Finally made it through this classic after many years of good intentions on my part. Darwin was very careful and methodical, and astonishingly well-versed in the development and anatomy of many different forms of animal and vegetable life. He lays out his argument very carefully, and devotes a surprising amount of space to address alternative and apparently conflicting points of view. This makes the majority of the book interesting as much as a view into that point in scientific history, as for the logic and cogency of the arguments themselves. One could read the first four chapters, plus the conclusion, and leave with a pretty full understanding of his theory. But the nuance and detail in the rest of the chapters is what really made this book interesting to me. Perhaps most surprising to me, he is very careful never to extend his argument far into the higher mammals, and only really (obliquely) alludes to the possibility that man is part of this selection process in a single sentence. So, haters gonna hate, I guess, but they should probably read the book and consider what the guy actually said. Very glad I finally put my head down and powered through this one.