Evolutionary Naturalism: Selected Essays

✍ Scribed by Michael Ruse

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 328
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Evolutionary Naturalism is a collection of interconnected essays on the history and philosopy of evolutionary biology. The book argues that the time has arrived to take philosophy out of the hands of the academic theorists and fully embrace the findings and consequences of the modern sciences.

✦ Table of Contents

BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 3
COPYRIGHT......Page 4
DEDICATION......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 8
INTRODUCTION......Page 10
Part I CASE STUDIES......Page 20
INTRODUCTION......Page 21
1 OUGHT PHILOSOPHERS CONSIDER SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY?......Page 23
DARWIN’S ROUTE TO DISCOVERY......Page 24
THE CASE AGAINST THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PATH OF DISCOVERY......Page 26
SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE ELEMENTS IN SCIENCE......Page 28
DARWIN’S LANGUAGE......Page 29
ARTIFICIAL SELECTION AS JUSTIFICATION AND HEURISTIC GUIDE......Page 33
THE NATURAL/SEXUAL SELECTION DICHOTOMY......Page 34
CONCLUSION......Page 37
NOTES......Page 40
2 ARE PICTURES REALLY NECESSARY?......Page 42
ADAPTIVE LANDSCAPES......Page 44
HOW IMPORTANT WERE THE ILLUSTRATIONS?......Page 51
WRIGHT’S TWO (1931 AND 1932) PAPERS......Page 59
BUT IS IT GOOD SCIENCE?......Page 62
INDIVIDUALS VERSUS GROUPS......Page 65
PUTTING WRIGHT IN CONTEXT......Page 68
INTERNAL REALISM......Page 71
CONCLUSION......Page 76
NOTES......Page 77
PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM—CLAIMS AND COUNTER-CLAIMS......Page 78
GAUGING THE CONTROVERSY......Page 81
THE CONTROVERSY BUILDS: 1975–9......Page 84
GAUGING THE CONTROVERSY, 1975–9......Page 88
THE CONTROVERSY BOILS OVER, 1980–4......Page 90
GAUGING THE CONTROVERSY, 1980–4......Page 92
THE CONCLUDING YEARS, 1985–90......Page 93
ANALYSIS......Page 95
APPENDIX OF EMPIRICAL DATA......Page 102
NOTES......Page 111
Part II EVOLUTIONARY EPISTEMOLOGY......Page 114
INTRODUCTION......Page 115
NOTE......Page 117
4 A THREEFOLD PARALLELISM FOR OUR TIME?......Page 118
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIETY......Page 119
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE......Page 123
THE ORGANIC EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS......Page 128
COMPARISONS: SOCIETY/SCIENCE......Page 131
COMPARISONS: SOCIETY/BIOLOGY......Page 136
COMPARISONS: SCIENCE/BIOLOGY......Page 141
CONCLUSION......Page 144
5 SCIENTIFIC CHANGE IS A FAMILY AFFAIR!......Page 145
EVOLUTION IS THE CHILD OF PROGRESS......Page 148
EVOLUTION GROWS UP......Page 151
EVOLUTION STAYS IN THE FAMILY......Page 152
EVOLUTION BECOMES INDEPENDENT......Page 155
FAMILY TIES RUN DEEP......Page 157
CONCLUSION......Page 159
6 THE VIEW FROM SOMEWHERE......Page 161
INNATE CAPACITIES......Page 164
THE MAKING OF SCIENCE......Page 167
THE PROBLEM OF SCIENTISM......Page 172
THE PROBLEM OF RATIONALITY......Page 175
CAN BIOLOGY EXPLAIN PHYSICS?......Page 177
SCIENCE AS NETWORKING......Page 181
THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE AND THE NON-PROGRESS OF EVOLUTION......Page 185
THE THREAT OF CONVENTIONALISM......Page 189
EXTRATERRESTRIAL THOUGHT PATTERNS......Page 193
THE PROBLEM OF REALISM......Page 196
THREE QUESTIONS—AND A BONUS......Page 200
Part III EVOLUTIONARY ETHICS......Page 204
INTRODUCTION......Page 205
7 EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY AND CULTURAL VALUES......Page 208
CULTURAL VALUES......Page 210
THE OTHER SIDE OF EVOLUTION......Page 213
EPISTEMIC VALUES TRIUMPHANT?......Page 217
THE PROBLEM OF PROGRESS......Page 223
CONCLUSION......Page 226
8 EVOLUTION AND ETHICS......Page 229
‘SOCIAL DARWINISM’......Page 230
EVOLUTION AND PROGRESS......Page 235
SOCIOBIOLOGY......Page 239
‘HOMO SAPIENS’: FROM ‘ALTRUISM' TO ALTRUISM......Page 243
SUBSTANTIVE QUESTIONS......Page 248
FOUNDATIONS?......Page 254
OBJECTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES......Page 258
CONCLUSION......Page 262
9 EVOLUTIONARY ETHICS......Page 264
THE BIOLOGY OF ETHICS: DISAGREEMENT......Page 265
THE BIOLOGY OF ETHICS: AGREEMENT......Page 271
THE NATURALISTIC FALLACY AND BEYOND......Page 275
DEFENDING JUSTIFICATION......Page 280
NEW ETHICAL PRINCIPLES?......Page 287
DARWIN’S SERIOUS TAKERS......Page 292
CONCLUSION......Page 298
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 300
INDEX......Page 322