Evolution and the Big Questions Sex, Race, Religion, and Other Matters

This provocative text considers whether evolutionary explanations can be used to clarify some of life's biggest questions. Examines topics of race, sex, gender, the nature of language, religion, ethics, knowledge, consciousness and ultimately, the meaning of life. Each chapter presents a main topic, together with discussion of related ideas and arguments from various perspectives. Addresses questions such as: Did evolution make men and women fundamentally different? Is the concept of race merely a social construction? Is morality, including universal human rights, a mass delusion? Can religion and evolution really be harmonized? Does evolution render life meaningless? Written in a clear and informative style, with helpful references for further reading and research.

David N. Stamos teaches philosophy at York University, Toronto. Author of The Species Problem (2003) and Darwin and the Nature of Species (2007), Stamos is well published in a wide variety of academic journals.