One of the best infographics I have seen this year: Ben Fry's The Preservation of Favoured Traces.
We often think of scientific ideas, such as Darwin’s theory of evolution, as fixed notions that are accepted as finished. In fact, Darwin’s On the Origin of Species evolved over the course of several editions he wrote, edited, and updated during his lifetime. The first English edition was approximately 150,000 words and the sixth is a much larger 190,000 words. In the changes are refinements and shifts in ideas — whether increasing the weight of a statement, adding details, or even a change in the idea itself.
More from Ben Fry's blog.
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Earlier:
The importance of externalizing ideas: Quotes from Ben Fry's dissertation.
