The Philosophy of Evolution: Together With a Preliminary Essay on The Metaphysical Basis of Science

Description

In The Philosophy of Evolution, Stephen H. Carpenter offers a rigorous examination of the metaphysical foundations of evolutionary theory. Rather than rehashing tired debates, Carpenter engages with the actual philosophical questions that science raises — about causality, emergence, and the relationship between naturalism and teleology — in a way that is both intellectually honest and accessible to serious thinkers.\n\nHe argues that modern evolutionary biology rests on metaphysical assumptions that are rarely articulated but deeply consequential. By exposing these assumptions, Carpenter clarifies what science can and cannot claim about the origins of life and the nature of biological organization. This is not just a philosophy of science; it is a defense of the intellectual integrity of the scientific method itself.