Defining Darwin: Essays on the History and Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology »

Michael Ruse (Tallahassee, FL) is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy and director of the History and Philosophy of Science program at Florida State University. He is the founding editor of the journal Biology and Philosophy and the author or editor of Cloning: Responsible Science or Technomadness? (with Aryne Sheppard); Genetically Modified Foods (with David Castle); Taking Darwin Seriously; The Stem Cell Controversy (with Christopher Pynes); the revised and updated But Is It Science? (with Robert Pennock); and Philosophy of Biology; among other works.

Michael Ruse is one of the foremost Charles Darwin scholars of our time. For forty years he has written extensively on Darwin, the scientific revolution that his work precipitated, and the nature and implications of evolutionary thinking for today. Now, in the year marking the two hundredth anniversary of Darwin's birth and the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of his masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, Ruse reevaluates the legacy of Darwin in this collection of new and recent essays.

Beginning with pre-Darwinian concepts of organic origins proposed by the great German philosopher Immanuel Kant, Ruse shows the challenges that Darwin's radically different idea faced. He then discusses natural selection as a powerful metaphor; Alfred Russel Wallace, the co-discoverer of the theory of evolution; Herbert Spencer's contribution to evolutionary biology; the synthesis of Mendelian genetics and natural selection; the different views of Julian Huxley and George Gaylord Simpson on evolutionary ethics; and the influence of Darwin's ideas on literature. In the final section, Ruse brings the discussion up to date with a consideration of "evolutionary development" (dubbed "evo devo") as a new evolutionary paradigm and the effects of Darwin on religion, especially the debate surrounding Intelligent Design theory.

Ruse offers a fresh perspective on topics old and new, challenging the reader to think again about the nature and consequences of what has been described as the biggest idea ever conceived.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

"The value of this brief and highly readable book, which will take its place high on the centennial works about Charles Darwin, is the relaxedand intimate familiarity of Ruse with his subject. Darwin's background, his predecessors, the context of his life, and the significance of his contributions over a vast intellectual domain, are provided as though by a close friend or member of the family."
—Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

"Ruse has done it again! An easy-to-read tour of Darwin and the history of evolutionary ideas. He's a master of clear thinking and deep reflection. Here's a fine survey of what's really important about Darwinism."
—Joe Cain, Science and Technology Studies, University College London

Contents

PREFACE....................9
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................11
One: On the Origin of Species....................17
Two. Kant and Evolution....................35
Three. Darwinism and Mechanism....................51
Four. Kicking against the Pricks: Alfred Russel Wallace the Rebel....................73
Five. Adaptive Landscapes and Dynamic Equilibrium: The Spencerian Contribution to Twentieth-Century American Evolutionary Biology....................95
Six. Julian Huxley and George Gaylord Simpson on Evolution and Ethics....................121
Seven. Evolution and the Novel....................153
Eight. Evo-Devo: A New Evolutionary Paradigm?....................177
Nine. Darwinism Explains Religion (?)....................199
Ten. Evolution as Religion: Are the Creationists Right?....................215
PERMISSIONS....................243
REFERENCE LIST....................245
INDEX....................257