Monad to Man: The Concept of Progress in Evolutionary Biology
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The idea of evolution: it fascinates some of us, disturbs others, and leaves only a very few people indifferent. In a major new interpretation of evolutionary theory, Michael Ruse pinpoints the common source of this attraction and discomfort. A renowned writer on evolutionary theory and its history, Ruse has long been sensitive to the fact that many people—and not simply religious enthusiasts—find something deeply troubling about much of what passes for science in evolutionary circles. What causes this tension, he finds in his search of evolutionism's 250-year history, is the intimate relationship between evolution and the secular ideology of progress.Ubiquitous in Darwin's time, the idea of an unceasing improvement in life insinuated its way into evolutionary theory from the first. In interviews with today's major figures in evolutionary biology—including Stephen Jay Gould, Edward O. Wilson, Ernst Mayr, and John Maynard Smith—and in an intimate look at the discoveries and advances in the history and philosophy of science, Ruse finds this belief just as prevalent today—however it might be denied or obscured. His book traces the delicate line between those who argue that science is and must be objective and those who deem science a "social construction" in the fashion of religion or the rest of culture. It offers an unparalleled account of evolutionary theory, from popular books to museums to the most complex theorizing, at a time when its status as science is under greater scrutiny than ever before. Northeastern Naturalist Based on comparisons of professional and popular literature and interviews with leading theoreticians, this book presents a thorough overview and synthesis of evolutionary biology. Of significant heuristic value in the debate of the Western predeliction for the concept of progress as it applies to evolutionary theory. Sensitive to concerns of many non-scientists for the science of evolutionary biology. Extensive literature cited section. Very detailed and interesting accounts of the many people who have contributed to science of evolutionary biology.
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction11Progress and Culture192The Birth of Evolutionism423The Nineteenth Century: From Cuvier to Owen844Charles Darwin and Progress1365Evolution as World View1786The Professional Biologist2057Evolution Travels West2448British Evolutionists and Mendelian Genetics2859Discipline Building in Britain32110The Genetics of Populations36211The Synthesis41012Professional Evolutionism45613Contemporary Debates48514Conclusion526Notes541Bibliography549Credits597Index601
