Evolution Extended: Biological Debates on the Meaning of Life [Paperback]

Connie Barlow (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1995

As in her first well-received anthology, From Gaia to Selfish Genes, Connie Barlow has woven selections from the writings of biologists and philosophers into a unified whole. Once again she explores a range of viewpoints as she invites readers to formulate their own opinions. Editorial passages provide the historical context and introduce the debates that have ensued whenever evolutionary biology has been extended into the realm of meaning.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This unique anthology of 39 major selections explores the basic issues and disparate interpretations of science, philosophy, and theology regarding evolution. The topics covered include complexity, diversity, contingency, dominant types, symbiosis, and mass extinctions; evolutionary worldviews ranging from Darwinian materialism to Teilhardian mysticism are discussed. Special attention is given to a critical examination of chance and necessity and to the alleged teleology (progress, purpose, direction, and end-goal) in organic evolution. Of particular significance are excerpts from Julian Huxley, Jacques Monod, William Provine, and Edward O. Wilson. Entries on the present Gaia hypothesis and the ongoing controversy between fundamentalist creationists and scientific evolutionists make this book relevant as well as informative and provocative. Enriched with poems, illustrations, editorial comments, and copious references, this is recommended for all academic and public library evolution collections.
James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

A central issue in this readable, thought-provoking collection of excerpts is the relevance of theology to an understanding of evolution. Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin extols humankind as the predestined pinnacle of evolution, uniquely aware of a "great presence." Rubbish, replies molecular biologist Jacques Monodi; humans evolved by pure chance and stand alone in the vastness of an unfeeling universe. Arrayed around these antithetic views are the tenets of the "peacemakers and provocateurs." New religions are proposed, such as Julian Huxley's evolutionary humanism, which would replace divine revelation and the supernatural with a belief system founded on the scientific method. Also discussed are such maverick perspectives as James Lovelock's Gaia theory, which posits the earth as a living, dynamic entity and humanity as its sense organs, and Dawkins' selfish gene theory, which holds that we are robots invented by genes in an "arms race" response to perils beyond the primordial soup. Brenda Grazis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (August 4, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262522063
• ISBN-13: 978-0262522069
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Connie Barlow (b. 1952) had 4 science books published between 1991 and 2001. All explore how a mainstream understanding of evolutionary biology can help us feel deeply rooted in this world and supported by a glorious ancestry. In 2001, she shifted her focus to online writings and curricula, as webmaster of the acclaimed TheGreatStory dot org website. In 2009 she (with her husband, Michael Dowd) launched a podcast: "America's Evolutionary Evangelists." She regularly uploads evolutionary videos to her YouTube channel, ghostsofevolution, which echoes the title of her last book, "The Ghosts of Evolution." You can sample Connie's free writings (including contributed chapters to books) at her publications page on her website (google: Connie Barlow publications). Connie is also the founder and webmaster of an ecological activist group: TorreyaGuardians dot org.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the mechanics of biology, April 16, 2002

By 

Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Evolution Extended: Biological Debates on the Meaning of Life (Hardcover)

Barlow has set herself a momentous task. Sifting through a wealth of publications on evolution to distill out the significant works dealing with social issues. Her choices necessarily reflect a broad range of opinions, scientifically sound and otherwise. She's to be commended for providing the reader with a series of starting points to pursue in gaining a better understanding of the chosen topics. As she admits, compiling her earlier collection of works relating to Lovelock's Gaia thesis led her to investigate the impact of biology on philosophical thinking. This volume is the result. In it, she deals with such matters as evolution as a "progressive" force, evolution and "strife," and, of course, the relation of evolution to human morals and religion. Many debates and debaters are featured with their best expressions on the topics she wishes to address. While some authors and some topics might have been added, it is her book, not theirs. She has performed the task well.

She opens with Julian Huxley, grandson of "Darwin's Bulldog," who was outspoken on the "worldview" of the progressive role of evolution. Huxley sees "progress" in evolution as the development of ways for organisms to gain increased control over their environment. Only a selected few organisms have achieved, human beings the most obvious case. George G. Simpson is called upon to refute Huxley's thesis, declares it a myth without substance. He sees Huxley's idea as a typical example of anthropomorphism, stressing that "man is not the measure."

From this introduction, Barlow moves to the "tools and metaphors of evolution." In assessing how evolution works, thinkers in biology have crafted many means of explanation. Darwin used the concept of "wedges" to portray the competition for resources. Barlow offers examinations of Darwin's use of metaphor and how it has affected later thinkers. The key Darwinian phrase, "survival of the fittest" has led to various interpretations on the mechanics of evolution.

Barlow isn't shy about dealing with evolution and "cosmic visions." So long as humans, who appear to be the only animal with a "cosmic view," investigate evolution, there will be discussions of its impact on "spiritual" issues. Barlow's earlier collection certainly typifies "grand schemes" in evolutionary ideas. Here, she opens with the French paleontologist de Chardin in dealing with the relationship of science and Christianity. Not a recapitulation of the antagonisms between science and religion, the choices she's made express the struggle to put the spiritual alongside the biological. Barlow goes far afield in bringing to her collection the widest possible range of voices. Christian "creationist" Henry Morris is included with an attack on natural selection as both "atheistic" and a "religion" in its own right. He is countered by various authors ranging from Darwin to the Pope. It's a fitting and lively exchange with which to conclude the collection. As she must, one supposes, Barlow attempts to reconcile many of the viewpoints using the Gaia hypothesis. She labels this new synthesis "an Earth-based spirituality" combining the mechanics of evolution with an historical human need for something "beyond." In this synthesis, of course, nothing is excluded and there's room for all.