Evolution's first philosopher : John Dewey and the continuity of nature / Jerome A. Popp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Popp, Jerome A., 1938-

Series:

SUNY series in philosophy and biology.

SUNY series in philosophy and biology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dewey, John, 1859-1952.

Dewey, John.

Evolution (Biology).

Naturalism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (171 p.)

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

John Dewey was the first philosopher to recognize that Darwin's thesis about natural selection not only required us to change how we think about ourselves and the life forms around us, but also required a markedly different approach to philosophy. Evolution's First Philosopher shows how Dewey's arguments arose from his recognition of the continuity of natural selection and mindedness, from which he developed his concept of growth. Growth, for Dewey, has no end beyond itself and forms the basis of a naturalized theory of ethics. While other philosophers gave some attention to evolutionary theory, it was Dewey alone who saw that Darwinism provides the basis for a naturalized theory of meaning. This, in turn, portends a new account of knowledge, ethics, and democracy. To clarify evolution's conception of natural selection, Jerome A. Popp looks at brain science and examines the relationship between the genome and experience in terms of the contemporary concepts of preparedness and plasticity. This research shows how comprehensive and penetrating Dewey's thought was in terms of further consequences for the philosophical method entailed by Darwin's thesis. Dewey's foresight is further legitimated when Popp places his work within the context of the current thought of Daniel Dennett.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Reading Guide

Evolution and Philosophy

Theory of Evolution

What Is Darwinian Evolution?

Preparedness versus Plasticity

Brain Development and the Emergence of Mind

Morality Naturalized

Can Evolution Tell us What to Do?

Democracy and the Baldwin Effect

Evolution and Liberalism

Afterword

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-147) and index.

ISBN:

9780791480786

079148078X

9781429458047

1429458046

OCLC:

85861370