|
In this ground breaking and very accessible
book, Daniel C. Dennett, the acclaimed author of Consciousness
Explained, demonstrates the power of the theory of natural
selection and shows how Darwin's great idea transforms and
illuminates our traditional view of our place in the universe.
Following Darwinian thinking to its logical
conclusions is a risky business, with pitfalls for everybody.
Creationists and others who reject evolution are not the
only ones to fall into the traps. Many who accept the validity
of Darwin's conclusions hesitate before their implications
and distort his theory, fearful that it is politically incorrect
or antireligious, or that it robs life of all spirituality.
Dennett explains the scientific theory of natural selection
in vivid terms, and shows how it extends far beyond biology.
Darwin's idea of evolution by natural selection
has been the focus of controversy for more than a century,
and many people continue to be uncomfortable with it, even
though it has been triumphantly confirmed by a host of discoveries
and integrated into numerous scientific fields. Dennett
lays out the current controversies: about the origin of
life, punctuated equilibrium, sociobiology, the evolution
of language and culture, and evolutionary ethics. He exposes
the philosophical -- even religious -- yearnings that have
started disputes among scientists and laypeople alike. He
challenges the views of some of the most famous scientists
of our day, including Stephen Jay Gould and Roger Penrose,
extending Darwin's vision with impeccable arguments to their
often surprising conclusions.
There is nothing "sacred" in the
traditional sense of the word, Dennett claims, but everything
we have always held sacred is still of the greatest value
-- still morally important. Darwinism does not destroy meaning,
but puts it on a new, better foundation. Dennett shows how
the "miracles" of life, consciousness, and morality
turn out to be even better than we imagined back when we
were sure they were inexplicable.
Daniel C. Dennett is the author of Brainstorms,
Elbow Room, and Consciousness Explained. He
is currently the Distinguished Arts and Sciences Professor
and Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts
University in Massachusetts.
|
