HNR 301-01/PHI 394-04

What's So Dangerious About Darwin's Idea?

Spring 2002

PHI 185 Class News

Welcome to the History of Modern Philosophy

We'll look at Meditations 2 and 3 on Wednesday.

Course Description
Course Syllabus
Course Outline
Books
Course Assignments
Course Links


Your Grades
Class Email Links
Email Garns


Dr. Garns's Class Web Site
Office Cam
Garns's Home
NKU Home Page
AN OUTLINE AND READING LIST

AN OUTLINE AND READING LIST

Works in parentheses are recommended but not required at this point. Some of these I may make available on reserve in the library and make them required reading, which I will announce in class.

Part One: UNDERSTANDING EVOLUTION AND NATURAL SELECTION

*Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chs. 1 - 4

*Daniel Dennett, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, chs. 1 — 11

(Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species)

(Richard Dawkins, Out of Eden)

(*Stephan J. Gould, "Darwinian Fundamentalism" ) –online

(*Stephan J. Gould, "The Pleasures of Pluralism") (SL)

(Michael Ruse, Taking Darwin Seriously, chs. 1 and 4) (SL)

(John Maynard Smith, , "Genes, Memes, and Minds") –online

Part Two: MIND (INTENTIONALITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS)

*Daniel Dennett, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, chs.13-15

*Searle, "The Problem of  Consciousness"

Searle, "Is the Brain a Digital Computer?"

*Fodor, "The Trouble with Psychological Darwinism"

Sutherland, Review of Fodor 's book

(Paul Churchland, The Engine of Reason, The Seat of the Soul )

(Daniel Dennett, Kinds of Minds)

(Howard Gardner, "Thinking About Thinking") (SL)

(Steve Jones, "The Set Within the Skull") (SL)

(Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works)

(John Searle, The Rediscovery of the Mind)

(Michael Tye, Ten Problems of Consciousness)

Part Three: MORALITY AND VALUE

*Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chs. 5 - 10

*Daniel Dennett, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, chs.16 and 17

*Michael Ruse and E. O. Wilson,, "Moral Philosophy as Applied Science" (SL)

*Herbert Spencer, selection from Progress: Its Law and Cause

*J. L. Mackie, "The Law of the Jungle" (SL)

*Mary Midgley, "Gene-juggling" (SL)

*Richard Dawkins, "In Defense of Selfish Genes"

*Mary Midgley, "Selfish Genes and Social Darwinism"

Mary Warnock, "The Foundations of Morality"

J.L. Mackie, " Co-Operation, Competition, and Moral Philosophy"

Michael Ruse, Taking Darwin Seriously, chs. 3 and 6 (SL)

Francisco Ayala, "The Biology of Morality" (SL)

(David Hume, An Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals )

(David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature, Book III)

(R. C Lewontin, "Survival of the Nicest")

(J. L. Mackie, Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong)

(G. E. Moore, Principia Ethica, Chs I and II)

(Philip Kitcher, The Lives to Come)

(James Rachels, Created From Animals)

(Robert Richards, "A Defense of Evolutionary Ethics")

(Matt Ridley, The Origins of Virtue)

(R. L. Trivers, "The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism’)

(Frank J. Sulloway, "Darwinian Virtues ) (SL)

(Robert Wright, The Moral Animal)

Part Four: CULTURE AND MEMES

Susan Blackmore, The Meme Machine

Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, chs. 11-12

Daniel Dennett, Darwin’s Dangerous Idea, ch. 12

(Richard Dawkins, "Viruses of the Mind") (SL)

(Daniel Dennett, "Memes and the Exploitation of the Imagination") (SL)

(Jared Diamond, The Third Chimpanzee)

(Lee Alan Dugatkin, The Imitation Factor)

(Paul Ehrlich, Human Natures)

(Charles Lumsford and E. O. Wilson, Genes, Mind, and Culture )

(Charles Lumsford and E. O. Wilson, Promethian Fire)

(Aaron Lynch, Thought Contagion)

(Matt Ridley, The Red Queen)

(Michael Ruse, Taking Darwin Seriously, pp. 123 — 147)

(E. O. Wilson, On Human Nature)



 
Please EXIT this site before you leave.

The material on this web site is intended for use in Dr. Garns's philosophy classes and cannot be otherwise reproduced without the written permission of the author.