1) Is macroevolution unique amongst scientific theories in terms of its
theological impact?
2) Can we separate the actual scientific content of macroevolution from
its common anti-theistic metaphysical extrapolations?
3) Can we separate the science from the metaphysics IN THE MIND OF THE
GENERAL PUBLIC?
4) What other philosophical and social developments have occurred
simultaneously with Darwinism's rise? Can we determine which "impacts"
were caused by Darwinism _per_se,_ and which were caused by other factors?
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I hope our discussions can generate some answers. Here's my first
contribution:
1) Is macroevolution unique amongst scientific theories in terms of
its theological impact?
No, and yes. Many theologians have argued that the teachings of scripture
are clearly contrary to macroevolution. No other scientific theory TODAY
has that level of theological opposition. However, when heliocentrism was
being debated, many well-respected theologians of the time argued that the
teachings of scripture were clearly contrary to heliocentrism. It was the
general consensus of the church leadership, at the time, that
heliocentrism was false, and that it was very difficult to reconcile
heliocentrism with scripture. In that sense, I would say that
macroevolution is not historically unique.
However, I believe that impact of macroevolution on hermeneutics is
greater that the impact of heliocentrism. Macroevolution, especially
regarding what it says about HUMAN origins, affects more biblical texts
and more important doctrines that heliocentrism ever did.
--------------
2) Can we separate the actual scientific content of macroevolution
from its common anti-theistic metaphysical extrapolations?
Yes. Christian scientists and theologians have shown how to do this.
Certainly, there is still some disagreement amongst Christians (and
amongst participants in this discussion group). But if macroevolution is
eventually "proven" scientifically, the basic groundwork for understanding
natural selection and stochastic processes in a THEISTIC context has
already been done.
-------------------------
3) Can we separate the science from the metaphysics IN THE MIND OF THE
GENERAL PUBLIC?
No. Or at least, we have failed to do so thus far. Christians scientists
may know how to do this, but very few Christian non-scientists know how to
do this. (I find this failure suprising, in some sense. "Big Bang"
cosmology has only been around for a few decades, and yet -- despite the
fact that it is rather different than the "traditional" understanding of
Genesis 1 --- it has been almost "baptized" by many Christian churches.)
Christians who accept the science of macroevolution, and instead attack
its SUPPOSED connections to anti-theistic philosophy, have so far failed
to make their case to the general public. Most non-Christian
non-scientists only read the writings of philosophical Naturalists on the
subject of evolution. Many non-Christian scientists (who understand
evolutionary biology) DO reject some or all of Darwinism's metaphysical
claims, but they do so only because they intuitively believe the
metaphysical extrapolations to be non sequiturs --- NOT because they have
heard counter-arguments from Christian scientists/philosophers.
-------------------------
4) What other philosophical and social developments have occurred
simultaneously with Darwinism's rise? Can we determine which
"impacts" were caused by Darwinism _per_se,_ and which were caused by
other factors?
There are at least five other significant social/philosophical
developments which occurred prior to or independently of Darwinism, and
whose impacts upon society (and the church) could be confused with
Darwinism.
A) RISING SECULARISM. This is a very old problem. (Many of the prophets
in the Old Testament wrote about this one.) There seems to be a
correlation, historically, between rising societal wealth and rising
secularism. Secularism was on the rise in the West before Darwin, though
Darwinism may have fed it.
B) PHILOSOPHICAL NATURALISM. This was definitely on the rise well before
Darwin. I suspect that the extrapolation from Newtonian mechanics to
metaphysical Determinism was primarily to blame. Darwin's theories may
have given Naturalism a considerable boost, but Naturalism itself was
rising prior to Darwin purely because of methological naturalism's success
in the physical sciences.
C) OPERATIONALISM. Logical positivism and the behaviorist school of
psychology are two results of the Operationalist philosophical outlook.
(These developed after Darwin, but I believe that their development was
largely independent.) Operationalism has also influenced the social
sciences and even the humanities today.
D) RISING INDIVIDUALISM. Major contributing causes to rising
individualism are, no doubt, rising wealth and capitalism.
E) UNIVERSALISM. The theology of "universalism" was having a major impact
on Western Christianity for a century before Darwin.
When we talk about Darwinism's "devastating impact" on society and
Christianity, we must remember these other factors. I'd like to see some
work done to sort out just which affects are attributable to which causes.
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"How did we get into this mess...?" | Loren Haarsma
--C3P0 (_Star_Wars_) | lhaarsma@opal.tufts.edu