The New York Times proposes an interesting question today: "Does Darwinian theory undermine conservative notions of religion and morality or does it actually support conservative philosophy?"
The article appears to be a little biased, like here: "For some conservatives, accepting Darwin undercuts religious faith and produces an amoral, materialistic worldview that easily embraces abortion, embryonic stem cell research and other practices they abhor. As an alternative to Darwin, many advocate intelligent design, which holds that life is so intricately organized that only an intelligent power could have created it." But, I'm not so uncomfortable with this bias. I don't really understand the basic understanding of the world that doesn't include science, so this statement makes sense to me. And yet, I still wonder about this initial question posed by my hometown paper.
The fact that the theories of Darwin could be used to support idealogical values doesn't exactly add up for me. Then again, it's been a long time that I've really read up on Darwin. And my limited memory of "survival of the fittest" doesn't fit with what I want to understand about the political divides that currently exist in our country.
I don't know. I think I need more coffee.
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Rant, pray, bless, draw, lament and praise with me in the wonders and mysteries of trying to be who God has called me to be.
3 comments:
In some ways capitalism is all about "survival of the fittest" and relies heavily on the theory of natural selection... That is, if you can somehow accept Wall St. as a natural entity... Which I can only do in a poetic, metaphorical, "I took the blue pill" kind of way...
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I really respect you for doing what you're doing especially in the place you're doing it!
PH
Indeed, capitalism. Yes, I'm lost somewhere in the Book of Acts thinking that we should share all things in common. It fights being "American" and "patriotic," but there is this other idea out there that I don't get.
And by Darwin, I don't want them to win! I hate it that there is even us and them. Can't we just hold hands and sing? Love, love, love...
Personally, I think capitalism is evil, but it seems to me that you can draw completely different moral conclusions about the nature of the universe from Darwinism than to assume that it implies an amoral world. I hate to harp on process theology so much, which I tend to do, but I think that it provides a fine example of a theology that incorporates evolution into a moral universe in which God plays a central creative role.
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