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.
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