A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings by Michael Ruse

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Summary

Why do we think ourselves superior to all other animals? Are we right to think so? In this wide-ranging and fascinating book, Michael Ruse explores these questions in religion, science and philosophy.

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A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings by Michael Ruse

Why do we think ourselves superior to all other animals? Are we right to think so? In this book, Michael Ruse explores these questions in religion, science and philosophy. Some people think that the world is an organism - and that humans, as its highest part, have a natural value (this view appeals particularly to people of religion). Others think that the world is a machine - and that we therefore have responsibility for making our own value judgements (including judgements about ourselves). Ruse provides a compelling analysis of these two rival views and the age-old conflict between them. In a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion, he draws on Darwinism and existentialism to argue that only the view that the world is a machine does justice to our humanity. This new series offers short and personal perspectives by expert thinkers on topics that we all encounter in our everyday lives.
Michael Ruse is the former Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University. Over his fifty-year career he has authored and co-edited over sixty books on topics ranging from the history and philosophy of science, especially evolutionary biology, to the philosophy of religion. They include Can a Darwinian be a Christian? (Cambridge, 2004), The Gaia Hypothesis: Science on a Pagan Planet (2013), and A Meaning to Life (2019).
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9781108820431
ISBN 10 1108820433
Title A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings
Author Michael Ruse
Series A Philosopher Looks At
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Year published 2021-05-20
Number of pages 222
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.