Final answer:
Stephen Jay Gould's 1980 work 'The Panda's Thumb' discusses evolution by examining the panda's thumb as an example of an evolutionary adaptation that exemplifies how natural selection operates on imperfections and compromises, rather than ideal design.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main point of Stephen Jay Gould's 1980 work 'The Panda's Thumb' is to exemplify the concept of evolution through the lens of the panda's peculiar thumb, which is actually an enlarged wrist bone. Gould uses this to discuss the broader theme of evolutionary adaptation as a series of compromises and imperfections, countering the notion of intelligent design and showcasing how natural selection works with the materials at hand, often resulting in 'jury-rigged' solutions that function effectively, but are not necessarily optimal from a design standpoint.
He argues that the panda's thumb, which is functionally useful but not ideal, is a clear example of this process. Moreover, Gould's collection of essays, which includes the one about the panda's thumb, covers a range of topics in natural history and evolutionary biology, highlighting various examples of evolution in action.