Meanings of Evolution
F05
Bruce Weber
What is evolution, what evidence supports it, and what theories explain it? This introductory course will examine the claims of Darwin, neo-Darwinian biologists, and current evolutionary theorists using complexity theory, with regard to the nature, evolution, and origin of life; how adaptation occurs; how function and apparent design arise; how mind and culture are viewed in evolutionary perspective; and what various approaches to evolution suggest about human nature. Emphasis will be on analysis of the logical structure of various ways of formulating evolutionary theories, the nature of empirical support of such theoretical claims, criticisms of evolutionary theories, and responses to such criticism. We will also explore imaginative responses in literary works. In addition to participating in class discussions and keeping a journal of responses to the readings, students will write two formal papers, one of which may be a creative project.