The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Ethics (Cambridge Handbooks in Philosophy) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107589606 ISBN 13: 9781107589605

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2017

Synopsis

Evolutionary ethics - the application of evolutionary ideas to moral thinking and justification - began in the nineteenth century with the work of Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer, but was subsequently criticized as an example of the naturalistic fallacy. In recent decades, however, evolutionary ethics has found new support among both the Darwinian and the Spencerian traditions. This accessible volume looks at the history of thought about evolutionary ethics as well as current debates in the subject, examining first the claims of supporters and then the responses of their critics. Topics covered include social Darwinism, moral realism, and debunking arguments. Clearly written and structured, the book guides readers through the arguments on both sides, and emphasises the continuing relevance of evolutionary theory to our understanding of ethics today.

About this title

About the Authors

Michael Ruse is Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science at Florida State University. His publications include The Philosophy of Human Evolution (Cambridge, 2012), The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Darwin and Evolutionary Thought (Cambridge, 2013), and Science, Evolution, and Religion (2016).

Robert J. Richards is Morris Fishbein Distinguished Service Professor in the History of Science and Medicine at the University of Chicago. His publications include Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior (1987), Was Hitler a Darwinian? Disputed Questions in the History of Evolutionary Theory (2013), and Debating Darwin (2016).

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107589606
• ISBN 13: 9781107589605
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 342
• Editor: Ruse Michael, Richards Robert J.