20 used & new from $16.99
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Monad to Man: The Concept of Progress in Evolutionary Biology
 
 
Share your own customer images
Look inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Monad to Man: The Concept of Progress in Evolutionary Biology (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Available from these sellers.


5 new from $22.00 14 used from $16.99 1 collectible from $75.00

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, December 31, 1996 -- $22.00 $16.99
  Paperback, March 30, 2009 $20.65 $18.49 $24.69

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Evolution: The First Four Billion Years

Evolution: The First Four Billion Years

by Michael Ruse
4.1 out of 5 stars (7)  $26.37
Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose?

Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose?

by Michael Ruse
3.6 out of 5 stars (11)  $20.50
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

by Richard Dawkins
4.4 out of 5 stars (100)  $16.20
Why Evolution Is True

Why Evolution Is True

by Jerry A. Coyne
4.3 out of 5 stars (83)  $18.45
Darwin's Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin's Views on Human Evolution

Darwin's Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin's Views on Human Evolution

by Adrian Desmond
4.0 out of 5 stars (13)  $19.80
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Evolution has stirred heated social debate from before the time of Darwin to the present, perhaps especially today. Ruse, a philosopher of bioethics and evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph, Ontario, discusses the influence of biological and social progressionist thought on the primary figures in the development of evolutionary theory. He also explores the role of progress in the development of the discipline from popular to professional science. Ruse confines himself to the biological realm of evolution and avoids the evolution vs. creation debate. From historical research to interviews with today's leading evolutionary biologists, Ruse's book mirrors the lively debates throughout the history of the field. Though not necessarily designed for general audiences, this thought-provoking and readable book is highly recommended for larger general as well as advanced undergraduate collections.?Bruce D. Neville, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review

"Monad to Man" will be controversial not because of its implications for social and ethical issues, but because of what it says about the scientific study of evolutionary biology...Ruse's writing style is bluff, unselfconscious, and opinionated...[It] does detract from the appearance of neutrality. But it adds immeasurably to the literary value of the book. "Monad to Man" combines the sweeping history of the science of evolution with intricate details about individual scientists' researches, prejudices, and personal lives...The result is a richly textured narrative...Ruse has certainly established that the ideas of evolution and progress have been closely linked. His thesis that the profession of biology has been shaped by scientists' embarrassment about this linkage will be the focus of further debate. In the meantime he has given us a rich and compelling narrative of the personalities and ideas that shaped the history of evolutionary biology. -- Ron Amundson "British Journal for the Philosophy of Science"
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 640 pages
  • Publisher: Harvard University Press (January 1, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0674582209
  • ISBN-13: 978-0674582200
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,484,768 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #66 in  Books > Science > History & Philosophy > Philosophy of Biology

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Michael Ruse
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Michael Ruse Page
Look Inside This Book
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover
Citations (learn more)
59 books cite this book:
See all 59 books citing this book

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Monad to Man: The Concept of Progress in Evolutionary Biology
94% buy the item featured on this page:
Monad to Man: The Concept of Progress in Evolutionary Biology 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul
6% buy
Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul 4.0 out of 5 stars (54)
$9.28
Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(19)
(16)
(14)
(10)
(9)
(8)
(6)
(4)
(4)
(4)
(4)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars His pet peeve, May 11, 2002
This massive bit of research into the history of evolutionary thought represents Michael Ruse's attempt to convince fellow scientists to show interest in what he sees as two fundamental issues in evolutionism. The first is the dissonance between it and other scientific enquiries. More specifically Ruse is concerned about the indifference physicists, chemists, and other scientists engaged in the "practical" sciences show towards evolution. They hardly care about evolution's focus on origins and are instead interested in their own experiments. The second issue is Ruse's pet peeve. It is the tendency, which he says he can trace back 250 years, for evolutionism to be influenced by cultural values. More specifically, Ruse says that the idea of social progress has always had a close relationship with evolution. This is the subject which he explores for the vast majority of the book.

The best encapsulation of this idea of Progress (which Ruse describes with a capital "P" to emphasize its significance)is its movement from the simplest biological form to the most complex. Thus we have from MONAD TO MAN. Ruse says that the idea "that there will be an ongoing improvement of human society through human effort was the parent idea of evolution, which was taken to have at its heart the idea of biological progress." He shows that it was in fact the norm in Darwin's time. But is it still so today, and of critical importance to readers of this book, does Ruse make a convincing argument that it is so? More importantly still, does he make a case to convince his fellow scientists to care? I say yes to the first part (and at over 600 pages his book had better be convincing!) He points out that from about the 1950's there was a shift and evolutionary science became more objective. Ruse is very convincing in showing that this was not as a result of scientists giving up belief in social or biological Progress, but merely the suppressing of these ideas at the behest of professionalizers.

I doubt that he's convinced too many of his colleagues though. It seems instead that he's annoyed them. One scientist commenting on the book in the "National Review" said Ruse's belief that progress was a cultural value was a "stretch" and that "to suggest as he does that such a belief actually affects the content of contemporary evolutionary biology is simply unjustified." I'd suggest you read and decide for yourself. It's worth it considereing some of the present day scientists he interviewed and whose work he looks at - Stephen Jay Gould, Ernst Mayr, John Maynard Smith, and E.O. Wilson. The only caveat is the size of the book and that in making sure that he's not a "popularizer" himself, Ruse does not write with the general reader in mind.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:



















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.