Everybody's Story

Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution

By Loyal Rue
Foreword by Edward O. Wilson

Subjects: Myth, Evolution, Environmental Philosophy, Religion
Series: SUNY series in Philosophy and Biology
Paperback : 9780791443927, 160 pages, December 1999
Hardcover : 9780791443910, 160 pages, December 1999

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Table of contents

Foreword by Edward O. Wilson

Preface

Introduction

Part I: How Things Are

1. The Organization of Matter

2. The Organization of Life

3. The Organization of Consciousness

Part II: Which Things Matter

4. What Matters Ultimately?

5. What Matters Proximately?

Epilogue

Bibliographical Notes

Index

This exhilarating tale of natural history illuminates the evolution of matter, life, and consciousness. In Everybody’s Story, Loyal Rue finds the means for global solidarity and cooperation in the shared story of humanity.

Description

In a compelling read for anyone interested in where we came from and where we're going, Everybody's Story offers an exhilarating tour of natural history that illuminates the evolution of matter, life, and consciousness. As old myths, religious stories, and other shared narratives of humankind are increasingly viewed as intellectually implausible and morally irrelevant, they become less likely to fulfill their original purpose—to give people answers and provide a sense of stability and peace in daily life. Loyal Rue restores that imbalance with a new story based on fact. Rue, author of a New York Times Notable Book of 1994, By the Grace of Guile: The Role of Deception in Natural History in Human Affairs, now provides an evolutionary tour recounting our shared "epic of evolution. "

Loyal Rue is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Luther College. He is the author of Amythia: Crisis in the Natural History of Western Culture and Contemporary Classics in Philosophy of Religion.

Reviews

"…a concise and provocative work. " — Religious Studies Review

"Rue is one of the most exciting thinkers today … Everybody's Story is stimulating, infuriating, and a lot of fun to read. " — Michael Ruse, author of Taking Darwin Seriously: A Naturalistic Approach to Philosophy

"…a narrative account that includes every race, every species, every star, everybody. Appearing in our time is a story that can lead us out of the insane asylum of the twentieth century and into an ecological wisdom for a new millennium. " — Brian Swimme, author of The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos: Humanity and the New Story

"This book is excellent, stimulating, and sure to be important … it should become a classic. " — H. M. Fried, Brown University