
A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings
Michael Ruse(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 20. May 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
222 pages
978-1-108-82043-1 (ISBN)
Description
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.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
244 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-82043-1 (9781108820431)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Michael Ruse
Philosopher Looks at Human Beings
E-Book
05/2021
Cambridge University Press
€9.49
Available for download

Michael Ruse
A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings
E-Book
05/2021
Cambridge University Press
€10.49
Available for download
Person
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).
Content
Introduction; 1. The status of humans; 2. Mechanism versus organicism; 3. Darwinian evolution; 4. Mechanism and human nature; 5. Organicism and human nature; 6. The problem of progress; 7. Morality for the organicist; 8. Morality for the mechanist; Epilogue.