Word: darwinism
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...Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life...
There are two responses one could have to the fact that human beings are nothing but the accidental product of a mindless algorithmic process. The first is the path of reluctance, feat, even dread; this has been the main response of Western arts and letters since Darwin, and its products have ranged from the sentimental agnosticism of Matthew Arnold to the brutal existentialism of Sartre. The second is the path of gleeful Philistinism, which glories in exposing the rubes like Plato, Aquinas and Kant whose faith in human divnity has been overthrown by the glittering progress of Science...
...opus on evolution, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel Dennett is inevitably taking the second path; while he professes genuine respect for Philosophy and Meaning, he has no patience for those who cling to them rather than face the truth about evolution. And while he is sanguine about the prospect of reconstituting philosophy on the basis of Darwinism, his attempts to do so in the present book are far from reassuring...
...halt to the evolutionary explanation ofhuman capabilities. The nature of Dennett'sdisagreement with his foes is often obscure, andthere is such a flurry of names and citations thatthe inattentive reader will probably begin to justtake Dennett's word for it. What it all comes downto is that Dennett sees Darwin's dangerousidea--that everything from consciousness to ethicscan be explained by the function of naturalselection over time--as a "universal acid," eatingaway all attempts to limit its scope...
...Darwin's Dangerous Ideais rather toosophisticated to be popular science, yet it stopsshort of where many less scientifically-inclinedreaders would like to go. It will probably pleasemost of those whom it is designed to please: thescientifically literate who are just proud enoughof their knowledge to get a frisson of superiorityfrom attacks on the evolutionary Luddites.Luddites, however, should beware: after readingthis book, you too will be reminded that Darwinismis here to stay, and you will also be reminded ofwhy what frightens...