Haffer Ornithology, Evolution, and Philosophy

The Life and Science of Ernst Mayr 1904-2005
1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-3-540-71779-9
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 474 Seiten, eBook

Ernst Mayr (1904–2005), eminent naturalist-systematist and ornithologist, “- chitect” of the Synthetic Theory of Evolution, leading evolutionary biologist and in?uential historian and philosopher of biology, was asked repeatedly by friends, associates, and peers to write an autobiography, but he always declined such s- gestions because he considered those of other people he knew as inadequate. Moreover, he could not very well talk about himself without bragging, which did not appeal to him. Who else has had a private dinner with the Emperor and - pressofJapan?WhoelsehashadhonorarydegreesfromtheUniversitiesofOxford, Cambridge, Harvard, the Sorbonne, Uppsala, and Berlin? And who else has been able to celebrate the 75th anniversary of his PhD? He also published several au- biographicalaccounts,dictatedcopiousautobiographicalnotes,andannotatedhis bibliography. I had the privilege of using these notes and, in addition, of asking him numerous questions, which he answered patiently in many personal letters. He supported the plan of a biography wholeheartedly from the beginning and reviewed a ?rst draft in detail. In many ways he should be considered a coauthor of this book. As a high school student and eager birdwatcher in Germany, I read Kramer’s (1948) extensive review of Mayr’s Systematics and the Origin of Species (1942e) and was impressed with the general evolutionary relevance of the discussions and conclusions in this book based, in large part, on his ornithological studies.

Zielgruppe

Professional/practitioner

Autoren/Hrsg.

Haffer, Jürgen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

The Young Naturalist in Germany.- Childhood and Youth.- The Budding Scientist.- Ornithologist and Evolutionist in New York.- The New York Years (1931–1953).- Ornithologist and Zoogeographer.- Biological Species and Speciation—Mayr’s First Synthesis.- Life in North America during World War II.- Professor of Zoology at Harvard University.- The Harvard Years (1953–2005).- Evolutionary Biology—Mayr’s Second Synthesis.- Ernst Mayr—the Man.- Systematics and Classification.- History and Philosophy of Biology—Mayr’s Third Synthesis.- Summary: Appreciation of ErnstMayr’s Science.

Über Autor(innen)

Jürgen Haffer was born in 1932. He majored in geology and paleontology obtaining a PhD degree at the University of Göttingen in 1957. He became an exploration geologist and lived in South and North America, Iran, Egypt, and Norway. During these assignments he studied the bird faunas of Amazonia and Iran and has been in close communication with Ernst Mayr since the early 1960s. He also co-published a biography of Erwin Stresemann, Mayr’s teacher and friend in Berlin, Germany.