[Gould] was one of the few scientific intellectuals to whom the overworked phrase "Renaissance man" could be applied without blushing. As essayist, historian, and author, his influence on the wider cultural scene was exceptional. ... A few months before his death his last, massive work, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, appeared, summarizing his thoughts on evolution (the mere thought of reading its 1400 pages is intimidating). It is almost as if the reappearance of cancer was held in check by force of will until this book, his magnum opus, was completed.

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