Overview

Darwinism and the Divine examines the implications of evolutionary thought for natural theology, from the time of publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species to current debates on creationism and intelligent design. Questions whether Darwin's theory of natural selection really shook our fundamental beliefs, or whether they served to transform and illuminate our views on the origins and meaning of life Identifies the forms of natural theology that emerged in 19th-century England and how they were affected by Darwinism The most detailed study yet of the intellectual background to William Paley's famous and influential approach to natural theology, set out in 1802 Brings together material from a variety of disciplines, including the history of ideas, historical and systematic theology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, sociology, and the cognitive science of religion Considers how Christian belief has adapted to Darwinism, and asks whether there is a place for design both in the world of science and the world of theology A thought-provoking exploration of 21st-century views on evolutionary thought and natural theology, written by the world-renowned theologian and bestselling author

Full Product Details

Author:   Alister E. McGrath (King's College, London, UK)
Publisher:   John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Imprint:   Wiley-Blackwell
Dimensions:   Width: 16.10cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.80cm
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9781444333435

ISBN 10:   1444333437
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   11 February 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

"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"

Reviews

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) This is a book anyone with an intelligent interest in the subjects discussed can read with interest and profit . (Church of England Newspaper , 15 April 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)

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) 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) This is a book anyone with an intelligent interest in the subjects discussed can read with interest and profit . (Church of England Newspaper , 15 April 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)

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)

McGrath is a masterful teacher and this volume is asbrimming with knowledge and insight as his manyothers. (Modern Believing, 1 January2014) The writing in Darwinism and the Divine is clear,elegant, and well informed throughout, is distinguished by abalanced and nonpolemical style, and is a pleasure to read. Everychapter in this rich volume includes extensive endnotes guiding thereader to further study. (Journal of the American Academy ofReligion, 16 January 2014) These criticisms notwithstanding, McGrath sDarwinism and the Divineis a well-written, lucid work that willoccupy a prominent place as an apologetic for Christian theism inits dialogue with the larger scientific community. (International Journal of Public Theology, 1 May2013) Furthermore, this work is a rare pleasure to read for itsclarity and remarkable level of scholarship across multipledisciplines. Consequently, I have no hesitation inrecommending this book to anyone interested in how the debates overDarwinism relate to the ongoing and evolving goals and methods ofnatural theology. (The Way, 1 October 2012) These features, together with the author saccessible writing style, mean that this book can not only be readcover-to-cover in a straightforward and engaging way, but can alsobe used as a text book to enable more detailed study of the variousaspects of this important and relevant subject. (Evangelical Quarterly, 4 October 2012) Whether these arguments are effective is a matter formore philosophic minds, but if this book brings new ideas into ascience religion conversation that often consists ofrepetition of the same essential themes, then all scholars ofscience religion are beneficiaries. (Journalof the History of Biology, 2011) But I think that the chief merit of both of these books lies intheir parallel analyses of natural theology, specifically thesignificance of scientific knowledge for resolving theologicalissues. (The Quarterly Review of Biology, 1 December 2011) McGrath (King's College London) offers an excellent examinationof Darwin's theory of evolution vs. Creationism/intelligent designwithin the context of natural theology... The writing is clearand readable with a wealth of documentation. Recommended.Upper-level undergraduates and above; interested general readers. (Choice, 1 October 2011) But if one had to choose between them, I would recommend thebook under review. It presents a synthesis of much of his thinking,supported by richly informative documentation that, in range andvolume, is little short of astonishing. (Science & Education,2011) This is a book anyone with an intelligent interest in thesubjects discussed can read with interest and profit . (Church ofEngland Newspaper , 15 April 2011) The prolific theologian argues that Darwin's own faith andworldview allowed for complexities and intricacies in theintersection of faith and science. (Publishers Weekly, 8 March2011)

Author Information

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, 5th 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).

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