Evolution theory led to great advances in the understanding of human behaviour and has had considerable impact on the study of religion. This essay will first show its importance in new-atheist discourses to reshape religion as handling ontological claims about the world, which can then be investigated and dismissed on the basis of scientific evidence. Then it will discuss how evolution theory has also been used to explain the emergence of the religious phenomenon and its diffusion, as an adaptive trait favouring cooperation or as a parasite detrimental to human kind. The essay will finally discuss cognitive approaches to religion by assessing various hypotheses on how the human mind shaped religious beliefs.
Contrary to common misconception, Darwin’s theory of evolution was not initially perceived as a threat to religion and had minor influence on the growth of atheism in the nineteenth century. Many Christians were able to come to some accommodation with his theory, considering it compatible with their belief in God, insofar as the process of natural selection was not to be applied to humans (Wolffe, 2013, p. 17). Prominent atheists at this time were not relying on the theory of evolution to challenge religious dogmas. For instance, Charles Bradlaugh (1833-1891), head of the National Secular Society, pointed out in his speeches the very fact of the existence of evil, stating that ‘either God wanted to prevent such evil and couldn’t, or else He deliberately planned it’, which was contradicting the idea of an omnipotent benevolent God (Davies, 1969, p. 126). His objections were on the ethical level, with no reference to Darwin’s theories.
The situation significantly changed in the course of time with the emergence of a ‘new atheis...
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...ects. On the other hand, evolution theory also served to explain the emergence of the religious phenomenon and its diffusion: natural selection might have favoured it as an adaptive trait, giving a survival advantage to the group by promoting cooperation, but religion can also be considered as a kind of parasite, detrimental to humankind but able to replicate down the generations. Moreover, cognitive approaches have led to various hypotheses to explain the origins of religion: a parasitic consequence of over-detection by modules of the mind (Boyer), universal features of human memory (Whitehouse) or rather a development system in relation with its environment (Ingold). By offering keys to understand the constitution of social systems, evolution theory is a strong framework to approach the religious phenomenon, even if its complexity will continue to stir controversy.
Religion has been a controversial topic among philosophers and in this paper I am focusing
The influence of religion on humankind can be traced back to the first records of
Boyer, Pascal. Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2001.
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life," usually shortened to "the Origin of Species," is the full title of Charles Darwin's book, first published in 1859, in which Darwin formalized what we know today as the Theory of Evolution. Although Darwin is the most famous exponent of this theory, he was by no means the first person to suspect the workings of evolution. In fact, Charles owed a considerable debt to his grandfather Erasmus, a leading scientist and intellectual, who published a paper in 1794, calledZoonomia, or, The Laws of Organic Life. This set down many of the ideas that his grandson elaborated on 70 years later.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
Fundamentalists and modernists went through confrontations over the new philosophies of Professor Bryan and the allegations they had Darwin’s theory. His quarrels condemned Darwin’s hypothesis for lacking credible evidence and challenged the idea of evolution. (Larson 2012) The ideas brought for by modernists angered fundamentalists which viewed them as sacrilege to the Christian faith. Fundamentalists Organizations were formed in order to combat these ideals and provided education and a means to band together in order to oppose them. These fundamentalists decided to ban together and oppose the modernists with an anti-evolution movement in order to preserve traditional convictions and resists the notions of teaching the theory of evolution in an academic setting. (Larson 2012) More importantly through this conflict between modernists and fundamentalists Darwin’s theory was portrayed as an evil entity were the strong prey on the weak and comparted its notions to the devastations caused by World War I. Nobody could understand how Christian nations could systematically kill so many people and create so much destruction upon each other for the sake of power. (Larson
Edward Burnett Tylor, who believed that religion will eventually die with science, did not consider the aspect of the power of religious pluralism. People can become more powerful as they are able to open their mind to religious pluralism, so shouldn’t the ultimate evolutionary stage of humans be ultimate religious openness instead of solely science? Although the courseware touches base on the causes of religious wars, it does not develop the reasons behind the violence or the essence of the human condition. The movie Gandhi revealed how religions must be interpreted in order for them to be effective for the entire human race, and not just those who deem themselves
In Charles Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ the theory of evolution argues that the appearance of design in creatures are favourable chance mutations that have developed over time. Species have adapted to their habitats over a period, possessing many unfavourable traits that have slowly diminished over time due to not being able to survive in that particular environment (Darwin 1906: 97). Darwin’s theory has posed multiple problems for the Christian doctrine of creation, from the effect it has had on the concept of intelligent design to undermining the idea that humankind was made in the image of God. Nevertheless there are a handful of theistic counter-arguments to contest the theory of evolution but many lack legitimacy and evidence as it has
In this essay, I will be arguing about humanity’s spiritual evolution. For humanity to evolve spiritually, it must go from an inferior state to a superior state. First, I will defend my conclusion by stating my reasons to support my conclusion. I will defend them and expand as well as explain what I mean. Before going in depth of my claims, I will first clarify critical terminology such as “moral evil” and “natural evil”. Finally, I will touch on some oppositions regarding any of my claims.
Theistic evolution is the principle that religious teachings about God corresponds to the scientific concepts of biological evolution of modern times . This evolution is not a scientific theory , but only a line between science and religious beliefs ( Scott , 2004) . This is contrary to the ...
Charles Darwin has had the greatest influence on the world by proving the evolution of living things. Charles Darwin had first noticed the similarities of plants and animals when he took a five-year cruise on the H.M.S. Beagle, which was available to him through a friend from school. During the cruise Charles Darwin started becoming interested with the similarities between the plants and animals that were similar on different islands with similar climates, so he decided to study them more closely.
Throughout the ancient world, religions and ideologies have developed into forms and practices that influence the very essence of civilizations. Religions could pose as a form of foundation for the beliefs, ideas, social organizations, and economic structures of a certain group of people. They provided a means of justification and form of unity between people and they helped establish and infuse new ideas into a culture. Religions were used as source to explain the misconcepted beliefs in nature and science as well as natural phenomina and it was also used to provide a source of motivation, control, and stability in a civilization.
Religion plays an enormous role in the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over it, lives have been surrounded by it, and it has directly or indirectly shaped the lives of many individuals. Culture and religion play a large role in developing each other. People’s religion is decided by their culture. The prominence or the lack of religion will develop someone’s religious identity have play a core role in determining what that person believes.
When first looking at the relationship between philosophy and religion, I found it easier to explain the differences rather than the similarities. I began this paper the same way I do others. This generally involves a profound amount of research on the topic at hand. However, in contrast to the other papers I have done, the definitions of philosophy and religion only raised more questions for me. It was fascinating how the explanations differed dramatically from author to author.
In Chapter 28 of DeWitt’s book, Worldviews: An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science, DeWitt builds on his previous discussion of what the theory of evolution is and the historical developments that were discovered during that time, by introducing the implications that arise with the theory. The two main implications that are discussed in this chapter are implications due to religious beliefs and morality and ethics. However, these two particular implications are not the only ones that arise with the theory of evolution, in fact there are a lot of implications involved with this theory.