expand the reader’s understanding of evolution. Identify and analyze three or four of these moments.

Quoting Darwin, Weiner refers to the origin of species as the “mystery of mysteries” in evolutionary theory. Using specific examples from the text, summarize what is known about the origin of species, and analyze how this lingering mystery functions within the narrative.