Michael Ruse Books

Is science objective, a disinterested reflection of reality, as Karl Popper and his followers believed? Or is it subjective, a social construction, as Thomas Kuhn maintained? This text adds to the argument, using evolutionary theory as a case study

In this Element, Michael Ruse offers a critical analysis of contemporary atheism. He puts special emphasis on the work of so-called 'New Atheists': Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchins, whose views are contrasted with those of Edward O. Wilson.

Natural selection is seen to be profoundly important for understanding culture, morality and religion. This short book explains Charles Darwin's mechanism of natural selection and puts it in historical context. Written in clear language, it is accessible to the general reader as well as to philosophers, historians and biologists.

Challenging both traditional and contemporary creationist arguments, this updated edition emphasizes the significance of evolutionary naturalism in the context of modern education, science, and philosophy. With a new preface and final chapter, it reinforces the foundational principles of Darwin's science, positioning itself as a vital resource for understanding and defending evolutionary theory against misconceptions. Michael Ruse's work remains a crucial contribution to the discourse surrounding Darwin's legacy and the ongoing debates in the field.

Why We Hate tackles a pressing issue of both longstanding interest and fresh relevance: why a social species like Homo sapiens should nevertheless be so hateful to itself. We go to war and are prejudiced against our fellow human beings. We discriminate on the basis of nationality, class, race, sexual orientation, religion, and gender. In this book, prominent philosopher Michael Ruse looks at scientific understandings of human hatred, particularly Darwinian evolutionary theory. He finds the secret to this paradox in our tribal evolutionary past, when we moved ten thousand years ago from being hunter-gatherers to agriculturalists--a shift that paved the way for modern civilization. Simply put, as Ruse quotes, "our modern skulls house Stone Age minds."

This book provides a unique discussion of human evolution from a philosophical viewpoint, looking at the facts and interpretations since Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man. Michael Ruse explores such topics as the nature of scientific theories, the relationships between culture and biology, the problem of progress and the extent to which evolutionary issues pose problems for religious beliefs. He identifies these issues, highlighting the problems for morality in a world governed by natural selection. By taking a philosophical viewpoint, the full ethical and moral dimensions of human evolution are examined. This book engages the reader in a thorough discussion of the issues, appealing to students in philosophy, biology and anthropology.

This short and highly accessible volume opens up the subject of the philosophy of biology to professionals and to students in both disciplines. The text covers briefly and clearly all of the pertinent topics in the subject, dealing with both human and non-human issues, and quite uniquely surveying not only scholars in the English-speaking world but others elsewhere, including the Eastern block. As molecular biologists peer ever more deeply into life's mysteries, there are those who fear that such 'reductionism' conceals more than it reveals, and there are those who complain that the new techniques threaten the physical safety of us all. As students of evolution apply their new-found understanding to our own species, some people think that this is merely an excuse for racist and sexist propaganda, and others worry that the whole exercise blatantly violates the religious beliefs many of us hold dear. These controversies are the joint concern of biologists and philosophers--of those whose task it is to study the theoretical and moral foundations of knowledge. The comprehensive and fully up-to-date bibliography makes this an invaluable and indispensable guide.

Why do we think ourselves superior to all other animals? Are we right to think so? In this book, Michael Ruse explores these questions in religion, science and philosophy. Some people think that the world is an organism - and that humans, as its highest part, have a natural value (this view appeals particularly to people of religion). Others think that the world is a machine - and that we therefore have responsibility for making our own value judgements (including judgements about ourselves). Ruse provides a compelling analysis of these two rival views and the age-old conflict between them. In a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion, he draws on Darwinism and existentialism to argue that only the view that the world is a machine does justice to our humanity. This new series offers short and personal perspectives by expert thinkers on topics that we all encounter in our everyday lives.

Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know provides a balanced look at the topic, considering atheism historically, philosophically, theologically, sociologically and psychologically.

An accessible history of the idea of purpose in Western thought, from ancient Greece to the present Can we live without the idea of purpose? Should we even try to? Kant thought we were stuck with it, and even Darwin, who profoundly shook the idea, was unable to kill it. Indeed, purpose seems to be making a comeback today, as both religious advocates of intelligent design and some prominent secular philosophers argue that any explanation of life without the idea of purpose is missing something essential. On Purpose explores the history of purpose in philosophical, religious, scientific, and historical thought, from ancient Greece to the present. Accessibly written and filled with literary and other examples, the book traces how Platonic, Aristotelian, and Kantian ideas of purpose continue to shape Western thought. Along the way, it also takes up tough questions about the purpose of life--and whether it's possible to have meaning without purpose.

The book presents a transformative perspective on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, arguing that it can coexist with religious beliefs. It explores the historical context of the theory while asserting its relevance in addressing contemporary social issues such as immigration, race, homosexuality, and women's rights. By linking evolution to these pressing matters, it aims to foster a deeper understanding of both science and society.

A philosophical history of Social Darwinism. Discusses the meaning of the term, moving then to its origins, before moving on to Social Darwinism as found in American thought. Then explores the twentieth century, looking at Adolf Hitler, and in the Anglophone world, Julian Huxley and Edward O. Wilson.

Michael Ruse, a leading expert on Charles Darwin, presents a fictional dialogue among characters with sharply contrasting positions regarding the tensions between science and religious belief.

This book explores the relationship between religion and the life sciences, focusing on Christianity and evolution. It brings fresh insights to the science/religion debate for general readers, undergraduate and graduate students interested in evolutionary biology, genetics, philosophy of science, history of science, and philosophy of religion.

LUDZIE OKIEM FILOZOFA Niektórzy sądzą, że świat jest organizmem, a ludzie jako jego najdoskonalszy element mają naturalną wartość. Inni z kolei widzą świat jako maszynę, a ludzi jako kreatorów, którzy muszą nadać wartość samym sobie. W książce Okiem filozofa. Ludzie brytyjski filozof, Michael Ruse, analizuje te dwie odmienne perspektywy, odwołując się do religii, filozofii i nauki. Nawiązuje do przekonań dotyczących człowieka głoszonych przez chrześcijan, buddystów, sekularystów i egzystencjalistów. Czerpie również z darwinowskiej teorii ewolucji, biologii molekularnej i genetyki. Wszystko po to, aby znaleźć odpowiedź na pytanie: Co czyni nas, ludzi, wyjątkowymi? Okiem filozofa. Ludzie to niezwykle fascynujące spojrzenie na człowieka – jego miejsce w świecie, ograniczenia i moralność. W każdym tomie z serii Okiem filozofa powszechnie uznani myśliciele prezentują osobistą refleksję na tematy, z którymi spotykamy się w codziennym życiu.

La homosexualidad parece haber cobrado un caracter obsesivo en nuestra epoca. Los homosexuales luchan por su derecho a ser respetados y a disfrutar de la misma libertad y las mismas oportunidades que los demas miembros de la sociedad. El objeto de este libro es llevar a cabo un minucioso analisis filosofico de la cuestion homosexual que, desentendiendose de la emocion y de la retorica, llegue a desvelar sus supuestos basicos.

Podtitul: „Filosofické aspekty Darwinových myšlenek“ Charles Darwin je bezpochyby tvůrcem moderní evoluční biologie. Ovšem kniha je víc než jen biologickou teorií. Jde o řadu principů, které měly obrovský filosofický dopad i za hranicemi přírodních věd. Darwinova teorie však vyžaduje konceptuální přezkoumání – určit, jak je strukturovaná a na čem svá tvrzení zakládá. A protože se darwinistická tvrzení týkají i lidstva, etnických a epistemologických důsledků. Michael Ruse, který je známým odborníkem na historii a filosofii darwinismu, v této knize předkládá zásadní studii filosofické povahy Darwinových myšlenek a jejich vlivu na tradiční filosofické otázky o vědění, morálce a náboženství. Tento poutavý text není jen odrazovým můstkem k teoretickým diskusím, ale také pojednáním, které staví na hlavu mnohá protidarwinistická přesvědčení a domněnky, jež prosazují kreacionisté. Ruse srozumitelným a neformálním jazykem říká hodně o statusu evolučního myšlení jako ryzí teorie, filosofických důsledcích darwinismu a současných naturalistických vysvětlení náboženství.