Rating: 
Summary: Full House, full of information
Review: According to the book jacket cover, Stephen Gould is the professor of geology at Harvard and also works as the curator of invertebrate paleontology in the university museum. The cover also offers that Gould in this book, the first of its kind for him, provides a "single-subject" writing on our "misperceptions about the nature of progress, the nature of excellence, and the nature of nature." Hence the title, Full House, is an attempt for the audience to look at the whole picture instead of category divisions to evaluate the changing trends of society and evolution.I would offer that this book was not written for the "science-minded." The terms were advanced at times and I found myself referring to my Animal Life text and dictionary for comprehension. I did like how he brought the common reader in by providing interesting examples that most could relate to. So, on the scale, I give this book a "3" and would recommend for those who were interested in questioning the ideas of the "full house."
Rating: 
Summary: Marching forward? backward? . . . or just "diversifying"?
Review: After seeing that there were already some 40 or so reviews of this wonderful book, and having read it some years ago I was reluctant to add another. But, being a fan of Gould's magnificent "Wonderful Life" (1989) and seeing some negative, and misleading reviews of this particular book, I had to chime in. To begin with, Gould's books are highly readable and enjoyable as he has a great capacity to relate objective science to the subjective world. "Full House" will be challenging to you if you do not already understand or buy into Darwinism. If not, you'll definitely take issue with his seemingly harsh conclusions (i.e. "Humans are here by the luck of the draw, not the inevitability of life's direction or evolution's mechanism" p.175). The book is about diversity and "the spread of excellence" on earth. Consequently, it puts man in his place (just another organism amongst many, and quite minor compared to bacteria) amongst greater geologic history; and this can be a bit difficult to swallow at first. But read on!
Utilizing baseball and the disappearance of .400 ave. hitting as one major example to illustrate the nature of evolution, Gould shows through statistics how one aspect of the game (hitting) has declined over time, while the rest (pitching & fielding) have increased in skill level. It all makes perfect sense. That's not to say one can't argue with him (although he's now dead), but Gould's contributions to evolutionary theory can be controversial to the unconverted - especially the religious (namely, Catholics & those with firmly held, comfortable beliefs in Manifest Desitiny). Gould (and most science) is directly opposed to this type of anthropocentric thinking; but not, however, traditional Deist beliefs in which God does not interfere with human evolution. In many regards, "Wonderful Life" and "Full House" comfortably fit into an older, more original Christianity - that of Gnosticism, in which the earth is a sort of abandoned proving ground. Gould conjectures: "...perhaps we are, whatever our glories and accomplishments, a momentary cosmic accident that would never rise again if the tree of life could be replanted from seed and regrown under similar conditions" p.18.
The premiss of "Full House" is that "progress is, nonetheless, a delusion based on social prejudice and psychological hope engendered by our unwillingness to accept the plain (and true) meaning of the fourth Freudian revolution" p.20. Later on, Gould reiterates: "The vaunted progress of life is really random motion away from simple beginnings, not directed impetus toward inherently advantageous complexity" p.173. He could be wrong. He could be right. He does however back up his ideas with plenty of observable proofs, experience (he was a paleontologist), and statistics - all in Gould's entertaining and thought-provoking signature style. The fact is, neither Gould nor Darwin nor Freud is saying a person ought to stop striving for excellence - in fact, they're encouraging it! Reading a book like "Full House", or "Wonderful Life" is challenging to many commonly held assumptions about human life, and thus, potentially upsetting, but ultimately uplifting in my view. One optimistic conclusion that may be drawn from this seemingly dismal and dry evolutionary theory is that our life is a unique, wonderful opportunity unparalleled, and definitely not the norm of things.
If the above quotes from the book sound intriguing to you, and you're craving more information, then I highly recommend you try both "Full House" and it's paradigm shifting predecessor, "Wonderful Life". I guarantee that you'll come away with a mind more open, and thoughtful about evolution and life than ever before. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: too much baseball
Review: Although I agree with Gould's major message (which is basically that we humans are not nearly so special as we would like to think that we are) I really don't understand why a book that is presumably about evolution talks so much about baseball. Don't get me wrong, I do like Baseball, but I'm not quite sure why Gould needed to spend so much time on a topic that really has nothing to do with the rest of the book (the statistical significance of the disappearance of the .400 batting avg. could have been summed up MUCH more quickly). Gould's inexplicable hatred of natural selection also pops up as he tries to convince everyone that some characteristics of organisms (primarily size and complexity)are mostly the result of random drift (i.e., the drunk man's walk as he terms it). Unfortunately,if Gould knew as much about physiology as he does about baseball, then he would know that there actually are some real benefits to these traits (especially large body size), most notably the proportional decrease in metabolic rate (meaning that in relation to body size, bigger organisms can get by on lower quality food sources much better than smaller organisms). This might very well be why most large organisms are herbivores or filter feeders (elephants and baleen whales respectively). Of course, Gould is right in the sense that this doesn't really indicate a reliable trend in evolution. On the other hand, ascribing the evolutionary development of large body size to pure random chance is very sloppy work, especially when there are obvious advantages that could be worked on by natural selection.
Rating: 
Summary: I Miss Him Already!
Review: As a long time fan of Professor Gould's essays, I hoped that this full-length work would be equally entertaining and informative. I was not let down. "Full House" contains the author's usual combination of wit, insightful anecdotes, encyclopedic knowledge of biology/geology/paleontology, and wonderful literary style. The reading was all the more poignant in the light of Professor Gould's recent death, and I could not help but wonder if science will ever again have such a brilliant spokesman. Rather than tackling a specific aspect of natural history, in "Full House" Gould strives to make a philosophical point about the way we (mis)understand systems: "The variation of a `full house' or complete system should be treated as the most compelling `basic' reality; averages and extreme values (as abstractions and unrepresentative instances respectively) often provide only partial, if not downright misleading, views of a totality's behavior" (p. 100). The full meaning and greater implications of this statement are difficult to understand at first reading, which is precisely why Gould has written an entire book (see comments below) on the subject. To breath some life into this statistical idea, Gould discusses two main subjects: the disappearance of .400 batting averages from professional baseball, and the fallacy that evolution is inherently directed towards creating more complex organisms, with Man as the ultimate culmination. Baseball and evolution? Yes, these are admittedly disparate topics, but I liked the variety. After all, I believe the crux of this work is the general statement about our understanding of systems, not one system in particular. So be warned, if you're seeking a book strictly about biology or natural history, this is probably not the best choice. Much of the criticism here on Amazon focuses on the book's unnecessary length and its redundancy. I must agree that there were several points at which Gould seems to be repeating himself. It feels like he had more to say than he could possibly fit into his usual essays, but not quite enough for an entire book. I wonder if he felt compelled (either by himself or maybe his publisher) to expand the work to at least 200 pages. Depending on your interest in the material, the length might be a real drawback, or simply a slight nuisance. I was not particularly bothered and finished the book in two days. Even if you are not fully persuaded by Gould's argument, or if the book seems unnecessarily long, I hope you will enjoy the reading. Gould is (alas, was) a brilliant and engaging writer, in my humble opinion. The proper anecdote, allusion, or quotation was always at his fingertips and he knew when to make the reader laugh. (I could not restrain my chuckles as he lambasted M. Scott Peck's fatuous equation of love and evolution [p. 27]). This book contains a fine mix of intriguing content and great writing. I would recommend it to anyone seeking a quick read that will stretch the brain a bit.
Rating:
Summary: I Miss Him Already!
Review: As a long time fan of Professor Gould's essays, I hoped that this full-length work would be equally entertaining and informative. I was not let down. "Full House" contains the author's usual combination of wit, insightful anecdotes, encyclopedic knowledge of biology/geology/paleontology, and wonderful literary style. The reading was all the more poignant in the light of Professor Gould's recent death, and I could not help but wonder if science will ever again have such a brilliant spokesman. Rather than tackling a specific aspect of natural history, in "Full House" Gould strives to make a philosophical point about the way we (mis)understand systems: "The variation of a 'full house' or complete system should be treated as the most compelling 'basic' reality; averages and extreme values (as abstractions and unrepresentative instances respectively) often provide only partial, if not downright misleading, views of a totality's behavior" (p. 100). The full meaning and greater implications of this statement are difficult to understand at first reading, which is precisely why Gould has written an entire book (see comments below) on the subject. To breath some life into this statistical idea, Gould discusses two main subjects: the disappearance of .400 batting averages from professional baseball, and the fallacy that evolution is inherently directed towards creating more complex organisms, with Man as the ultimate culmination. Baseball and evolution? Yes, these are admittedly disparate topics, but I liked the variety. After all, I believe the crux of this work is the general statement about our understanding of systems, not one system in particular. So be warned, if you're seeking a book strictly about biology or natural history, this is probably not the best choice. Much of the criticism here on Amazon focuses on the book's unnecessary length and its redundancy. I must agree that there were several points at which Gould seems to be repeating himself. It feels like he had more to say than he could possibly fit into his usual essays, but not quite enough for an entire book. I wonder if he felt compelled (either by himself or maybe his publisher) to expand the work to at least 200 pages. Depending on your interest in the material, the length might be a real drawback, or simply a slight nuisance. I was not particularly bothered and finished the book in two days. Even if you are not fully persuaded by Gould's argument, or if the book seems unnecessarily long, I hope you will enjoy the reading. Gould is (alas, was) a brilliant and engaging writer, in my humble opinion. The proper anecdote, allusion, or quotation was always at his fingertips and he knew when to make the reader laugh. (I could not restrain my chuckles as he lambasted M. Scott Peck's fatuous equation of love and evolution [p. 27]). This book contains a fine mix of intriguing content and great writing. I would recommend it to anyone seeking a quick read that will stretch the brain a bit.
Rating:
Summary: ICONOCLASTIC WHISPERS
Review: Dr. Gould, an obvious successor to Dr. Sagan's throne, seems to deny and retreat from his message. The ".400 hitter" analogy to diversity is understandable - but weak. Who cares about baseball in contrast to evolution and armegeddon? I saw his slide presentation of "FULL HOUSE" @ Augustana College last year, and it was ALL OVER THE PLACE - just like the book. Skipping from here-to-there. Although this essay is full of challenging observations, the lay-out dramatizes his own theory: APPARENT LACK OF ORGANIZATION. Deliberate? I think not.
Rating: 
Summary: Easily The Most Boring Book I Have Ever Read
Review: Every book that I have ever bought has gone onto my bookshelf after I've read it, awaiting the day when I dust it off and re-read it. Not so with this one. I gave it away within 48 hours of reading it. Just one huge yawn after another.
Rating:
Summary: Comparing past age excellence in baseball to modern age
Review: Evolution and Genesis, are each other's most common adversaries with regards to the origi of mankind, however, there is another much more profound and believable explanation of our origins on this planet. Stephen Jay Gould, is Professor of zoology adn geology at Harvard University and the curator for invertebrate paleontology in the university's Museum of Comparative Zoology. Professor Gould compares and explains the decline of major league baseball batting averages to man's inevitable domination of the planet, as the, "spread of excellence". He continually contradicts misperceptions of millions in the belief of Darwin's, "Evolutions of the Species", and the Bible's theory of complexity are not characteristic of the evolution of life on Earth. As in his previous 15 books he vividly explains and supports his teachings and beliefs with biological and paleontological evidence. The Spread of Excellence, is the spreading out of expansion of complex organisms on this planet over a period of several billions of years. In a comparison of this spread of excellence to baseball, the significance of a decline in baseball hitting averages, since Ted William's 1940's 406 average, does not indicate a drop in performance or talent but represents an increase in talented players across the board. Dr. Gould is both a scientist and a writer extraordinaire. In a comparison of Full House tothe previously mentioned radical theories of the origin of mankind, Full House is but a natural extension or conclusion in reasoning and logical thinking in a complex world.
Rating:
Summary: Provocative, Nimble, and in Tune with the Measure of Time
Review: Full House refers to the fullness of the tree of life on Earth. InGould's provocative view, biodiversity itself is the crowningacheivement of evolution, not the linear progression that hasseemingly culminated in Man. Gould points out that if life on Earthwere condensed to one full year, man's part would be limited to aminute or two, "the last sliver of earthly time." Thatmankind has been around for so short a time may, in Gould's nimbleargument, demonstrate that he is an afterthought or an accident thatmay be an evolutionary dead-end, like the horse, and not the intendedculmination of all life. This higher title would go to the simplestform, the bacteria that are unsurpassed in both their vast numbers andin their very long stay on Earth. Certainly, the notion that man'sexistence is short-lived and possibly transitory runs counter to hisdearly held conceit that evolution through natural selection has"progressed" from great simplicity to great complexity. Bythat view man could arrogantly contend that even if he wasn't aroundfor most of existence, life has been pointing toward his emergence allthis time. By demonstrating that diversity and the fullness of thetree surpass man's "end of the twig" belief in hisimportance, Gould has furnished a bullet to wound what he calls Man'sfourth arrogance or conceit -- that of his necessary presence. Thefirst three arrogances, described by Freud were: the belief that welived at the center of the universe (destroyed by Copernicus, Galileo,and Newton), the belief that God created us in his image (destroyed byDarwin who "relegated us to descent from the animal world"),and the belief in the supremacy of our own rational minds (destroyedwhen psychology discovered the enormous power of the unconscious). Tothe three bullets described by Freud and the one from Gould, I wouldlike to presume to add a fifth bullet, this one aimed at the conceitthat progressive Europeans, in the wake of Columbus, broughtrationality and civilization to an otherwise pagan, static, andirrational New World.
Rating:
Summary: Full House: The Spred of Excellence from Plato to Darwin
Review: Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin written by Stephen Jay Gould is a book that is anthropocentic in view, but nonetheless, eloquently argumentive for the new paradigm of progress in which variety, not complexity, is the true measure of excellence.Gould is a master at writing about science, an explainer of difficult ideas and concepts, bringing a wealth of history in his writing for a well gounded in fact argument. Contentious and polemics are just two of Gould's passionate, but eloquent techniques for getting your attention. As you read this book you'll begin to understand why Gould is so popular as a writer... he's a wonderful storyteller. "Full House" takes the reader on a journey to reconceptualize our view of natural reality in a fundamental way... making the argument... that variation is the ultimate reality of excellence as a function shaped by selection. Gould gets a little anecdotal as he works his arcana into his arguments, making the reading go by quickly, but more importantly you are learning all along. Yes, if you've read a lot of Gould's work you'll read many points that Gould has brought to the table before. This being said, these are reconceptualized here, as Gould shows you what we intuitively know to be true. The dare-devilish humor and wit of Gould are evident in this work, bringing the reader along the thought-trail as he transcends one paradigm to another with fervor and intelligence. This is a well written book as all of Gould's work... unintimidating with masterful storytelling technique.
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