Darwinism and its Discontents

This book presents an ardent defense of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution against its many critics by one of the leading experts on this subject. Offering a clear and comprehensive exposition of the thinking of Darwin, Michael Ruse brings the story up to day, examining important issues such as the origins of life, the fossil record, the mechanism of natural selection, and rival theories such as punctuated equilibrium, the story of human evolution (including the recently found “hobbits,” Homo floresiensis), fraud in biological science, literary approaches to evolution, and the philosophical and religious implications of Darwinism, notably a discussion of Creationism and its modern day offshoot, Intelligent Design Theory. Ruse draws upon the most recent discoveries, but writes with a minimum of jargon. His book will appeal to many readers, from professional biologists to concerned citizens who worry that Darwinism is a naturalistic religion that is forced on school children in face of their own deeply held Christian convictions. Openly revealing his own beliefs, Ruse ‘s aim throughout is to present information and critical tools so that the reader can make informed decisions for him or herself.

Michael Ruse is one of the world's leading authorities on the history and philosophy of Darwinian evolutionary theory. He is the author of many books; his most recent book with Cambridge University Press is The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology (2007, with David L. Hull). A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he has been a Herbert Spencer Lecturer at Oxford University and a Gifford Lecturer at Glasgow University, and he has also held Guggenheim and Isaak Walton Killiam fellowships.