On the Genesis of Species

"On the Genesis of Species" by St. George Jackson Mivart is a scientific exploration from the 1800s that grapples with the question of where different kinds of living things come from. The pages consider the then-new ideas of evolution, especially Charles Darwin's "Natural Selection", putting forth the argument that natural selection alone doesn't fully explain how species are created, advocating for a broader view that brings together science, religion, and deep thought. The beginning sets up Mivart's main idea about the birth of species, stressing how tricky and important it can be to figure out what leads to new species. The writing recognizes the work of others, like Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, but suggests that we need to look at evolution from many angles – science, philosophy, and religion – to really get it.