On Growth and Form Critical Overview

On Growth and Form Critical Overview

The work of D'Arcy Thompson reveals one of the notable intellectuals in scientific history. His work has inspired much praise from critics of scientific theory. Admirers of the text identify specific attributes that provide the framework for Thompson's brilliance.

To begin with, On Growth and Form is considered to be one of the greatest pieces of scientific prose of the twentieth century. Dr. Stephen Jay Gould describes Thompson's prose to be "like a Wagnerian opera: it flows on and on in waves of sumptuous sound, with occasional cadences at climactic moments."

Gould, as others, praises not only Thompson's connection of mathematics to the topic of morphology within the text but the way in which mathematics is expressed. He is quick to point out that although Thompson was well acquainted with mathematical theory, he chose to approach the text as a classical scholar. He states, "This book dwells in the...
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