2007 Fredericton Encaenia - Ceremony B
Ruse, Michael
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)
Orator: Mason, Gordon
Citation:
ENCAENIA, CEREMONY B, 17 MAY 2007
MICHAEL RUSE
to be Doctor of Letters
Dr. Michael Ruse has gained recognition as the internationally pre-eminent scholar of Darwinian evolution, and is considered to be one of the founders of modern Philosophy of Biology.
Dr. Ruse was born in Birmingham, England and obtained both a B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Bristol. He emigrated to Canada and after a distinguished career of 35 years at the University of Guelph he accepted his present position of Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University.
Dr. Ruse’s scholarship has focused upon Charles Darwin, his theory of natural selection, and the consequences of that theory for contemporary science, religion and ethics. Moreover he has been a leader in explaining these ideas to the general public. Comparable in status to well-known scientific figures like Edward Wilson and Stephen Jay Gould, Dr. Ruse has, like them, effortlessly bridged the gap between scholarly specialist and public intellectual. His writings and lectures show that academic history and philosophy have much to offer to the larger world outside academia.
And speaking of breaking down barriers, Dr. Ruse has shown through his work how a frequent cultural divide in universities, between the natural sciences and the humanities, can be bridged. His career has been a standing reproach to those who believe that disciplinary compartmentalization is inevitable in academic life. His work has led him into some of the most heated controversies of modern public life and into cheerful violation of a half-dozen disciplinary divides. He moves regularly between natural sciences and humanities, between evolutionary biology and moral philosophy, between science and faith. In the latter category for example in his book, published in 2001 this area led to him being called as a witness for plaintiff in the 1981 test case of a state law permitting the teaching of "creation science" in the Arkansas school system. The federal judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
He is a prolific author whose resume lists over 60 scholarly articles and 16 books, many published by the highly respected university presses of Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard. Although the majority of his writing is on evolution, his books cover a wide range of philosophical and ethical issues including cloning, genetically modified foods and stem cell research. Several have been translated into other languages, such as Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian, and many have appeared in second editions. Perhaps some of this success can be attributed to his style as well as the substance. Reviewers have commented on his "writing of clarity and grace", and refer to his bravado and his "spirited" expositions. He is known to use shocking humor to penetrate to the root of a question. Readers of the Globe and Mail had a taste of his work in a book review he wrote just three weeks ago which began, "This book is one third interestingly informative, one third intensely irritating and one third incandescently infuriating."
Further evidence of his style comes from those who attended his presentation on a preview visit to this campus in 1998. It is reported that by virtue of his dazzling virtuosity, irrepressible charm and love of debate he held a packed audience of professors and students in the palm of his hand for two hours of discussion of evolution and ethics.
In addition to his writing, Dr. Ruse has served as foundling editor of the journal "Philosophy and Biology" and is currently editor of the Philosophy and Biology Series for Cambridge University Press. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received both the Guggenheim and Killam Fellowships. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Bergen in Norway and McMaster University. He has lectured widely, in Scotland, New Zealand, England and the U.S.
A part from his extensive academic accomplishments, I am told Dr. Ruse is a serious bibliophile, and a lover of Bach and opera. His involvement in drama appears to have started and ended with a school production in which he shared the stage which his classmate, who was to become the celebrated Dame Judi Dench. As he tells the story, she was luminous, he was eminently forgettable.
It is our pleasure today to recognize Dr. Ruse for his long career in exceptional work, in an area of study which affects us all, by awarding him an honorary Doctor of Letters.
From: Honoris Causa, UA Case 70, Box 4
MICHAEL RUSE
to be Doctor of Letters
Dr. Michael Ruse has gained recognition as the internationally pre-eminent scholar of Darwinian evolution, and is considered to be one of the founders of modern Philosophy of Biology.
Dr. Ruse was born in Birmingham, England and obtained both a B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Bristol. He emigrated to Canada and after a distinguished career of 35 years at the University of Guelph he accepted his present position of Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University.
Dr. Ruse’s scholarship has focused upon Charles Darwin, his theory of natural selection, and the consequences of that theory for contemporary science, religion and ethics. Moreover he has been a leader in explaining these ideas to the general public. Comparable in status to well-known scientific figures like Edward Wilson and Stephen Jay Gould, Dr. Ruse has, like them, effortlessly bridged the gap between scholarly specialist and public intellectual. His writings and lectures show that academic history and philosophy have much to offer to the larger world outside academia.
And speaking of breaking down barriers, Dr. Ruse has shown through his work how a frequent cultural divide in universities, between the natural sciences and the humanities, can be bridged. His career has been a standing reproach to those who believe that disciplinary compartmentalization is inevitable in academic life. His work has led him into some of the most heated controversies of modern public life and into cheerful violation of a half-dozen disciplinary divides. He moves regularly between natural sciences and humanities, between evolutionary biology and moral philosophy, between science and faith. In the latter category for example in his book, published in 2001 this area led to him being called as a witness for plaintiff in the 1981 test case of a state law permitting the teaching of "creation science" in the Arkansas school system. The federal judge ruled that the law was unconstitutional.
He is a prolific author whose resume lists over 60 scholarly articles and 16 books, many published by the highly respected university presses of Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard. Although the majority of his writing is on evolution, his books cover a wide range of philosophical and ethical issues including cloning, genetically modified foods and stem cell research. Several have been translated into other languages, such as Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian, and many have appeared in second editions. Perhaps some of this success can be attributed to his style as well as the substance. Reviewers have commented on his "writing of clarity and grace", and refer to his bravado and his "spirited" expositions. He is known to use shocking humor to penetrate to the root of a question. Readers of the Globe and Mail had a taste of his work in a book review he wrote just three weeks ago which began, "This book is one third interestingly informative, one third intensely irritating and one third incandescently infuriating."
Further evidence of his style comes from those who attended his presentation on a preview visit to this campus in 1998. It is reported that by virtue of his dazzling virtuosity, irrepressible charm and love of debate he held a packed audience of professors and students in the palm of his hand for two hours of discussion of evolution and ethics.
In addition to his writing, Dr. Ruse has served as foundling editor of the journal "Philosophy and Biology" and is currently editor of the Philosophy and Biology Series for Cambridge University Press. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received both the Guggenheim and Killam Fellowships. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Bergen in Norway and McMaster University. He has lectured widely, in Scotland, New Zealand, England and the U.S.
A part from his extensive academic accomplishments, I am told Dr. Ruse is a serious bibliophile, and a lover of Bach and opera. His involvement in drama appears to have started and ended with a school production in which he shared the stage which his classmate, who was to become the celebrated Dame Judi Dench. As he tells the story, she was luminous, he was eminently forgettable.
It is our pleasure today to recognize Dr. Ruse for his long career in exceptional work, in an area of study which affects us all, by awarding him an honorary Doctor of Letters.
From: Honoris Causa, UA Case 70, Box 4
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