Description: Darwin's Dice by Curtis Johnson Discusses the role of chance and randomness in the writings of Charles Darwin, as well as Darwinist thought. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description For evolutionary biologists, the concept of chance has always played a significant role in the formation of evolutionary theory. As far back as Greek antiquity, chance and "luck" were key factors in understanding the natural world. Chance is not just an important concept; it is an entire way of thinking about nature. And as Curtis Johnson shows, it is also one of the key ideas that separates Charles Darwin from other systematic biologists of his time. Studying theconcept of chance in Darwins writing reveals core ideas in his theory of evolution, as well as his reflections on design, purpose, and randomness in natures progression over the course ofhistory.In Darwins Dice: The Idea of Chance in the Thought of Charles Darwin, Curtis Johnson examines Darwins early notebooks, his collected correspondence (now in 19 volumes), and most of his published writing to trace the evolution of his ideas about chance in evolution. This proved to be one of Darwins most controversial ideas among his reading public, so much so that it drew hostile reactions even from Darwins scientific friends, not to mention the moregeneral reader. The firestorm of criticism forced Darwin to forge a retreat, not in terms of removing chance from his theory--his commitment to it was unshakable--but in terms of how he chose to present histheory. Briefly, by changing his wording and by introducing metaphors and images (the stone-house metaphor, the evolution of giraffes, and others), Darwin succeeded in making his ideas seem less threatening than before without actually changing his views. Randomness remained a focal point for Darwin throughout his life. Through the lens of randomness, Johnson reveals implications of Darwins views for religion, free will, and moral theory. Darwins Dice presents a new way to look atDarwinist thought and the writings of Charles Darwin. Author Biography Curtis Johnson is the Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Professor of Government at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Aristotles Theory of the State (Macmillan, 1990) and Socrates and the Immoralists (Rowman and Littlefield, 2005). He has published many articles and chapters on Plato, Aristotle, Darwin, and the history of science. His interest in Darwinian thought originated in his study of Aristotlesbiological works. Table of Contents Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Two Faces of Chance2. Chance Transport3. Causes and Laws of Variation4. Chance, Nature, and Intelligence5. Darwins Evolving Views about Chance6. "So-Called Spontaneous Variation"7. Darwins Architect Metaphor8. Darwins Giraffes9. Chance and Free Will10. Chance and Human MoralityBibliography Review Voted one of Amazons Best Books of the Month in October 2014."Of interest to specialists in game theory or philosophy, as well as natural selection scholars"--Library Journal"[T]his is a thoughtful and well-researched work. The scholarly details are confined to notes at the end of each chapter, allowing the narrative to flow easily. This is a book that has something for those with little background in Darwin studies as well as for the specialist." --The Quarterly Review of Biology"Curtis Johnson has meticulously examined the role of chance in Darwinian evolution and produced a superlative study." -- Metascience"Darwin believed, or was expected to believe, that every event has a cause, that causes instantiate natural laws, and that God is the author of these laws. How do these principles sort with random variation as a necessary condition of adaptive natural selection? Not well. What did Darwin do about it? In this close reading of the relevant texts, Johnson argues that he accepted randomness, but seemed almost relieved that his ignorance did not force him to sayso. I recommend Darwins Dice to anyone who wants to see a great mind wrestling with a great challenge." --David Depew, Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego"Taking advantage of a wealth of manuscripts, letters, and publications, Curtis Johnson presents a splendid analysis of the role of chance in Darwins philosophy as well as his science. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of how Darwin struggled to make sense of his ideas and to explain them to the scientific community." --Michael T. Ghiselin, Senior Research Fellow, California Academy of Sciences"Chance, a seemingly simple but often misunderstood concept, becomes even more difficult to grasp when applied to understanding the sources of variation seen within species. Curtis Johnson adeptly and thoroughly lays out for the reader the role chance played in Darwins developing ideas of variation. The author demonstrates that even though Darwin expressed the importance of chance to his readers, he tended to mask it in other verbiage in order to make it morepalatable to the public and other scientists." --J. David Archibald, author of Aristotles Ladder, Darwins Tree: The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order"Darwins Dice will be relevant to historians of philosophy and science, especially to those with a deep interest in Darwin himself. Recommended. " --CHOICE"Johnsons book is well written and admirably thorough. ... [I]f you have read one (or a few) of Darwins published books and would like a look inside Darwins mind, via the lens of his notebooks and correspondence, I heartily recommend this book. The concept of chance quickly takes us right to the heart of what makes Darwin such an interesting and important thinker, and Johnson shows us exactly why this is the case." --Charles H. Pence, Reports of theNational Center for Science Education"I would recommend this book ... to a somewhat specialized audience -- readers who want to look carefully into this aspect of Darwins thought, scholars who want to explore how biology acquired its unique definition of randomness, and anyone interested in exploring the way contemporary culture understands chance." --James Bradley, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith Long Description For evolutionary biologists, the concept of chance has always played a significant role in the formation of evolutionary theory. As far back as Greek antiquity, chance and "luck" were key factors in understanding the natural world. Chance is not just an important concept; it is an entire way of thinking about nature. And as Curtis Johnson shows, it is also one of the key ideas that separates Charles Darwin from other systematic biologists of his time. Studying theconcept of chance in Darwins writing reveals core ideas in his theory of evolution, as well as his reflections on design, purpose, and randomness in natures progression over the course ofhistory.In Darwins Dice: The Idea of Chance in the Thought of Charles Darwin, Curtis Johnson examines Darwins early notebooks, his collected correspondence (now in 19 volumes), and most of his published writing to trace the evolution of his ideas about chance in evolution. This proved to be one of Darwins most controversial ideas among his reading public, so much so that it drew hostile reactions even from Darwins scientific friends, not to mention the moregeneral reader. The firestorm of criticism forced Darwin to forge a retreat, not in terms of removing chance from his theory--his commitment to it was unshakable--but in terms of how he chose to present histheory. Briefly, by changing his wording and by introducing metaphors and images (the stone-house metaphor, the evolution of giraffes, and others), Darwin succeeded in making his ideas seem less threatening than before without actually changing his views. Randomness remained a focal point for Darwin throughout his life. Through the lens of randomness, Johnson reveals implications of Darwins views for religion, free will, and moral theory. Darwins Dice presents a new way to look atDarwinist thought and the writings of Charles Darwin. Review Text Voted one of Amazons Best Books of the Month in October 2014."Of interest to specialists in game theory or philosophy, as well as natural selection scholars"--Library Journal"[T]his is a thoughtful and well-researched work. The scholarly details are confined to notes at the end of each chapter, allowing the narrative to flow easily. This is a book that has something for those with little background in Darwin studies as well as for the specialist." --The Quarterly Review of Biology"Darwin believed, or was expected to believe, that every event has a cause, that causes instantiate natural laws, and that God is the author of these laws. How do these principles sort with random variation as a necessary condition of adaptive natural selection? Not well. What did Darwin do about it? In this close reading of the relevant texts, Johnson argues that he accepted randomness, but seemed almost relieved that his ignorance did not force him to sayso. I recommend Darwins Dice to anyone who wants to see a great mind wrestling with a great challenge." --David Depew, Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego"Taking advantage of a wealth of manuscripts, letters, and publications, Curtis Johnson presents a splendid analysis of the role of chance in Darwins philosophy as well as his science. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of how Darwin struggled to make sense of his ideas and to explain them to the scientific community." --Michael T. Ghiselin, Senior Research Fellow, California Academy of Sciences"Chance, a seemingly simple but often misunderstood concept, becomes even more difficult to grasp when applied to understanding the sources of variation seen within species. Curtis Johnson adeptly and thoroughly lays out for the reader the role chance played in Darwins developing ideas of variation. The author demonstrates that even though Darwin expressed the importance of chance to his readers, he tended to mask it in other verbiage in order to make it morepalatable to the public and other scientists." --J. David Archibald, author of Aristotles Ladder, Darwins Tree: The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order"Darwins Dice will be relevant to historians of philosophy and science, especially to those with a deep interest in Darwin himself. Recommended. " --CHOICE"Johnsons book is well written and admirably thorough. ... [I]f you have read one (or a few) of Darwins published books and would like a look inside Darwins mind, via the lens of his notebooks and correspondence, I heartily recommend this book. The concept of chance quickly takes us right to the heart of what makes Darwin such an interesting and important thinker, and Johnson shows us exactly why this is the case." --Charles H. Pence, Reports of theNational Center for Science Education"I would recommend this book ... to a somewhat specialized audience -- readers who want to look carefully into this aspect of Darwins thought, scholars who want to explore how biology acquired its unique definition of randomness, and anyone interested in exploring the way contemporary culture understands chance." --James Bradley, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith Review Quote Voted one of Amazons Best Books of the Month in October 2014. "Of interest to specialists in game theory or philosophy, as well as natural selection scholars"--Library Journal "[T]his is a thoughtful and well-researched work. The scholarly details are confined to notes at the end of each chapter, allowing the narrative to flow easily. This is a book that has something for those with little background in Darwin studies as well as for the specialist." --The Quarterly Review of Biology "Darwin believed, or was expected to believe, that every event has a cause, that causes instantiate natural laws, and that God is the author of these laws. How do these principles sort with random variation as a necessary condition of adaptive natural selection? Not well. What did Darwin do about it? In this close reading of the relevant texts, Johnson argues that he accepted randomness, but seemed almost relieved that his ignorance did not force him to say so. I recommend Darwins Dice to anyone who wants to see a great mind wrestling with a great challenge." --David Depew, Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego "Taking advantage of a wealth of manuscripts, letters, and publications, Curtis Johnson presents a splendid analysis of the role of chance in Darwins philosophy as well as his science. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of how Darwin struggled to make sense of his ideas and to explain them to the scientific community." --Michael T. Ghiselin, Senior Research Fellow, California Academy of Sciences "Chance, a seemingly simple but often misunderstood concept, becomes even more difficult to grasp when applied to understanding the sources of variation seen within species. Curtis Johnson adeptly and thoroughly lays out for the reader the role chance played in Darwins developing ideas of variation. The author demonstrates that even though Darwin expressed the importance of chance to his readers, he tended to mask it in other verbiage in order to make it more palatable to the public and other scientists." --J. David Archibald, author of Aristotles Ladder, Darwins Tree: The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order "Darwins Dice will be relevant to historians of philosophy and science, especially to those with a deep interest in Darwin himself. Recommended. " --CHOICE "Johnsons book is well written and admirably thorough. ... [I]f you have read one (or a few) of Darwins published books and would like a look inside Darwins mind, via the lens of his notebooks and correspondence, I heartily recommend this book. The concept of chance quickly takes us right to the heart of what makes Darwin such an interesting and important thinker, and Johnson shows us exactly why this is the case." --Charles H. Pence, Reports of the National Center for Science Education "I would recommend this book ... to a somewhat specialized audience -- readers who want to look carefully into this aspect of Darwins thought, scholars who want to explore how biology acquired its unique definition of randomness, and anyone interested in exploring the way contemporary culture understands chance." --James Bradley, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith Feature Selling point: Reveals how chance and randomness played a major role in Charles Darwins work.Selling point: Applies these concepts to notable sections of Darwins writing, including the giraffes in On the Origin of Species as well as his famous architect metaphor.Selling point: Shows that studying the theme of randomness in Darwinist thought can help us understand this school of thought better. Details ISBN019936141X Author Curtis Johnson Pages 288 Year 2014 ISBN-10 019936141X ISBN-13 9780199361410 Format Hardcover Media Book Subtitle The Idea of Chance in the Thought of Charles Darwin DEWEY 576.82092 Illustrations 14 illustrations Short Title DARWINS DICE Language English Affiliation Oregon State University, Corvallis Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Publisher Oxford University Press Inc Publication Date 2014-10-23 UK Release Date 2014-10-23 AU Release Date 2014-10-23 NZ Release Date 2014-10-23 US Release Date 2014-10-23 Imprint Oxford University Press Inc Audience Tertiary & Higher Education We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:127256890;
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