Doesn’t Darwin’s theory portray a rather cruel and pointless universe? Who wants to “thank God” for a world where ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ are the way life works?
First, no one actively working in the sciences today would say that something called “Darwin’s theory” was their point of reference for understanding current evolutionary thought. Remember, Darwin published his theory in 1858—and he kept updating it for almost two decades—nearly until his death. Scientists ground themselves on the authority of the present, not the authority of the past. The scientific enterprise retains from the past only those insights and discoveries that have stood the test of time.
That said, much of what Darwin proposed has indeed stood the test of time. And much, much more about how variation happens and what constitutes fitness have been discovered in the intervening century and a half. Today, those who continue to spout the ancient characterizations of evolution as, “survival of the fittest” and “nature red in tooth and claw” as the best shorthand descriptors of the process are invariably individuals who oppose an evolutionary worldview and thus are attempting to discredit evolution within the minds of nonscientists.
If ‘survival of the fittest’ and ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ are out-of-date, misleading metaphors, what shorthand descriptors do you use?
Well, one of the phrases I prefer—a phrase that I have borrowed from evolutionary scientists alive today — is ‘survival of those who fit best’—that is, those who fit well with their environment, especially the other living beings with whom they associate. Of course, ‘association’ includes what you eat—cows eat grass, lions eat zebra, humans eat plants and often animals. But ‘association’ from an ecological standpoint also includes such things as, ‘Who supplies the oxygen you breathe?’ ‘What little critters inside your gut help you digest your vegetables?’ ‘And, of course, ‘What do we, in turn, do to contribute our share of support to the body of life?’
Yes, the face of Nature that we call evolution is not all pleasant from the standpoint of any particular species or individual. Predation is real; genetic defects occur naturally; and, of course, death ultimately knocks at the door.
When we speak of the “interdependent web of life” what we are really talking about is one big divine banquet—’holy communion’ at the scale of the whole planet! And what is the core teaching of the Easter saga if not this: on the other side of every ‘Good Friday’ is ‘Resurrection Sunday’— death never has the last word, life does!
So when I use the word “evolution,” what I have in mind is the entire history of the cosmos—the ‘Universe Story’—as understood by the vast majority of scientists writing in peer-reviewed journals and working in disciplines as diverse as cosmology, astrophysics, chemistry, geology, zoology, botany, microbiology, primatology, genetics, anthropology, archeology, evolutionary brain science, evolutionary psychology, —the whole shebang.
Why are you so enthusiastic, even evangelistic, about evolution?
I see sacred views of evolution as the Good News (the ‘gospel’) of our time, personally and collectively. I thank God for the entire 14-billion-year epic of cosmic, biological, and human emergence, because an inspiring interpretation of the history of everything and everyone builds bridges, provides guidance, and restores realistic hope.
A sacred view of evolution offers a more grounded and widely acceptable basis for ethics and moral instruction than ancient texts could ever hope to offer. This is a crucial realization.
“A sacred view of evolution restores realistic hope because—whatever our different . beliefs about an afterlife —we can see how our way forward in this world becomes clear—and realistically possible.
Can you say more about how you see evolution restoring hope?
Religious zealotry that slides into violent action now threatens a whole new threshold of danger for the simple reason that exceedingly destructive weapons are now small enough to conceal and within the realm of possibility for motivated individuals and groups to obtain. For this reason, anything that bridges faith and reason and helps reconcile opposing religious viewpoints surely restores hope. Moreover, in chaotic and uncertain times, like now, when things seem to be getting better and better, and worse and worse, faster and faster, anything that provides practical guidance for moving into a just and thriving future, personally and collectively, restores hope too.
On a more personal level, a sacred evolutionary worldview restores hope because it offers a deeper, truer understanding of human nature than non-evolutionary approaches possibly can. It’s no longer a mystery why we (and our loved ones) are tempted by the things that we’re tempted by, why we struggle with the things we do, and why staying in integrity for any length of time typically requires growing in humility, authenticity, responsibility, and serving a larger purpose, with the support of others. Understanding the religious implications of evolutionary brain science and evolutionary psychology is truly empowering. Evolutionary spirituality, which is informed by these disciplines, offers lasting freedom from troublesome habits and addictive thoughts and behaviors.
Understanding what I like to call ‘our brain’s creation story’ not only offers a sure path to freedom around some of our most persistent and challenging personal issues; it also clarifies why our most intimate and important relationships—with partner or spouse, parents, children, friends, work associates, and colleagues—are the way they are. And it reveals how virtually any of these can be made whole no matter what problems or difficulties may have existed in the past.
Finally, from a collective perspective, without an evolutionary worldview it is simply impossible to understand our world, appreciate religious differences, or know with confidence how to proceed as a species. With deep-time eyes, however, the question of how we can move into a healthy future together becomes practically a no-brainer.
Those are bold claims. What is it about a religiously inspiring view of evolution that you believe will actually bring about the personal and societal benefits that you envision?
Well, it’s not really a matter of what I believe will happen. Rather, it is changes I’ve actually witnessed, that I’ve personally seen happen, that lead me to speak so confidently. In our nearly six years of evangelizing this message on a full-time basis, Connie and I have addressed hundreds of audiences and tens of thousands of people across the religious and philosophical spectrum. The response we get is pretty much the same—whether we speak to Baptists or Buddhists, retirees or teens, theists or atheists. My book includes dozens of anecdotes, many of them stories of ‘evolutionary epiphanies.’ People from all walks of life have had profound religious experiences and awakenings as a result of seeing for themselves how a sacred view of evolution builds bridges, provides guidance, restores hope, and deepens and expands faith.
Much of your book explores how a religious view of evolution does all this, but could you briefly mention here just a few of the more important concepts and distinctions you make?
I’d be happy to. In my opinion, the single most significant insight gained from a soul-satisfying interpretation of the epic of evolution would be what I call “the nested emergent nature of divine creativity. “ What I’m pointing to with this phrase is the now widely accepted understanding that everything did not come into being all at once, but, rather, emerged over great expanses of time and in a nested fashion: subatomic particles within atoms, within molecules, within cells, within organisms, within ecosystems, and so on, like nesting dolls—each also part of larger nested realities: planets within solar systems, within galaxies, within the Universe as a whole. The truly amazing thing, which humanity only recently discovered, is that every level has the capacity to create—that is, every nested level can bring new things into existence. And we don’t merely believe this is so; we know it. In many cases scientists can see it happening now and they can measure it. To cite just two of the better-known examples: Hydrogen and oxygen come into relationship and create water. Stars create within themselves most of the atoms in the periodic table of elements. So whether we look at the smallest scale or the largest, every nested level is not merely created; it is creative.
“God,” from an evolutionary standpoint, is nothing so trivial or inconsequential as a supreme landlord residing off the planet and outside the Universe—an otherworldly entity whose primary business is engaging in unnatural acts (supernatural interventions). As I’m using the term, “God” cannot possibly be less than a sacred, proper name for Ultimate Reality, the largest nested whole—that One Supreme Reality which transcends yet includes all other realities and makes possible all forms of creativity. And because we are part of the whole and cannot get outside the whole to examine it, different peoples at different times, living in different parts of the world, reflecting on different plants, different animals, different terrain, and different climates, would inevitably have used different metaphors and analogies to describe the nature of this Ultimacy. Naturally, they would have told different stories about how to relate meaningfully to It/Him/Her. Understanding religious differences is hardly more complicated than comprehending this fact and pondering its implications.
What do you mean by ‘the emergent nature of divine creativity’ and ‘the holy trajectory of evolution’? And are these two the same thing?
Basically, yes. When I speak of evolutionary emergence I’m referring to the fact that ‘the Universe’ (Nature/Time/Reality/God) has consistently, though not without setbacks, produced larger and wider scales of cooperation and complexity over time. In the human realm, this ‘holy trajectory of evolution’ has tended to evoke broader circles of caring and commitment as societies have become increasingly larger and more interdependent—from families and clans, to tribes, to chiefdoms and kingdoms, to theocracies and early nations, to corporate states, global markets, social democracies, and now the World Wide Web. This ‘nested emergent nature of reality’ is a central unifying concept in my book.
Our way forward is obvious. To the degree that we successfully align the natural self-interests of individuals, corporations, and nations with the wellbeing of the planet as a whole we will move into a sustainable and thriving future. If we fail here, most of the other good that we do will not be enough.
From an evolutionary perspective, nothing is more important than putting into place laws, taxes, and moral incentives at all levels—locally, regionally, nationally, and globally—that make it easy and virtually effortless for individuals and groups to do the right, just, ecological thing, and also make it easy and effortless for them to not do the unjust, un-ecological thing.
What do you mean by ‘evolutionary spirituality’?
Evolutionary spirituality is about being in right relationship with reality at all nested levels: within yourself; with all your relations: past, present, and future; with your world.It’s also about leaving a positive legacy. Fortunately, thanks to a sacred evolutionary understanding, we know, rather than merely believe, how to be in right relationship with reality. Basically, it all boils down to being committed to what I call ‘deep integrity’, or ‘evolutionary integrity’—that is, growing in trust, authenticity, responsibility, and service to the whole (i.e., God).
Ironically, evolution gives us a more intimate and personal realationship with God, because God is no longer far off, unnatural, and impotent. And it gives us a way of thinking about religion that helps us understand how and why religions are different, and how we can cooperate across ethnic and religious differences to co-create a thriving world together.
You and your wife have been traveling North America for nearly six years without a home, sharing this ‘Gospel According to Evolution’ with religious and secular audiences of all ages. What’s it like to live on the road for that long?
In a word, heavenly! Really! We feel we’re the richest people on the planet. The fact that we don’t have any single place we call home makes it easy to experience the entire continent as home. We’ve even given North America an affectionate nickname: Nora. So in addition to having the feeling of always being on .vacation yet always in the center of our bliss, passionately doing what we most love to do—widely sharing a reconciling message of realistic hope and possibility—we’re also falling ever more in love with Nora. It’s the most soul-nourishing way to live that either of us can imagine. In fact, the thought of actually settling down in one place is utterly depressing. Clearly, this is what we’re called to do.
For well over 90% of human history we didn’t live in the same place year-round; we migrated with the seasons.
And then there’s this utter miracle which still occasionally brings me to tears when I think about it: I have a wife who is also my mission partner and who not only loves me deeply and is one of the most respected writers and leaders in this movement, but she thrives on this radical and itinerate lifestyle too.
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