This collection of essays is eclectic, covering certain political, ethical, cultural and philosophical topics. But running through all the material is the evolutionary-naturalistic perspective stated in the opening essay, which gives the book its title. Another emphatic feature is a focus on the Western cultural outlook, as the context in which the large number of topics is viewed. This focus is important as a way of re-affirming the distinctive character of Western intellectual and cultural history, at a time when that character is, arguably, not sufficiently recognised and appreciated....

This book is a collection of essays on a spectrum of political, economic and social issues, plus ones which are philosophical and cultural. However, despite such variety, there is a good deal of inter-echoing between individual pieces. Emphasis has been given to a number of writers of the 19th and 20th centuries: those who, in the author's view, have done an enormous amount to set the intellectual agenda for Western culture in the 21st century. This is Tom Rubens's eighth published book on philosophy. He has also published fiction and poetry. He has spent most of his working life as a teacher...