Michael Ruse is a distinguished philosopher of science whose work centers on the philosophy of biology. He is celebrated for his insightful explorations into the connections between science and religion, the creation-evolution debate, and the demarcation problem in science. Through his numerous publications and the establishment of the esteemed journal Biology and Philosophy, Ruse has made significant contributions to the field, offering a unique perspective on the nature and boundaries of scientific inquiry.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Exploring the Darwinian revolution, this book critically examines its authenticity as a revolution and delves into its implications for epistemology and ethics. It analyzes the nature of Darwin's ideas and their profound effects on scientific thought and moral philosophy, encouraging readers to reflect on the intersection of evolutionary theory and human understanding.
The Problem of War argues that the different perspectives of Christians and Darwinians on the nature and causes of warfare reveal them to be playing the same game, offering not so much scientific or empirical explanations but rival value-laden analyses, suggesting we have less a science-religion conflict and more one between two rival religious visions - Christianity and a form of secular Darwinian humanism.
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.