Darwinism and Its Discontents

Science News,  August 19, 2006  

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DARWINISM AND ITS DISCONTENTS

MICHAEL RUSE

While many creationists take the Bible literally, believing that God created all living things in a short span of time, as they are today others have a more nuanced view of life's beginnings. While they don't dispute nature's influence on life, they point to life's enormous complexity as evidence of a designer. These people assert that Darwin's theory of evolution is just another theory that, as any in science, may or may not be true. Ruse, a professor of history and philosophy, argues that evolution is a fact. The evidence for evolution lies in observable morphological differences among species as well as within the genetic codes of living things, he says. He ponders the cause of evolution, explaining the selection process and adaptation, as well as the constraints of adaptation. He explains why and how evolution may have formed people and what evolution can tell us about racial differences and morality. Ruse ends with a look at how Darwinism has been discussed in philosophy, literature, and religion. Cambridge, 2006, 316 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $30.00.

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