Charles Darwin is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the history of western thought. However, most people are not actually familiar with his work. And while controversies abound concerning the implications of his theory of evolution, few are actually able to say just what that theory is or why those implications necessarily follow. The aim of this course is both to gain familiarity with Darwin’s actual texts and to develop an understanding of the significance of his theory of natural selection with respect to our traditional ways of describing the thoughts and actions of our own species. In particular, we will focus on the effects of adopting a Darwinian perspective on such perennial philosophical topics as ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.