Re: [asa] Quoting Evolution [was Darwin] out of context

>
> Several questions arise about the limitations of evolutionary thought.
> May it be that the concept of 'evolution' can be taken out of context,
> misquoted so to speak? Is this a possibility that can be further explored at
> ASA or should it be swept under the carpet due to fears about
> anti-evolutionism? I ask this because it seems to me that not only those
> like Dennett and Dawkins abuse the term 'evolution' and over-stretch its
> uses, but also those theists, even Christians, who tie together or integrate
> their views of science with their theology to such a degree that evolution
> has become one of the most important theological concepts in their
> vocabulary (e.g. de Chardin). Could it be, for example, that process
> theology is so intimately intertwined with evolutionary thinking that to
> remove evolutionary thinking would result in a catastrophe for process
> theology?
>
>

It's certainly necessary to specify what one means by evolution. There's
the basic issue of making clear what one is talking about. On top of that
is the antievolutionary use of the word (or related terms such as
macroevolution, Darwinism, etc) as a perjorative. Conversely, there is the
invocation of evolution in the quest for adding an aura of scientific
authority to philosophical views. For example, assumptions about
progressive social evolution are widespread and typically invoke biological
evolution for justification when in fact it provides no support for those
views. Examples include Marxism, claiming that a particular theological
view found in a passage could not have arisen prior to X time and so the
passage has to be dated later than that, ideas that society is progressing,
etc. Of course, one can find support for some aspects of claims of these
sorts on the basis of historical evidence, definition of moral values, etc.,
but others are imposed in disregard of the evidence.

Process theology, as far as I can tell, posits continual change in both God
and creation and in that sense is inherently evolutionary, in contrast to,
e.g., the cyclic picture with a static ideal seen in Hinduism or Buddhism.
However, this need not have anything to do with biological evolution.
Although traditional Christian theology sees God as unchanging, there is a
progressive revalation and a sense of direction to history which is more of
an evolutionary pattern than the Hindu view. Again, there is some parallel
to biological evolution, but the relationship is not necessarily any more
profound than that between Trinitarianism and the use of (inadequate)
scientific metaphors such as water, steam, and ice.

> --
> Dr. David Campbell
> 425 Scientific Collections
> University of Alabama
> "I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
>

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Received on Mon Aug 21 16:37:45 2006