caa a22 4500 605497435 CHVBK 20210128100541.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20151201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10441-015-9261-0 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10441-015-9261-0 Martin August Institute for Philosophy, Leiden University, Reuvensplaats 1.06, Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ, Leiden, The Netherlands aut Kostas Kampourakis: Understanding Evolution [Elektronische Daten] Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2014, 253 pp, ISBN: 978-1-107-61020-0 [August Martin] Evolutionary theory is one of the most widely misunderstood and consistently rejected concepts in the whole of science. In Understanding Evolution, Kostas Kampourakis investigates the psychological dimensions of this popular discontent with evolutionary theory. At the heart of this persisting public disenchantment with the theory lies the thoroughly counterintuitive, even alien, nature of biological evolution. Historically, people have rejected evolution on religious, ethical, and existential grounds, but there is a psychological component to our aversion to evolution. It simply does not resonate with human expectations about how the world should work. Kampourakis does an excellent job presenting evolutionary theory and summarizing the evidence for it. Ultimately, he argues that in spite of powerful emotional and instinctual forces arrayed against it, we have much to gain by allowing the evolutionary picture to enrich our understanding of the world. If we allow the full drama of the history of life on Earth to present itself to us, we can place ourselves within that drama and find ways to relate it meaningfully to our lives without psychological barriers mounted by disdain and discomfort. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2015 Evolution nationallicence Evolutionary theory nationallicence Scientific theories nationallicence Implications of evolution nationallicence Science and society nationallicence Ethics nationallicence Meaning nationallicence Public understanding of science nationallicence Acta Biotheoretica Springer Netherlands 63/4(2015-12-01), 407-411 0001-5342 63:4<407 2015 63 10441 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-015-9261-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 book-reviews jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-015-9261-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Martin August Institute for Philosophy, Leiden University, Reuvensplaats 1.06, Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ, Leiden, The Netherlands aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Acta Biotheoretica Springer Netherlands 63/4(2015-12-01), 407-411 0001-5342 63:4<407 2015 63 10441