Course Schedule
Required Texts
Dennett, D. C. (1996). Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life. Simon & Schuster.
A copy of the Dennett text can be found online (and also here) but I recommend buying a copy. There are plenty of used copies available online at Amazon, B&N, and Half.ebay. I also placed an order with Campus Book and Supply. I didn't bother with the NKU campus bookstore.
All other required readings are available online.
Recommended Texts
Here are some other good texts. You might look for them in the library or pick one up at a used book store.
- Hodge, J., & Radick, G. (2003). The Cambridge Companion to Darwin. Cambridge University Press.
- Lewens, T. (2006). Darwin. Routledge.
- Ruse, M. (2007). Philosophy of Biology (2nd ed.). Prometheus Books.
- Sober, E. (2006). Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology (third edition.). The MIT Press.
- Sober, E. (2000). Philosophy of Biology, 2nd Edition (2nd ed.). Westview Press.
- Sterelny, K., & Griffiths, P. E. (1999). Sex and Death: An Introduction to Philosophy of Biology. University Of Chicago Press.
Driving Questions
- What is the philosophical significance of Darwin's theory? In what ways did Darwin influence philosophy?
- How does Darwin help us understand evolution and natural selection?
- What is an adaptation?
- What is a species and how are biological species related to the philosophical ideas of essential natures and natural kinds?
- Can Darwinian evolution account for cultural change?
- Can Darwinian evolution account for the human mind?
- Can Darwinian evolution account for morality and politics?
Schedule
| Date | Tuesday | Date | Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.10 | Introduction | 01.12 | Darwin's influence on philosophy. Read Dewey, Aristotle and Paley. |
| 01.17 | Influence, continued. Read Dennett chapter. | 01.19 | Influence, continued. Browne article. |
| 01.24 | Natural Selection. Read Darwin chapters. | 01.26 | Natural Selection, continued. Read Dennett chapters |
| 01.31 | Natural Selection, continued. Read SEP article and Ridley tutorial | 02.02 | Units of Selection. Read Dawkins and Ridley tutorial |
| 02.07 | Units of Selection, continued. Read Wilson and SEP article. | 02.09 | Adaptationism. Read SEP article and Ridley tutorial. |
| 02.14 | Adapationism, continued. Read Dennett chapters. Project Proposal due. | 02.16 | Adaptationism, continued. Read Gould/Lewontin article. |
| 02.21 | Species. Read SEP article, Ridley tutorial and Mayr article. | 02.23 | Species, continued. |
| 02.28 | Cultural Evolution. Read Dennett chapter and Dawkins article. Annotated Bibliography due. | 03.01 | Cultural Evolution, continued. Read SEP article. |
| 03.06 | Spring Break | 03.08 | Spring Break |
| 03.13 | Cultural Evolution, continued. Read Richerson and Boyd article | 03.15 | Mind. Read Dennett chapters. |
| 03.20 | Mind, continued. | 03.22 | Mind, continued. Read Cosmides and Tooby article and SEP articles. |
| 03.27 | Mind, continued. Read Buller and Gould articles | 03.29 | Mind, continued. Read Polger article. |
| 04.03 | Mind, continued. Read Rowland article | 04.05 | Mind, continued. Draft and Abstract for Project due. |
| 04.10 | Morality and Politics. Read Dennett chapters. | 04.12 | Morality and Politics, continued. Read Mackie series of articles. |
| 04.17 | Morality and Politics, continued. | 04.19 | Morality and Politics, continued. Read Boehm article |
| 04.24 | Morality and Politics, continued. | 04.26 | Conclusions. |
