Philosophy after Darwin: Classic and Contemporary Readings

by Michael Ruse

Overview

Wittgenstein famously remarked in 1923, "Darwin's theory has no more relevance for philosophy than any other hypothesis in natural science." Yet today we are witnessing a major revival of interest in applying evolutionary approaches to philosophical problems. Philosophy after Darwin is an anthology of essential writings covering the most influential ideas about the philosophical implications of Darwinism, from the publication of On the Origin of Species to today's cutting-edge research.

Michael Ruse presents writings by leading modern thinkers and researchers—including some writings never before published—together with the most important historical documents on Darwinism and philosophy, starting with Darwin himself. Included here are Herbert Spencer, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Henry Huxley, G. E. Moore, John Dewey, Konrad Lorenz, Stephen Toulmin, Karl Popper, Edward O. Wilson, Hilary Putnam, Philip Kitcher, Elliott Sober, and Peter Singer. Readers will encounter some of the staunchest critics of the evolutionary approach, such as Alvin Plantinga, as well as revealing excerpts from works like Jack London's The Call of the Wild. Ruse's comprehensive general introduction and insightful section introductions put these writings in context and explain how they relate to such fields as epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and ethics.

An invaluable anthology and sourcebook, Philosophy after Darwin traces philosophy's complicated relationship with Darwin's dangerous idea, and shows how this relationship reflects a broad movement toward a secular, more naturalistic understanding of the human experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691135540
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	09/13/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	592
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University. His many books include Darwinism and Its Discontents and Darwin and Design.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1





Part I. Epistemology after Darwin 13





HERBERT SPENCER: The Principles of Psychology 29

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE: The Gay Science 32

CHAUNCEY WRIGHT: The Evolution of Self- Consciousness 34

CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE: The Fixation of Belief 39

WILLIAM JAMES: Great Men, Great Thoughts, and the Environment 49

JOHN DEWEY: The Influence of Darwinism on Philosophy 55





Part II. Ethics after Darwin 63





CHARLES DARWIN: The Descent of Man 77

HERBERT SPENCER: The Data of Ethics 103

WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER: The Challenge of Facts 113

ANDREW CARNEGIE: The Gospel of Wealth 122

KARL PEARSON: Socialism 128

PRINCE PETR KROPOTKIN: Mutual Aid 130

ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE: Human Progress: Past and Future 133

FRIEDRICH VON BERNHARDI: The Right to Make War 134

JACK LONDON: The Call of the Wild 137

G. E. MOORE: Principia Ethica: Naturalistic Ethics 141

THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY: Evolution and Ethics 152





Part III. The Evolution of Ideas 155





KARL POPPER: Darwinism as a Metaphysical Research Programme 167

THOMAS KUHN: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions 176

STEPHEN TOULMIN: The Evolutionary Development of Natural Science 177

DANIEL C. DENNETT: Memes and the Exploitation of Imagination 189

BRUCE EDMONDS: Three Challenges for the Survival of Memetics 198

DAVID HULL: Altruism in Science: A Sociobiological Model of Cooperative Behavior among Scientists 202

HILARY PUTNAM: Why Reason Cant Be Naturalized: Evolutionary Epistemology 217





Part IV. The Evolution of Rationality 221





KONRAD LORENZ: Kants Doctrine of the A Priori in the Light of Contemporary Biology 231

MICHAEL RUSE: The View from Somewhere: A Critical Defense of Evolutionary Epistemology 247

STEVEN PINKER: How the Mind Works 275

RONALD DE SOUSA: Evolution, Th inking, and Rationality 289

ALVIN PLANTINGA: The Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism: An Initial Statement of the Argument 301

EVAN FALES: Darwin's Doubt, Calvin's Calvary 309





Part V. Ethics and Progress 323

EDWARD O. WILSON On Human Nature 333

PETER SINGER A Darwinian Left : Politics, Evolution, and Cooperation 343

LARRY ARNHART Darwinian Conservatism 349

MICHAEL RUSE AND EDWARD O. WILSON: Moral Philosophy as Applied Science 365

PHILIP KITCHER: Four Ways of "Biologicizing" Ethics 379

ROBERT J. RICHARDS: A Defense of Evolutionary Ethics 388





Part VI. The Evolution of Altruism 411





MARC HAUSER: The Liver and the Moral Organ 423

ELLIOTT SOBER AND DAVID SLOAN WILSON: Unto Others 433

RICHARD JOYCE: Is Human Morality Innate? 452

ZACH ERNST: Game Theory in Evolutionary Biology 464

PETER SINGER: Ethics and Intuitions 476

MICHAEL RUSE: Evolution and Ethics: The Sociobiological Approach 489

CRAIG A. BOYD: Thomistic Natural Law and the Limits of Evolutionary Psychology 522

R. PAUL THOMPSON: An Evolutionary Account of Evil 533

GREGORY R. PETERSON: Falling Up: Evolution and Original Sin 539





Sources and Credits 549

Further Reading 553

Bibliography 561

Index 569

What People are Saying About This

Richards

Darwin's influence on philosophy is wide and deep, but not often recognized by professional philosophers, students of philosophy, or general readers. The topics dealt with in Philosophy after Darwin are likely to become even more relevant and important in the future. No other book provides so valuable an introduction, and no other scholar is better qualified to write on Darwin and philosophy than Ruse.
— Richard A. Richards, University of Alabama

Michael Bradie

A very appealing volume. Philosophy after Darwin is a very useful addition to the Darwinian literature, one that seeks to increase public awareness and appreciation of the significant role that Darwin and his collaborators and successors have had in shaping both our cultural practices and our theoretical understanding of them.
— Michael Bradie, Bowling Green State University

Tim Lewens

In recent years, philosophers have had plenty to say about the relevance of evolutionary thinking to questions about knowledge, rationality, and ethics. This judiciously chosen and wide-ranging set of readings, prefaced by expert introductions from editor Michael Ruse, helps us to understand the current state of play in these debates, and also their historical roots. It is an excellent collection.
— Tim Lewens, University of Cambridge

From the Publisher

"In recent years, philosophers have had plenty to say about the relevance of evolutionary thinking to questions about knowledge, rationality, and ethics. This judiciously chosen and wide-ranging set of readings, prefaced by expert introductions from editor Michael Ruse, helps us to understand the current state of play in these debates, and also their historical roots. It is an excellent collection."—Tim Lewens, University of Cambridge

"A very appealing volume. Philosophy after Darwin is a very useful addition to the Darwinian literature, one that seeks to increase public awareness and appreciation of the significant role that Darwin and his collaborators and successors have had in shaping both our cultural practices and our theoretical understanding of them."—Michael Bradie, Bowling Green State University

"An extremely useful contribution. A collection with the scope and depth of this one on the interrelationship of evolution, epistemology, and ethics has not appeared in a decade. Ruse provides a historical tour of the most influential ideas and arguments that have framed the current investigations. The newly commissioned works included here will push the debate forward."—R. Paul Thompson, University of Toronto

"Darwin's influence on philosophy is wide and deep, but not often recognized by professional philosophers, students of philosophy, or general readers. The topics dealt with in Philosophy after Darwin are likely to become even more relevant and important in the future. No other book provides so valuable an introduction, and no other scholar is better qualified to write on Darwin and philosophy than Ruse."—Richard A. Richards, University of Alabama

R. Paul Thompson

An extremely useful contribution. A collection with the scope and depth of this one on the interrelationship of evolution, epistemology, and ethics has not appeared in a decade. Ruse provides a historical tour of the most influential ideas and arguments that have framed the current investigations. The newly commissioned works included here will push the debate forward.
— R. Paul Thompson, University of Toronto

Editorial Reviews

"In recent years, philosophers have had plenty to say about the relevance of evolutionary thinking to questions about knowledge, rationality, and ethics. This judiciously chosen and wide-ranging set of readings, prefaced by expert introductions from editor Michael Ruse, helps us to understand the current state of play in these debates, and also their historical roots. It is an excellent collection."—Tim Lewens, University of Cambridge


"A very appealing volume. Philosophy after Darwin is a very useful addition to the Darwinian literature, one that seeks to increase public awareness and appreciation of the significant role that Darwin and his collaborators and successors have had in shaping both our cultural practices and our theoretical understanding of them."—Michael Bradie, Bowling Green State University


"An extremely useful contribution. A collection with the scope and depth of this one on the interrelationship of evolution, epistemology, and ethics has not appeared in a decade. Ruse provides a historical tour of the most influential ideas and arguments that have framed the current investigations. The newly commissioned works included here will push the debate forward."—R. Paul Thompson, University of Toronto


"Darwin's influence on philosophy is wide and deep, but not often recognized by professional philosophers, students of philosophy, or general readers. The topics dealt with in Philosophy after Darwin are likely to become even more relevant and important in the future. No other book provides so valuable an introduction, and no other scholar is better qualified to write on Darwin and philosophy than Ruse."—Richard A. Richards, University of Alabama

From the Publisher