Thomas Nagel: Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False

Thomas Nagel

Mind and Cosmos: 

Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False

Oxford University Press, 2012

Review by John Woodmorappe

     This short book is not an easy read. To comprehend fully, the reader must have a good background in the language and concepts of philosophy, and well as that of philosophers such as Descartes and Wittgenstein. The author is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He shows a deep knowledge of evolutionary concepts, and those who disagree with him cannot reject his contentions based on his lack of sufficient understanding of the subject. 

     Nagel is no ‘religious apologist’. He openly identifies himself as an atheist (p. 95), and states that his skepticism of certain aspects of evolutionistic thinking is not driven either by religious considerations or by preference of any definite alternative (p. 7). He appreciates theism insofar as it raises questions about the legitimacy of certain evolutionary premises, while rejecting theism as having no more credibility than materialism as a comprehensive worldview (p. 22). He also praises Intelligent Design (ID) thinkers, by name, such as Michael Behe, Steven Meyer, and David Berlinski, because, regardless of any other beliefs they may or may not have, they have raised valid and important questions about such things as the origin of life (p. 10).

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