Evolution

The author surveys evolutionary theory and its philosophical consequences, assessing how scientific accounts of biological change intersect with religious, ethical, and metaphysical questions. He considers claims that evolution leads to pessimism, evaluates idealist responses that maintain moral truths as objective, and argues that moral judgments can be treated as facts analogous to scientific truths. He critiques the philosophical position that the Real is unknowable by noting that scientists implicitly assume the knowability of aspects of reality when conducting evolutionary science. Throughout, he analyzes the relations among fact, value, and belief, and explores how moral conviction, hope, and intellectual integrity persist amid scientific explanations.