Word: reader
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...author exposes the reader to his own wonder with each of his personal science heroes, from Darwin to Halley. A "Careful reading," Gould suggests, gives a new lease on life to theories ridiculed or scorned by today's haughty and careless scholars. In a seeming reversal of his desire to combat the complacent and traditional nature of Darwinist thought, Gould even goes as far as to suggest we need a mythology of science...
Gould's message rings even truer in the rest of his essays, which inform and delight the reader with the quirky and unpredictable nature of evolution. Each organism is a treasure, worth studying for itself and for what it means about the greater picture...
...each step, Gould personally and intimately cajoles the reader, anticipating each next thought. "At this point, you might say..." is one his favorite turns of phrase. Despite his railings against Social Darwinism and sociobiology's attempts to connect human society and animal behavior. Gould sees all of history and literature as an elaborate metaphor liking our lives to the bizarre and complex world of evolutionary biology...
...scholars fall short of the true significance of these heroes of early biology. Familiar images of punctuated equilibrium, evolutionary contingency and the metaphorical Galton's polyhedron that on strains the evolution are all present in sterling form lot evidence, Gould draws on his extraordinary knowledge of biology, introducing the reader to an incredible array of fascinating facts, sometimes embarrassing in their context Describing a herring's gas expulsions out an orifice next to the anus, he gleefully calls them "herring farts...
...careful" reader, Eight Little Piggies offers an exciting glimpse into many facets of an evolutionary biologist's world. More importantly, the book will impart a healthy interest in why biodiversity is so essential. Gould puts in practice his belief that there is no "optimal use" of any anatomical feature, using odd historical and literary images to express a deeply personal love for his work...