Owen's Ape and Darwin's Bulldog

Owen's Ape and Darwin's Bulldog
Author: Christopher E. Cosans
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2009-02-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0253220513

After Richard Owen criticized Darwin's Origin, he was labeled a "creationist" by many, and his work on ape anatomy was derided by Darwin's "bulldog" Thomas Huxley. In this close analysis of Owen's texts, Christopher E. Cosans argues that Owen's thought was much more sophisticated than Huxley portrayed it. In addition to considering Owen and Huxley's anatomical debate, Owen's Ape and Darwin's Bulldog examines their philosophical dispute. Huxley embraced the metaphysics of Descartes, while Owen felt philosophy of science should rest on Kant's claim that sense-perception does not tell us how things-in-themselves "really are." Owen thought the creationist-Darwinist dispute was unproductive, and held that both 19th century special creationists and Darwin's suggestion in the Origin that God created the first life forms unnecessarily brought supernatural causation into science. With the hindsight of how the theory of evolution has progressed over the last three centuries, the Owen-Huxley debate affords the history and philosophy of science a case study. It sheds light on theories of knowledge that have been advanced by Quine, Wittgenstein, Hanson, and Putnam. Owen's Ape and Darwin's Bulldog also examines Malthus, Mill and Marx for the influence of economic thought on early evolutionary theories, and considers broader ideas about how science and society interact.

Literature After Darwin

Literature After Darwin
Author: V. Richter
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2010-12-14
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0230300448

What makes us human? Where is the limit between human and animal? These are questions that haunt post-Darwinian literature. Covering fiction from Kipling to Kafka, this study offers a historically embedded analysis of anthropological anxiety in the period between the publication of the Origin of Species and the beginning of the Second World War.

Between Man and Beast

Between Man and Beast
Author: Monte Reel
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2013-12-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 0307742431

In 1856, Paul Du Chaillu ventured into the African jungle in search of a mythic beast, the gorilla. After wild encounters with vicious cannibals, deadly snakes, and tribal kings, Du Chaillu emerged with 20 preserved gorilla skins—two of which were stuffed and brought on tour—and walked smack dab into the biggest scientific debate of the time: Darwin's theory of evolution. Quickly, Du Chaillu's trophies went from objects of wonder to key pieces in an all-out intellectual war. With a wide range of characters, including Abraham Lincoln, Arthur Conan Doyle, P.T Barnum, Thackeray, and of course, Charles Darwin, this is a one of a kind book about a singular moment in history.

America's Forgotten Poet-Philosopher

America's Forgotten Poet-Philosopher
Author: Michael A. Flannery
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 403
Release: 2023-12-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1438495730

This book examines the ideas and influences of a nearly forgotten Swedish-American philosopher, John Elof Boodin (1869–1950). A friend and student of William James and protégé of Josiah Royce at Harvard, Boodin combined Jamesian pragmatism and Roycean idealism in developing original scholarship (nearly sixty articles and eight books) from 1900 to 1947, in addition to a volume of posthumous papers published in 1957. Although he is seldom remembered today, the enduring importance of pragmatism and the rising influence of process theology today suggests that his close reading of early to mid-twentieth-century science and vast grasp of philosophical issues warrants a renewed interest in his work that can be a valuable antidote to the sterile and constricting effects of reductionism and dogmatic materialism prevalent today in both those fields.

Of Apes and Ancestors

Of Apes and Ancestors
Author: Ian Hesketh
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2009-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0802092845

By reconstructing the Oxford debate of 1860 on the merits of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, and carefully considering the individual perspectives of the main participants, Ian Hesketh argues that personal jealousies and professional agendas played a formative role in shaping the response to Darwin's hypothesis.

Natural Selection

Natural Selection
Author: Richard G. Delisle
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2021-02-27
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030655369

This book contests the general view that natural selection constitutes the explanatory core of evolutionary biology. It invites the reader to consider an alternative view which favors a more complete and multidimensional interpretation. It is common to present the 1930-1960 period as characterized by the rise of the Modern Synthesis, an event structured around two main explanatory commitments: (1) Gradual evolution is explained by small genetic changes (variations) oriented by natural selection, a process leading to adaptation; (2) Evolutionary trends and speciational events are macroevolutionary phenomena that can be accounted for solely in terms of the extension of processes and mechanisms occurring at the previous microevolutionary level. On this view, natural selection holds a central explanatory role in evolutionary theory - one that presumably reaches back to Charles Darwin's Origin of Species - a view also accompanied by the belief that the field of evolutionary biology is organized around a profound divide: theories relying on strong selective factors and those appealing only to weak ones. If one reads the new analyses presented in this volume by biologists, historians and philosophers, this divide seems to be collapsing at a rapid pace, opening an era dedicated to the search for a new paradigm for the development of evolutionary biology. Contrary to popular belief, scholars' position on natural selection is not in itself a significant discriminatory factor between most evolutionists. In fact, the intellectual space is quite limited, if not non-existent, between, on the one hand, "Darwinists", who play down the central role of natural selection in evolutionary explanations, and, on the other hand, "non-Darwinists", who use it in a list of other evolutionary mechanisms. The "mechanism-centered" approach to evolutionary biology is too incomplete to fully make sense of its development. In this book the labels created under the traditional historiography - "Darwinian Revolution", "Eclipse of Darwinism", "Modern Synthesis", "Post-Synthetic Developments" - are thus re-evaluated. This book will not only appeal to researchers working in evolutionary biology, but also to historians and philosophers."

What Makes Humans Unique

What Makes Humans Unique
Author: Michael Robbins
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 137
Release: 2023-09-08
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1000958418

Through an integrated multi-disciplinary theory, Michael Robbins proposes that the human mind consists of two mental structures: the one we share with other animate creatures and a capacity for reflective representational thought which is unique. As an alternative to Freud’s model of the human mind as structured by the id, ego, and superego, this book contends that the prolonged period of post-natal immaturity – otherwise known as neoteny – which is specific to humans, gives rise to reflective representational thought that in turn allows for the acquisition of complex knowledge. Robbins examines how Freud’s conception of the human mind was limited by his ignorance of the related disciplines of sociology, primatology, cultural anthropology, and most notably evolution, which were then in their infancy, to explore the implications of the non-unitary nature of the human mind for us as individuals, as a society, and for our future as a species. Drawing on a broad range of influences from psychoanalysis to anthropology, biology, psychology, sociology, and politics, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of these disciplines alike.

The Human Difference

The Human Difference
Author: Michael Robbins
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2023-10-02
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1000968170

From a multidisciplinary perspective grounded in psychoanalysis, this book explores the manifestations of mind that distinguish humans from other species, culture, civilization, and destructiveness. Psychoanalysis was created by Freud in an effort to understand neurosis and psychosis, the names he gave to individual human destructiveness. His understanding was limited and incorrect because the science of evolution and the disciplines of sociology and cultural anthropology were in their infancy when he formulated his ideas. He did not comprehend that destructiveness is qualitatively different in humans than in other species and he ignored the problem of how biological instincts become mental processes. These limitations left psychoanalysis with one of its most perplexing unsolved problems, the mysterious leap from mind to body. This book explains how neoteny, the prolonged period of postnatal immaturity that distinguishes humans from other animals, requires and enables complex learning from caregivers. It is the knowledge acquired from this learning and its intergenerational transmission that links the biological theory of evolution with the psychosocial theory of psychoanalysis and explains how the human species is unique. This book will be of interest to those who want to learn about how integrating the findings of evolutionary science, primatology, sociology, and cultural anthroplogy with the theory of psychoanalysis expands our understanding of what makes humans unique and its implications for the future of our species, and how it empowers us to influence the destiny of humankind.

Dictionary of Christianity and Science

Dictionary of Christianity and Science
Author: Zondervan,
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 704
Release: 2017-04-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310496063

The definitive reference work on science and Christian belief How does Christian theology relate to scientific inquiry? What are the competing philosophies of science, and do they "work" with a Christian faith based on the Bible? No reference work has covered this terrain sufficiently--until now. Featuring entries from over 140 international contributors, the Dictionary of Christianity and Science is a deeply-researched, peer-reviewed, fair-minded work that illuminates the intersection of science and Christian belief. In one volume, you get reliable summaries and critical analyses of over 450 relevant concepts, theories, terms, movements, individuals, and debates. You will find answers to your toughest questions about faith and science, from the existence of Adam and Eve to the age of the earth, evolution and string theory. FEATURES INCLUDE: Over 450 entries that will help you think through some of today's most challenging scientific topics, including climate change, evolution, bioethics, and much more Essays from over 140 leading international scholars, including Francis Beckwith, Michael Behe, Darrell Bock, William Lane Craig, Hugh Ross, Craig Keener, Davis Young, John Walton, and many more Multiple-view essays on controversial topics allow you to understand and compare differing Christian viewpoints Learn about flesh-and-blood figures who have shaped the interaction of science and religion: Augustine, Aquinas, Bacon, Darwin, and Stephen Hawking are just the beginning Fully cross-referenced, entries include references and recommendations for further reading Advance Praise: "Every Christian studying science will want a copy within arm’s reach." --Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary "This is an invaluable resource that belongs in every Christian's library. I will be keeping my copy close by when I’m writing." --Lee Strobel, Elizabeth and John Gibson chair of apologetics, Houston Baptist University "Sparkles with passion, controversy, and diverse perspectives."--Karl Giberson, professor of science and religion, Stonehill College "An impressive resource that presents a broad range of topics from a broad tent of evangelical scholars."--Michael R. Licona, Houston Baptist University "I am certain that this dictionary will serve the church for many years in leading many to demonstrate that modern science can glorify our Creator and honor his creation." --Denis O. Lamoureux, University of Alberta "'Dictionary' is too humble a label for what this is! I anticipate that this will offer valuable guidance for Christian faithfulness." --C. John Collins, Covenant Theological Seminary Get answers to the difficult questions surround faith and science! Adam and Eve | the Age of the Earth | Climate Change | Evolution | Fossil Record | Genesis Flood | Miracles | Cosmology | Big Bang theory | Bioethics | Darwinism Death | Extraterrestrial Life | Multiverse | String theory | and much, much more