On Purpose

Michael Ruse

ISBN 10: 0691195951 / ISBN 13: 9780691195957

Editore: Princeton University Press, 2019

Codice articolo 9780691195957

Riassunto:

An accessible history of the idea of purpose in Western thought, from ancient Greece to the present

Can we live without the idea of purpose? Should we even try to? Kant thought we were stuck with it, and even Darwin, who profoundly shook the idea, was unable to kill it. Indeed, purpose seems to be making a comeback today, as both religious advocates of intelligent design and some prominent secular philosophers argue that any explanation of life without the idea of purpose is missing something essential. On Purpose explores the history of purpose in philosophical, religious, scientific, and historical thought, from ancient Greece to the present. Accessibly written and filled with literary and other examples, the book traces how Platonic, Aristotelian, and Kantian ideas of purpose continue to shape Western thought. Along the way, it also takes up tough questions about the purpose of life—and whether it’s possible to have meaning without purpose.

Informazioni sull'autore: Michael Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Program in the History and Philosophy of Science at Florida State University. His many books include Darwinism as Religion, The Philosophy of Human Evolution, and The Darwinian Revolution.

Dati bibliografici

Titolo: On Purpose
Casa editrice: Princeton University Press
Data di pubblicazione: 2019
Legatura: Brossura
Condizione: New