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3The Process of Model-Building in the Behavioral Sciences (review)Theory and Decision 4 (3/4): 401. 1974.
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32Evolutionary Ethics: Healthy Prospect or Last Infirmity?Canadian Journal of Philosophy 18 (S1): 27-73. 1988.Evolutionary ethics, the idea that the evolutionary process contains the basis for a full and adequate understanding of human moral nature, is an old and disreputable notion. It was popularized in the 19th century by the English general man of science, Herbert Spencer, who began advocating an evolutionary approach to ethical understanding, even before Charles Darwin published hisOrigin of Speciesin 1859 (Spencer 1857, 1892). Although it was never regarded with much enthusiasm by professional phi…Read more
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30Taking Darwin Seriously: A Naturalistic Approach to PhilosophyPrometheus Books. 1986.Brings together traditional philosophy and modern sociobiology to examine evolutionary biology and its relation to the evolution of knowledge and ethics
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29Cultural evolutionTheory and Decision 5 (4): 413-440. 1974.In this paper I consider the problem of man's evolution - in particular the evolutionary problems raised when we consider man as a cultural animal as well as a biological one. I argue that any adequate cultural evolutionary theory must have the notion of ‘adaptation’ as a central concept, where this must be construed in a fairly literal (biological) sense, that is as something which aids its possessors (i.e. men) to survive and reproduce. I argue against theories which treat adaptation in a meta…Read more
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65Why I am an accommodationist and proud of itZygon 50 (2): 361-375. 2015.There is a strong need of a reasoned defense of what was known as the “independence” position of the science–religion relationship but that more recently has been denigrated as the “accommodationist” position, namely that while there are parts of religion—fundamentalist Christianity in particular—that clash with modern science, the essential parts of religion do not and could not clash with science. A case for this position is made on the grounds of the essentially metaphorical nature of science…Read more
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28Evolution and the idea of social progressIn Denis Alexander & Ronald L. Numbers (eds.), Biology and Ideology From Descartes to Dawkins, University of Chicago Press. 2010.In evolutionary theory, the idea of organic evolution is linked to the social doctrine or ideology of progress. This chapter explores the relationship between evolution and the idea of social progress by first considering the definitions of evolution, social or cultural progress, and providence. It then comments on the science of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, which it argues was not perfect because Darwin encountered a lot of problems with heredity and with the fossil record. Physicists ar…Read more
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Teleology and the Biological SciencesIn Nicholas Rescher (ed.), Current Issues in Teleology, University Press of America. pp. 61. 1986.
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43Can a Darwinian be a Christian? Ethical IssuesZygon 35 (2): 287-298. 2000.A brief historical overview shows the main Christian claims aboutmorality and proper conduct, looking at questions about both prescriptions and foundations . Jesus did not leave a fully articulated ethical system, and hence it fell to his followers to tease out such a system from hism sayings and actions. Particularly important for Catholic thinking has been the natural law theory of St. Thomas Aquinas. Particularly important for Protestant thinking have been the directives of the Gospel stories…Read more
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18The Structure of Biological Theories (review)International Studies in Philosophy 25 (1): 109-110. 1993.
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50Natural Selection in "The Origin of Species"Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 1 (4): 311. 1971.
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8Do the History of Science and the Philosophy of Science Have Anything to Say to Each Other?PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1992. 1992.
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15Studies in the Philosophy of Biology. Reduction and Related Problems by Franciso José Ayala; Theodosius Dobzhansky (review)Isis 67 479-481. 1976.
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1Human Sociobiology: A Philosophical PerspectiveEidos: The Canadian Graduate Journal of Philosophy 3 (1): 46-88. 1984.
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242Moral Philosophy as Applied SciencePhilosophy 61 (236): 173-192. 1986.(1) For much of this century, moral philosophy has been constrained by the supposed absolute gap between is andought, and the consequent belief that the facts of life cannot of themselves yield an ethical blueprint for future action. For this reason, ethics has sustained an eerie existence largely apart from science. Its most respected interpreters still believe that reasoning about right and wrong can be successful without a knowledge of the brain, the human organ where all the decisions about …Read more
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52David Hull: A memoirBiology and Philosophy 25 (5): 739-747. 2010.David Hull: a memoir Content Type Journal Article DOI 10.1007/s10539-010-9236-0 Authors Michael Ruse, Department of Philosophy, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA Journal Biology and Philosophy Online ISSN 1572-8404 Print ISSN 0169-3867.
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Biodiversity, Darwin, and the Fossil RecordIn Markku Oksanen & Juhani Pietarinen (eds.), Philosophy and Biodiversity, Cambridge University Press. pp. 101-118. 2004.
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105Science and religion today (review)International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 70 (2): 167-177. 2011.Science and religion today Content Type Journal Article Pages 1-11 DOI 10.1007/s11153-011-9316-3 Authors Michael Ruse, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA Journal International Journal for Philosophy of Religion Online ISSN 1572-8684 Print ISSN 0020-7047
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2Book Reviews : Faces of Science. BY V. V. NALIMOV. Edited by ROBERT G. COLODNY. Philadelphia: ISI Press, 1981. Pp. 298. $22.50 U.S.A., $25.50 in other countries (review)Philosophy of the Social Sciences 16 (2): 249-251. 1986.
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91Medicine as social science: The case of Freud on homosexualityJournal of Medicine and Philosophy 6 (4): 361-386. 1981.This paper considers the question of whether the explanation of homosexual orientation offered by Sigmund Freud qualifies as a genuine explanation, judged by the criteria of the social sciences. It is argued that the explanation, namely that homosexual orientation is a function of atypical parental influences, is indeed an explanation of the kind found in the social sciences. Nevertheless, it is concluded that to date Freud's hypotheses about homosexuality are no more than unproven speculations.…Read more
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36Evolution, Morality, and the Meaning of Life Jeffrie G. Murphy Totowa, NJ: Rowman and Littlefield, 1982. Pp. 158, index. $14.95 (review)Dialogue 23 (3): 527-530. 1984.
Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Philosophy of Religion |
Philosophy of Biology |
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Religion |
Philosophy of Biology |