On Purpose

Ruse, Michael

ISBN 10: 0691195951 / ISBN 13: 9780691195957

Published by Princeton University Press, 2019

About this Item

Fast Free Shipping â Good condition. It may show normal signs of use, such as light writing, highlighting, or library markings, but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid, complete copy that's ready to enjoy.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: On Purpose
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication Date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691195951
• ISBN 13: 9780691195957
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: good

About this title

Synopsis

An accessible history of the idea of purpose in Western thought, from ancient Greece to the present

Can we live without the idea of purpose? Should we even try to? Kant thought we were stuck with it, and even Darwin, who profoundly shook the idea, was unable to kill it. Indeed, purpose seems to be making a comeback today, as both religious advocates of intelligent design and some prominent secular philosophers argue that any explanation of life without the idea of purpose is missing something essential. On Purpose explores the history of purpose in philosophical, religious, scientific, and historical thought, from ancient Greece to the present. Accessibly written and filled with literary and other examples, the book traces how Platonic, Aristotelian, and Kantian ideas of purpose continue to shape Western thought. Along the way, it also takes up tough questions about the purpose of life―and whether it’s possible to have meaning without purpose.

About the Author

Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science at Florida State University. His many books include Darwinism as Religion, The Philosophy of Human Evolution, and The Darwinian Revolution.