What Darwin Got Wrong: Fodor, Piatelli- Palmarini. Review

PUBLISHER:

redshirt

Shaun Johnston:
In modern times we've made two revolutionary discoveries. One is, how changes in physical matter can be accounted for in terms of physical laws that can predict precisely what will happen next. Having given rise to science (how this can be studied) and industry (how it can be applied) this revolution is well under way.

The second revolution is, how emergence of species of living creatures can be accounted for in terms of them evolving from one another. This revolution, despite its promise of how much it could tell us about ourselves, remains stillborn through the mistaken application to it of principles coming out of the first revolution--reductive physicalism.

For this second revolution to advance it should be taken from under the wing of science and studied on its own terms. Tip: one recent product of evolution is creatures with minds. Minds are better studied through methods of the humanities than through those of science. Tell me, does this interest you?

Details: Written by Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston; Published: May 11, 2012 May 11, 2012; Hits: 5584 5584

Why is Darwinism so hard to nail down? What’s the trick behind it? Is it mere sleight of hand, requiring for its elucidation the innocence of a child, or is it a fiendishly complex marvel of high technology requiring two, yes two, eminent philosophers to reveal its secrets? My instinct is it’s mere sleight of hand, and we’re simply letting our attention be misdirected from the solution. The book’s authors plump for high technology. Although the text is a mere 175 pages they labor mightily, making heavy going of it. They critique Darwinism both in terms of current research findings and in terms of philosophic reason. But at the end I judged the illusion kept its secrets. More...