Debating Darwin

Resumen del libro

Charles Darwin is easily the most famous scientist of the modern age, and his theory of evolution is constantly referenced in many contexts by scientists and nonscientist alike. And yet, despite how frequently his ideas are evoked, there remains a surprising amount we don't know about the father of modern evolutionary thinking, his intellectual roots, and the science he produced. Debating Darwin seeks to change that, bringing together two leading Darwin scholars Robert J. Richards and Michael Ruse to engage in a spirited and insightful dialogue, offering their interpretations of Darwin and their critiques of each other's thinking. Examining key disagreements about Darwin that continue to confound even committed Darwinists, Richards and Ruse offer divergent views on the origins and nature of Darwin and his ideas. Ruse argues that Darwin was quintessentially British and that the roots of his thought can be traced back to the eighteenth century, particularly to the Industrial Revolution and thinkers such as Adam Smith and Thomas Robert Malthus. Ruse argues that when these influences are appreciated, we can see how Darwin's work in biology is an extension of their theories. In contrast, Richards presents Darwin as a more cosmopolitan, self-educated man, influenced as much by French and particularly German thinkers. Above all, argues Richards, it was Alexander von Humboldt who both inspired Darwin and gave him the conceptual tools that he needed to find and formulate his evolutionary hypotheses. Together, the authors show how the reverberations of the contrasting views on Darwin's influences can be felt in theories about the nature of natural selection, the role of metaphor in science, and the place of God in Darwin's thought. Revealing how much there still is to investigate and interrogate about Darwin's ideas, Debating Darwin contributes to our understanding of evolution itself. The book concludes with a jointly authored chapter that brings this debate into the present, focusing on human evolution, consciousness, religion, and morality. This will be powerful, essential reading for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of modern-day evolutionary science and philosophy.

Biografía del autor

Michael Ruse, es un conocido filósofo inglés. Está especializado en Filosofía de la Ciencia y en Filosofía de la Biología, y es experto en la figura de Charles Darwin. Ha dedicado especial atención al debate entre la biología evolutiva y la religión. Aunque rechaza el creacionismo que se imparte en algunas escuelas de Estados Unidos, Ruse ha defendido la posibilidad de conciliar las teorías darwinistas con la fe cristiana, polemizando con teóricos del ateísmo radical como Richard Dawkins.<br> Es el fundador de la revista Biology and Philosophy, y ha sido durante 35 años profesor en la Universidad de Guelph, en Canadá. Desde el año 2000, es Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy en la Universidad del Estado de Florida, donde dirige el Programa de Historia y Filosofía de la Ciencia. Actualmente, imparte clases magistrales en distintas universidades estadounidenses.<br> En 1986 fue elegido miembro de la Royal Society de Canadá y de la Asociación Estadounidense para el Avance de la Ciencia. Algunas de sus obras más conocidas son ¿Puede un darwinista ser cristiano?: la relación entre ciencia y religión (2007) y El misterio de los misterios (2001).