Review by Choice Review
This work is devoted to an exchange between two friendly adversaries, Richards (history of science, Univ. of Chicago) and Ruse (director, Program in the History and Philosophy of Science, Florida State Univ.). Both authors have previously debated Darwinian evolution, but this book allows Richards and Ruse to expand their ideas and rebut each other's contrasting views. Ruse explains that Darwin had a "mechanistic" view of the world and was the product of 18th-century Britain, including the Scottish Enlightenment. Richards indicates Darwin was more "cosmopolitan," was influenced by other thinkers (particularly Alexander von Humboldt), and was deeply impacted by German romanticism. Thus, Darwin's evolutionary model was "teleological"--Darwin accepted final cause. Ruse strongly differs with Richard's analysis--most biologists and historians would reject it as well. The book includes an epilogue summarizing the important developments in evolutionary biology that took place after Darwin. This book will have special appeal to historians and philosophers of biology. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; researchers and faculty. --Joel S. Schwartz, CUNY College of Staten Island, Professor emeritus
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
