Purpose in the Living World?
Purpose in the Living World?
Are evolution and creation irreconcilably opposed? Is 'intelligent design' theory an unhappy compromise? Is there another way of approaching the present-day divide between religious and so-called secular views of the origins of life? Jacob Klapwijk offers a philosophical analysis of the relation of evolutionary biology to religion, and addresses the question of whether the evolution of life is exclusively a matter of chance or is better understood as including the notion of purpose. Writing from a Christian (Augustinian) point of view, he criticizes creationism and intelligent design theory as well as opposing reductive naturalism. He offers an alternative to both and an attempt to bridge the gap between them, via the idea of 'emergent evolution'. In this theory the process of evolution has an emergent or innovative character resulting in a living world of ingenious, multifaceted complexity.
- Bridges the gap between creationism and evolutionary science
- A balanced analysis of the claims of evolution theory and the Biblical message concerning the origins of life
- Encourages readers to participate actively in the present-day religion-science debate
Reviews & endorsements
'Undoubtedly the book presents an invaluable contribution to the scholarly discussion about the meaning of the natural world and its philosophical significance.' Antonianum
Product details
December 2008Paperback
9780521729437
322 pages
215 × 137 × 15 mm
0.45kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. Does life on Earth have a purpose?
- 2. Creationism, intelligent design, and Augustine's idea of time
- 3. Darwin, neo-Darwinism and the naturalistic continuity claim
- 4. Miller's pre-biotic broth and the premises of evolutionism
- 5. A cold shudder along Darwin's back
- 6. The emergence theory of Morgan and Alexander
- 7. Luctor et emergo: what is emergent evolution?
- 8. Towards a general theory of emergent evolution
- 9. Hominization and the philosophy of mind
- 10. Augustinian faith and evolutionary science
- 11. The organism is a whole. The world is a habitat
- 12. The slumbering temptation of essentialism
- 13. Questions surrounding the emergence process
- 14. Enkapsis in nature. Is there an omega point?
- Bibliography
- Index.
