Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel C. Dennett

However, Darwin did challenge this idea by providing his own evidence for the theory of evolution in “On the Origin of Species”.ĭarwin was not trying to prove evolution he wanted to solve a different problem: the species question. Other thinkers toyed with this idea but didn’t follow through on it because there were other logical options available (for example, multiple acts of creation). Some philosophers have argued that since we have minds, they must come from a greater mind – which could only be God. For example, some people believe that the idea conflicts with their creation myths or religious beliefs about God. It’s also important for understanding human life on Earth.Įven though Darwin’s theory of evolution is well-known and accepted, many people still don’t accept it. Evolution is a scientific fact and explains many things in the world today, from genetics to geology. However, you can still believe in God and evolution at the same time. They don’t want to challenge their religious beliefs or think that it will make them look stupid.

Many people are afraid to talk about evolution because they fear controversy. Newbridge Book Club main selection BOMC, History Book Club and QPB alternates author tour.1-Page Summary of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea Evolution: Context, Meaning, Implications Expanding on biologist Richard Dawkins's concept of ``memes,'' self-replicating ideas that are subject to natural selection, Dennett explores how language, mind, culture and morality could have evolved by Darwinian mechanisms. Wilson, Roger Penrose, Noam Chomsky, B.F. Gould's various revisions of orthodox Darwinism are superfluous ``false alarms,'' according to Dennett, who also lambastes E.O. He systematically attacks Harvard biologist Stephen Jay Gould's theory of ``punctuated equilibria,'' which attempts to explain the sudden emergence of new species. In a grand, provocative, gripping synthesis, Dennett, director of Tufts University Center for Cognitive Studies in Massachusetts, presents a lucid, elegant account of Darwinian evolution and its far-reaching implications for understanding human behavior and culture. Darwin's ``dangerous idea,'' as defined by orthodox neo-Darwinist Dennett (Consciousness Explained), is the belief that evolution, a mindless, mechanistic, purposeless process, gave rise to the single, branching tree of life and, further, that this process eliminates the need for invoking an intelligent God as the source of design.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel C. Dennett