Customer Reviews

Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series)

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Long. Dense. Detailed. The author reviews battles of long ago as if they were part of comtemporary theory. He's making two points. One is, he believes those battles are indeed part of contemporary theory. Second, he believes evolution itself provides a favorable framework for the telling of history and he uses this book to demonstrate the thesis.

Coverage is not even. He accounts for evolutionary theory in terms of the motivations and personalities of individuals, particularly those involved in what he sees as the major disputes. But there's little mention of such eccentrics on the edge of the story as Samuel Butler, for example. He does, though, try to do justice to Herbert Spencer.