Beyond Evolution : Human Nature and the Limits of Evolutionary Explanation by Anthony O'Hear
Beyond Evolution : Human Nature and the Limits of Evolutionary Explanation by Anthony O'Hear
English | Nov 6, 1997 | ISBN: 0198242549 | 231 Pages | PDF | 10 MB
English | Nov 6, 1997 | ISBN: 0198242549 | 231 Pages | PDF | 10 MB
In this controversial new book O'Hear takes a stand against the fashion for explaining human behavior in terms of evolution. He contends that while the theory of evolution is successful in explaining the development of the natural world in general, it is of limited value when applied to the human world. Because of our reflectiveness and our rationality we take on goals and ideals which cannot be justified in terms of survival-promotion or reproductive advantage. O'Hear examines the nature of human self-consciousness, and argues that evolutionary theory cannot give a satisfactory account of such distinctive facets of human life as the quest for knowledge, moral sense, and the appreciation of beauty; in these we transcend our biological origins.