DARWIN'S DANGEROUS IDEA: EVOLUTION AND THE MEANINGS OF LIFE

by Daniel C. Dennett

Book Overview

In a book that is both groundbreaking and accessible, Daniel C. Dennett, whom Chet Raymo of The Boston Globe calls "one of the most provocative thinkers on the planet," focuses his unerringly logical... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068482471X
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 586 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.2" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

All of life as a simple algorithm

Darwin's idea is very very simple; it goes like this. 1-Organisms pass their characteristics on to their descendants, which are mostly but not completely identical to their parent organisms. 2-Organisms breed more descendants than can possibly survive. 3-Descendants with beneficial variations have a better chance of surviving and reproducing, however slight, than those with non-beneficial variations. 4-These slightly modified descendants are themselves organisms, so repeat from step 1. (There is no stopping condition.) That's it. That's all there is to Natural Selection: a simple four step loop; a mindless algorithm that displays no intent, no design, no purpose, no goal, no deeper meaning. This simple algorithm has been running on Earth for four billion years to produce every living thing, and everything made by every living thing, from the oxygen atmosphere generated by plants to the skyscrapers and music created by man. Dennett writes that it is the algoritm's complete mindlessness that makes Darwin's idea so dangerous. Dennett devotes the major portion of his book to aggressively arguing the above. He reviews how the algorithm could have "primed life's pump" eons ago and spends some time on describing evolution and biology. He argues that biology is engineering and thus reducible to algorithms. He also explains how simple algorithms can lead to computers that play brilliant chess and here he makes an important distinction: brilliant chess doesn't have to be perfect chess. There is in fact an algorithm to play chess perfectly: examine all possible moves and discard all moves that do not lead to a win. The problem is that the number of possible moves is Vast, and the number of good moves is Vanishingly Small; there isn't enough time in the universe to use this algorithm. Therefore, software designers have developed imperfect but powerful (i.e. heuristic) algorithms that play merely excellent chess. Dennett uses this nuance to refute Godel's and Penrose's objections to Mind as being something "special", something more than the result of a Darwinian process. Having argued that mind can evolve through a Darwinian process, he goes one step further: ethics can too. Darwin's world is amoral, without good or evil. We have invented the concepts of good and evil and Dennett ends with this. He reassures us that while a mindless, godless, amoral Darwinian process is at the root of everything, we can embrace morality, ethics, and beauty. To quote Dennett, "the world is sacred". Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

Toss Your Skyhooks or Tiptoe Away From Dennett's Book

In the early 90's, Dennett taught a college course on Darwin & Philosophy and most of it is in this book. Dennett examines every corner of evolutionary theory. Some aspects of evolutionary theory are established beyond any reasonable scientific doubt - other fine points are argued within scientific circles. Within this book, Dennett takes on all arguments. In every case, Dennett leads us to conclude that, in biology, nothing makes sense outside the theory of evolution. New discoveries may lead to shifts in the basic theory, but the hope that it will be "refuted" by some earthshaking breakthrough is about as likely as the hope that we will return to the idea that the sun revolves around the earth. DDI is a huge compilation of ideas. Although published in 1995, it may be the most current and quoted popular source on evolution today. If I had a criticism, it would be that the diversity of its chapters is so vast that not all chapters will appeal to everyone. It is divided into three large parts, the last part being devoted to philosophy of evolutionary science. The philosophy section will be the favorite of some, yet others will not see its value. I would recommend picking and choosing your subject matter out of the excellent table of contents, and taking your time with this book. With that in mind, prepare for a thoughtful and philosophical journey, and be ready to abandon your "skyhooks." Darwin's Dangerous Idea when applied liberally, throws acid on beloved traditions, but in the end, it may be just what we need to preserve and explain basic values we cherish. In Dennett's words, "This book, then, is for those who agree that the only meaning of life worth caring about is one that can withstand our best efforts to examine it. Others are advised to close the book now and tiptoe away."

A can-opener for closed minds.

Recently, a poll on the most notable figure of the previous millennium placed Charles Darwin in fourth place. That's three short of the mark. No concept has been as wide-reaching and influential as the idea of evolution through natural selection. And this book should follow right behind. It is clearly the second most important book published. Dennett's approach deals with Darwin's idea in a philosophical and logical framework instead of a biological one. He declares it the 'universal acid'. Indeed, how does one contain the such a revolutionary notion of change over time? It has affected every aspect of the cosmos from astrophysics to quantum theory. Dennett points up better than anyone that if we truly wish to know what we are in the scheme of things, Darwin's idea is the place to start.The point of this book is, of course, that Darwin's concept hasn't been universally accepted. Even those who acknowledge evolution may still contest Darwin's mechanism of natural selection through adaptation. Dennett's analysis of iconoclast Stephen Gould's 'punctuated equilibrium' is delightfully scathing, but precisely on the mark. The role of the heretic is to threaten orthodoxy, whether or not the orthodoxy is false. Gould, after trying for a generation to scupper orthodox Darwinism, is here demonstrated to have failed miserably. His attacks, however, have frightened the orthodox without weakening the structure of natural selection. Dennett's superb critique of "punctuated equilibrium" isn't a call for blind adherence to orthodoxy, but instead demonstrates the strengths of Darwin's analysis and why Gould's iconoclasm is misleading. Gould's response to Dennett's clear review of the reality of Darwinism has been petulant stubbornness rather than sound scholarship. That's a pity. Dennett's prose is delightful. His analysis is direct and pointed in arriving at his conclusions. Taking you step by step through his presentations, it becomes unequivocally clear that his conclusions are iron-clad. Nothing is left hanging - you are brought to each point with a clarity any writer would envy. The book isn't brief, but as Mozart once responded to the criticism that there were 'too many notes' in his opera, what would you take out? Dennett builds his case with confidence, using numerous sources to support his contentions. Coupling a high degree of readability with an equally elevated scholarship is no mean feat, but Dennett achieves it with apparent ease. For contrast, try Michael Ruse's "Understanding Darwin", another philosophical view of the impact of Darwin's idea. If there's a better book somewhere on the impact of the greatest concept in science, please point it out. Dennett's analysis shows how widely Darwin's idea of evolution through natural selection has permeated through all the sciences and society. The resistance to the concept remains high in the United States, the only facet Dennett is unable to add

Excellent philosophical journey

Dennett is on the "strong adaptionist" side of the biological debate that has been going on over the past two decades. He is of course a philosopher of science, not a biologist himself. But, his grasp of the scientific details is firm. Because he is a philosopher, he projects conclusions that scientists normally wouldn't. The "natural selection is a natural algorithm" leaps to mind. There's no way to prove that, but its a wonderful thought experiment, as is his "universal library" analogy at the start of the book. By reading his book, I, as a layperson, came away with a much more coherent perception of what natural selection is and is not than with any book I had read to date. I also came away with a diminished perception of Stephen Jay Gould, whom for the most part I admire as a writer and scientist, but whom I now have some questions concerning motivations behind some of his ideas. Dennett writes forcefully, which turns some people off. He also occasionally goes too far, such as with his "Christian museum" statement. But his writing never fails to educate and delight. The metaphor of natural selection as "universal acid" is dead-on. From scanning the reviews here, I can tell how some people are still trying to bottle the acid with denial and a lot of whining about the misuses of Darwin's dangerous idea. Darwin is not responsible for these, of course, and they have nothing to do with the scientific validity of his theory. As Dennett points out, what's truly dangerous about Darwin's idea is the validity of it to explain much concerning the natural world, and hence its seductiveness, which can easily lead people to wrong conclusions.