Darwinism and the Divine: Evolutionary Thought and Natural Theology

There remains a widespread perception that Charles Darwin′s theory of natural selection marked the demise of any viable Christian natural theology – most notably, that of William Paley. But did Darwinism really shake such fundamental beliefs to the core? Or did Darwin′s "dangerous idea" instead serve to transform and illuminate our views on the relation between the natural world and the divine? Darwinism and the Divine presents a detailed examination of the implications of evolutionary thought for natural theology, from the publication of On the Origin of Species more than a century–and–a–half ago through to the present day. Integrating and extending the latest scholarly research from across a wide variety of disciplines, world–renowned theologian Alister E. McGrath first explores the forms of natural theology that emerged in England from the late 17th century until 1850, showing us how these views were affected by the advent of Darwin′s theories. McGrath offers the most detailed account of the intellectual background to William Paley′s natural theology currently available, and offers an informed assessment of the impact of Darwin on such approaches. He then considers how Christian belief has adapted to Darwinism, and whether there is a place for design both in the world of science and the world of theology. Journeying well beyond On the Origin of the Species , Darwinism and the Divine offers a scholarly and thought–provoking consideration of the co–existence of natural theology with Darwinism in today′s world.

List of Figures x Preface xii Acknowledgments xv Introduction 1 Part I Conceptual Clarifications: On the meaning of terms 9 1 Natural Theology: A Deeper Structure to the Natural World 11 Natural Theology in the Classical Tradition 13 The Conceptual Fluidity of Natural Theology 15 The Eternal Return of Natural Theology 18 2 Darwinism: A Narrative of Evolution 27 Darwinism: A Defensible Term? 28 Darwinism as an Ideology 32 The Metaphysical Inflation of Evolutionary Thought 36 Conclusion to Part I 40 Part II Historical Exposition: Darwin and the English natural theology tradition 47 3 English Natural Theology of the Augustan Age, 1690–1745 49 The Emergence of English Natural Theology 50 Newtonian Physics and Natural Theology 53 The Protestant Assumptions of English Natural Theology 56 A Foundation for Consensus: The Doctrine of Creation 61 Physico–theology: The Appeal to Contrivance 63 Natural Theology and the Beauty of Nature 72 The Problem of Development within Nature 74 Assessing Evidence: Changing Public Perceptions 75 4 A Popular Classic: William Paley’s Natural Theology (1802) 85 Introducing Paley′s Natural Theology 85 Paley′s Source: Bernard Nieuwentyt′s Religious Philosopher (1718) 88 The Watch Analogy: The Concept of Contrivance 91 Paley on Intermediary Causes within Nature 97 The Vulnerability of Paley′s Approach 99 5 Beyond Paley: Shifts in English Natural Theology, 1802–52 108 The Impact of Geology upon Paley′s Natural Theology 110 Henry Brougham: A Natural Theology of the Mind 112 Evidence, Testimony, and Proof: A Shifting Context 115 A New Approach: The Bridgewater Treatises 119 John Henry Newman: The Theological Deficiencies of Paley 127 Robert Browning’s "Caliban Upon Setebos": A Literary Critique of Paley 130 English Natural Theology on the Eve of the Darwinian Revolution 133 6 Charles Darwin, Natural Selection, and Natural Theology 143 The Development of Darwin′s Views on Natural Selection 146 Problems, Prediction, and Proof: The Challenge of Natural Selection 150 Natural Selection and Natural Theology: An Assessment of Darwin’s Impact 155 Conclusion to Part II 171 Part III Contemporary Discussion: Darwinism and natural theology 183 7 A Wider Teleology: Design, Evolution, and Natural Theology 185 Directionality within the Natural World 187 Teleology: Introducing an Idea 188 Chance, Contingency, and Evolutionary Goals 191 The “Wider Teleology” of Evolution 194 The Inference of Design and Natural Theology 197 Suffering, Evolution, and Natural Theology 202 8 The Concept of Creation: Reflections and Reconsiderations 217 The Seventeenth Century: The Regnant Theology of Creation 218 Creation as Event and Process: Augustine of Hippo 222 Evolution and an Emergent Creation 230 God′s Action within the Evolutionary Process 233 9 Universal Darwinism: Natural Theology as an Evolutionary Outcome? 247 The Darwinian Paradigm and Cultural Development 249 The God–Meme: Natural Theology and Cultural Replicators 254 Religion: Evolutionary Adaptation or Spandrel? 262 Natural Theology and Evolutionary Theories of the Origins of Religion 265 Conclusion to Part III 267 Part IV Conclusion 277 10 The Prospects for Natural Theology 279 Natural Theology and the Human Evolutionary Past 281 Natural Theology, Observational Traction, and the Best Explanation 283 A Community of Discernment: The Church and Natural Theology 285 In Quest of Meaning 288 Index 294

Alister E. McGrath is Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion & Culture, and Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King′s College, London. A world–acclaimed theologian, he is the author of numerous books including Christian Theology, 5 th edition (2011), The Christian Theology Reader, 4th edition (2011), Science and Religion, 2nd edition (2010), Theology: The Basics, 2nd edition (2007), and Dawkins′ God: Genes, Memes and the Meaning of Life (2004).

“The writing in Darwinism and the Divine is clear, elegant, and well informed throughout, is distinguished by a balanced and nonpolemical style, and is a pleasure to read. Every chapter in this rich volume includes extensive endnotes guiding the reader to further study." ( Journal of the American Academy of Religion , 16 January 2014) “These criticisms notwithstanding, McGrath’s Darwinism and the Divineis a well–written, lucid work that will occupy a prominent place as an apologetic for Christian theism in its dialogue with the larger scientific community.”  ( International Journal of Public Theology , 1 May 2013 ) “Furthermore, this work is a rare pleasure to read for its clarity and remarkable level of scholarship across multiple disciplines.  Consequently, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone interested in how the debates over Darwinism relate to the ongoing and evolving goals and methods of natural theology.”  ( The Way , 1 October 2012) “These features, together with the author’s accessible writing style, mean that this book can not only be read cover–to–cover in a straightforward and engaging way, but can also be used as a text book to enable more detailed study of the various aspects of this important and relevant subject.”  ( Evangelical Quarterly , 4 October 2012)  “Whether these arguments are effective is a matter for more philosophic minds, but if this book brings new ideas into a science–religion conversation that often consists of repetition of the same essential themes, then all scholars of science–religion are beneficiaries.”  ( Journal of the History of Biology , 2011) "But I think that the chief merit of both of these books lies in their parallel analyses of natural theology, specifically the significance of scientific knowledge for resolving theological issues." (The Quarterly Review of Biology, 1 December 2011) "McGrath (King′s College London) offers an excellent examination of Darwin′s theory of evolution vs. Creationism/intelligent design within the context of natural theology. . . The writing is clear and readable with a wealth of documentation. Recommended. Upper–level undergraduates and above; interested general readers." (Choice, 1 October 2011) "While readers familiar with the subject will find few new ideas in these sections, the material is presented in McGrath′s usual readable style and so will be helpful in providing an introduction to the reader new to the subject and in providing a helpfully focused summary for the person who has already begun to explore these ideas. " (Methodist Recorder, 22 September 2011) "But if one had to choose between them, I would recommend the book under review. It presents a synthesis of much of his thinking, supported by richly informative documentation that, in range and volume, is little short of astonishing." (Science & Education, 2011) "The prolific theologian argues that Darwin′s own faith and worldview allowed for complexities and intricacies in the intersection of faith and science." (Publishers Weekly, 8 March 2011)