Agents Under Fire

Foreword
Michael Ruse
Preface

Skyhooks And Cranes: The Challenge Of Reductionism

Strong Agent Reductionism: Materialism And The Rationality Of Science

Weak Agent Reductionism: Science And The Rationality Of Materialism

Bait And Switch: Indirectness And Biological Unity

The Alchemy Of The Mind: Indirectness And Psychological Unity

Beyond Skinnerian Creatures: A Defense Of The Lewis-Plantinga Argument Against Evolutionary Naturalism

Intentionality, Information And Displacement: The Legitimacy Of Design

Science And Christianity: Dogmatism And Dialogue

Index

About The Author

Additional Info
In the first study of its kind, Agents Under Fire defends a robust notion of agency and intentionality against eliminative and naturalistic alternatives, showing the interconnections between the philosophy of mind, theology, and Intelligent Design. Menuge argues that Behe’s irreducible complexity is a challenge to reductionism not only in biology, but also in psychology, and shows the inability of the Darwinian psychology proposed by Dawkins, Dennett, and Steven Pinker to explain the integration, unity, direction, and reliability of rational thought.

This fascinating defense against scientific materialism is the only book-length study relating Intelligent Design to contemporary issues in the philosophy of mind. Drawing on his experience as both a philosopher and a computer scientist, Menuge deftly shows the reader that the materialist’s attempts to rid science of all commitment to teleology can only result in incoherence, and presents instead his own unique argument for the legitimacy of Intelligent Design.