Science philosopher Michael Ruse says the conflict between creationism and evolution is not a theological debate, but a cultural debate akin to abortion, gay marriage and capital punishment. “Evolution represents one side, rather than the other,” he says.

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Michael Ruse, philosopher of science, recounts the history of Darwinism by explaining the theories of evolution and natural selection.

Ruse questions whether these theories are as valid today, 200 years after Darwin’s birthday. 

Michael Ruse is a philosopher of science, working on the philosophy of biology, and is well known for his work on the argument between creationism and evolutionary biology. He was born in England, took his undergraduate degree at the University of Bristol (1962), his master’s degree at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (1964), and Ph.D. at the University of Bristol (1970). Ruse taught at the University of Guelph Canada for 35 years. Since his retirement from Guelph, he has taught at Florida State University and is, since 2000, the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy. In 1986, he was elected as a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Bergen, Norway (1990), the McMaster University, Ontario, Canada (2003) and most recently the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (2007).