Philip Kitcher is a philosopher deeply engaged with the intricate relationship between science and society. His work probes how scientific knowledge shapes our values and calls for its ethical guidance. Kitcher champions a vision of science that is more integrated with public discourse, aiming to serve the broader good. His writing is insightful and challenging, prompting readers to consider the responsibilities that accompany scientific advancement.
Sharing insights from teaching John Stuart Mill for many years, the eminent philosopher Philip Kitcher makes a cogent case for why we should read this nineteenth-century thinker now. He reflects on Mill's ideas in the context of contemporary ethical, social, and political issues.
Are we hard-wired for disaster? Or do new findings in evolution, development, and behavior show that human beings can adapt positively to adverse circumstances and realize a more just and inclusive society?
Although there is no shortage of recent books arguing against religion, few offer a positive alternative—how anyone might live a fulfilling life without the support of religious beliefs. This enlightening book fills the gap. Philip Kitcher constructs an original and persuasive secular perspective, one that answers human needs, recognizes the objectivity of values, and provides for the universal desire for meaningfulness. Kitcher thoughtfully and sensitively considers how secularism can respond to the worries and challenges that all people confront, including the issue of mortality. He investigates how secular lives compare with those of people who adopt religious doctrines as literal truth, as well as those who embrace less literalistic versions of religion. Whereas religious belief has been important in past times, Kitcher concludes that evolution away from religion is now essential. He envisions the successors to religious life, when the senses of identity and community traditionally fostered by religion will instead draw on a broader range of cultural items—those provided by poets, filmmakers, musicians, artists, scientists, and others. With clarity and deep insight, Kitcher reveals the power of secular humanism to encourage fulfilling human lives built on ethical truth.
Evolution, Intelligent Design und die Zukunft des Glaubens
Als Charles Darwin im Jahr 1882 starb, sollte er auf Wunsch der Familie auf dem Friedhof jenes kleinen Dorfes in Kent beigesetzt werden, in dem er fast sein halbes Leben verbracht hatte. Daraus wurde nichts. Eine öffentliche Kampagne mit ausdrücklicher Unterstützung der anglikanischen Kirche führte dazu, dass der Begründer der Evolutionstheorie ein Staatsbegräbnis erhielt und seine letzte Ruhestätte in der Westminster Abbey fand - direkt neben dem Grabmal Isaac Newtons. Der Frieden zwischen der Kirche und Darwin war allerdings nur von kurzer Dauer. Heute, 150 Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung von On the Origin of Species, ist der Kampf um die Evolutionstheorie wieder neu entbrannt und Darwins gefährliche Idee steht insbesondere für Vertreter der christlichen Schöpfungslehre und ihrer wissenschaftlichen Spielart, der sogenannten Intelligent-Design-Theorie, zur Disposition.