The Metaphysics of Evolution (Cambridge Library Collection - Darwin, Evolution and Genetics) - Softcover

Whittaker, Thomas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1108004377 ISBN 13: 9781108004374

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2009

Synopsis

What conclusions do the facts of cosmic and organic evolution require or permit on the origin and destiny of the world and the individual? From 1881 to 1925 Thomas Whittaker, an Oxford-trained scientist turned philosopher, grappled with this question, which he tried to answer by metaphysical interpretation of the sciences. The majority of the essays in this volume first appeared in Mind, and a few in other journals, while three had not been previously published. Whittaker ranges widely over some of the most daring theories of the past, from the early centuries of the common era (including Apollonius of Tyana and Origen), to the middle ages (including John Scotus Erigena and Nicholas of Cusa), the renaissance (Giordano Bruno, Shakespeare) and the early modern period. Whittaker's own view is that hypothesis and imagination are legitimate aids in the search for truth in both science and philosophy in a new synthesis.

About this title

Book Description

Thomas Whittaker spent over forty years grappling with the question of how metaphysics might interact with science and evolution. This book, published in 1928, is a collection of his essays exploring the topic from the Greek philosophers to the early modern period, and attempting a synthesis of his own.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108004377
• ISBN 13: 9781108004374
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 496