The Enchantment of the World: Darwin's Theory of Mind in Nature

Abstract

Dept. of History Event co-sponsored by the Philosophy Department

Max Weber argued that modern science 'disenchanted' the world, 
cleansing it of moral values and spiritual powers.  Darwin's theory 
has been marked by both opponents and proponents as a principal agent 
of disenchantment.  I think this is an utterly mistaken view of 
Darwin's accomplishment.  The theory presented in the Origin of 
Species reckoned natural selection to preserve moral value in nature 
and to set the human animal as the teleological goal of evolution.  I 
believe this occurred for Kantian reasons:  namely the impossibility 
of extracting mind from nature.

As a leader in the history and philosophy of science, Richards 
promises to give an incredibly interesting and well attended talk.