Abstract

Darwin's Dangerous Idea is a wide-ranging, exciting read: full of wit, challenging ideas, and forthright argumentation. Daniel Dennett's dangerous idea is that "the idea of evolution by natural selection unifies the realm of life, meaning, and purpose with the realm of space and time, cause and effect, mechanism and physical law". In explicit opposition to those who think it devoid of implications beyond the biological realm, Dennett sees the Darwinian revolution as a "universal acid," working its way relentlessly through every area of life, "transforming the world view of those who know its details". The villains of the tale are those who have not got the message. Surprisingly, they include some of evolution's greatest promoters: much of chapters 8-11 is devoted to demonstrating that Stephen J. Gould does not get Darwin's message.