By bunyip, Section Reviews Posted on Thu Jan 22, 2004 at 05:15:37 AM PST
Darwin's great insight was the discovery that Nature isn't operating to a plan. For over two millennia, Western European thinkers, whether secular or religious, had contended otherwise. Nature, they claimed, whether divinely guided or not, exhibited the effect of instituted, unwavering patterns - the result of "design". Eyes, hands, the arrangement of flower petals were too complex to have occurred by chance, it was thought. Christian monotheists enshrined this view within religious dogma. Darwin's revolutionary Idea challenged that concept at its roots, thus toppling all established opinion. The Idea, refuting theologians and philosophers alike, became Dangerous. As Michael Ruse points out in Darwin and Design, the traditional argument is still being used to contest Darwin's Idea of the driving force of life.
In this superbly conceived and crafted survey of the traditions and their overthrow, Ruse again proves his worth both as a scholar and a writer. From Plato through Kant, from Descartes to Darwin, we are provided a tour of how humans have viewed Nature over many centuries. The examples are endless - the eye, the hand, the awesome variety of flowering plants all seem to exhibit something behind their structure. Ruse examines the result of "new" science challenging old dogmas during the Enlightenment. He shows how the reconciliation of evidence with faith became known as "natural theology". In other words, nature's wonders were evidence of the god's plan. Ruse follows the course of the reasoning of the adherents of "nature by design" up to the present. The opening chapters of this book are presented so skillfully it seems he is endorsing the traditional view. Nothing could be more mistaken. In one stroke, Darwin overthrew those dogmas and Ruse can present Darwin's impact like few others.
Darwin demonstrated that what we see around us is a "snapshot" of natural history. Our view sees the result of ages of natural selection. Even with this great insight, Darwin lacked the information explaining the mechanics of natural selection. How did "modification with descent" [Darwin's preferred usage] work down the generations. Although natural selection underwent a brief regression with the re-discovery of Mendel's genetics, it revived with enhanced force in the 1930s. Ronald Fisher's mathematical analysis demonstrated how to integrate natural selection with genetics to found what is now known as "neo-Darwinism". The revelation of DNA's structure consolidated that merger, leaving natural selection stronger than ever.
The idea of "design" in nature retains a rearguard force of snipers still asserting an "intelligent designer". Ruse presents the ideas of Behe, Dembski and Johnson in their assault on natural selection. He delicately analyses their arguments and logic. Then, he gently but firmly consigns their ill-founded proposals to the historical rubbish heap. They, unlike Kant or Descartes, have the evidence before them, either discounting or avoiding it. Ruse's sense of decency restrains his judgment where others have been more scathing in their denunciation of the delusions of the ID mob. He's to be commended for his articulate restraint.
Although a running theme of this book is something termed "Natural Theology", the attempt to merge nature with a divinity, Ruse proposes something different in conclusion. He wants us to adopt a more reverent approach to the wonders of nature. A fresh look at what nature can offer us all leads him to suggest a "theology of nature". The similarity of terms mustn't blind the reader in recognizing that "nature" is the object of worship here. It's a fitting proposal from a man who has built a reputation for linking science and philosophy. A series of books has established his outlook, and this one is his finest work. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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