Jerry Fodor is a professor of philosophy and cognitive science
at Rutgers University.
Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini started his academic career as a
biophysicist and molecular biologist and is now a professor of
cognitive science at the University of Arizona.
Praise for "What Darwin Got Wrong
""[The] work acts as an important warning to those of us who think
we understand natural selection." --Oliver Burkeman, " The
Guardian
"""What Darwin Got W"rong is a trenchant, entertaining assault on
the very basis of contemporary evolutionary theory." --Kenan Malik,
" Literary Review
""[Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini] make a persuasive case that the
role of natural selection in evolution is ripe for reassessment. To
say so should not be seen as scientific heresy or capitulation to
the forces of unreason--it is a brave and welcome challenge."
--Philip Ball, "The Sunday Times" (London)
"[A] powerful little book . . . This book is, of course, fighting
stuff, sure to be contested by those at whom it is aimed. On the
face of things, however, it strikes an outsider as an overdue and
valuable onslaught on neo-Darwinist simplicities." --Mary Midgley,
"The Guardian"
"Philosopher Fodor and cognitive scientist Piattelli-Palmarini
challenge Darwinism more effectively than the entire
creationist/intelligent-design movement has . . . Many may find
this the hardest, absolutely essential reading they've ever done."
--Ray Olson, "Booklist
""A challenging, intriguing argument that poses important
scientific and philosophical questions about evolution . . . Fodor
and Piattelli-Palmarini take a brave stance that will likely draw
reaction . . . from across the scientific and theological spectrum.
A dense, scholarly, engaging testament to modern scientific
thinking and its ability to adapt and evolve." --"Kirkus
Reviews
""From the shocking title onward, Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini
have set the cat among Darwin's pigeons. In arguing why the
operation of natural selection says nothing about the causal
mechanisms underlying the evolution of coextensive traits in an
organism, they take us to the conceptual fault line at the heart of
Darwin's theory. My prediction is that Fodor and
Piattelli-Palmarini's book will raise hackles galore wherever the
theory of natural selection is all too glibly misused, not only in
studies of the ontogeny and phylogeny of biology, but also in those
great overlapping disciplines of philosophy, psychology,
linguistics, and behavior--in short, human nature. This book will
set the agenda for years to come. It cannot be ignored if the study
of evolution is to be honest with itself." --Gabriel Dover,
Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, Universities of Leicester and
Cambridge, and author of "Dear Mr. Darwin: Letters on the Evolution
of Life and Human Nature
""Evolution needs a persuasive theory if the struggle for public
acceptance is to be won. Jerry Fodor and Massimo
Piattelli-Palmarini's bold treatise, "What Darwin Got Wrong,"
convincingly shows that natural selection is not that theory.
Drawing on scientific literature spanning the molecular,
behavioral, and cognitive scales, with sophisticated excursions
into evolutionary-developmental biology and the physics of complex
systems, the authors perform a philosophical dismantling of the
standard model of evolutionary change that is likely irreversible.
Their unambiguous grounding in the factuality of evolution renders
this work a service to science and a setback for its opponents."
--Stuart Newman, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York
Medical College
"In this provocative, enlightening, and very entertaining book,
Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini argue that natural selection (NS)
"cannot" explain how evolution occurs. The argument is largely
conceptual and proceeds in two steps: (1) that theories of NS are
conceptually parallel to Skinnerian theories of learning and so
share most of the same debilitating problems, and (2) that NS is
actually in "worse" conceptual shape when its central explanatory
notion, 'selecting for, ' is properly unpacked. This argument will
annoy a lot of important people, both for its conclusion and for
the evident delight the authors display in getting to it. The
ensuing fireworks should be delightful, and (possibly)
enlightening." --Norbert Hornstein, Professor of Linguistics,
University of Maryland
"This highly informative and carefully argued study develops two
central theses. First, there are alternatives to classical
neo-Darwinian adaptationist theories that are plausible, and very
possibly capture principles that are the rule rather than the
exception even if the basic adaptationist account is accepted.
Second, that account cannot be accepted. The two theses are
sufficiently independent so that they can be evaluated separately.
Whatever the outcome of intellectual engagement with this
stimulating work, it is sure to be a most rewarding experience."
--Noam Chomsky
Praise for "What Darwin Got Wrong
"“[The] work acts as an important warning to those of us who think
we understand natural selection.” —Oliver Burkeman, " The
Guardian
"“"What Darwin Got W"rong is a trenchant, entertaining assault on
the very basis of contemporary evolutionary theory.” —Kenan Malik,
" Literary Review
"“[Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini] make a persuasive case that the
role of natural selection in evolution is ripe for reassessment. To
say so should not be seen as scientific heresy or capitulation to
the forces of unreason—it is a brave and welcome challenge.”
—Philip Ball, "The Sunday Times" (London)
“[A] powerful little book . . . This book is, of course, fighting
stuff, sure to be contested by those at whom it is aimed. On the
face of things, however, it strikes an outsider as an overdue and
valuable onslaught on neo-Darwinist simplicities.” —Mary Midgley,
"The Guardian"
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