The religion of evolutionism
Categories : Philosophy, Religion, Science |
I don’t normally buy into the evolution / creation debates, but this article is interesting coming from a member of the science community. Michael Ruse, who is a philosopher of science, argues that the proponents of evolution have actually been their own worst enemy by letting the debate be framed in religious and sociological terms.
“All told, Ruse claims, loading values onto the platform of evolutionary science constitutes ”evolutionism,” an outlook that goes far beyond the scientific acceptance of evolution as a means of explaining the origins and development of species. Provocatively, Ruse argues that evolutionism has often constituted a ”religion” itself by offering ”a world picture, a story of origins, and a special place for humans,” while its proponents have been ”trying deliberately to do better than Christianity.”
To be sure, Ruse acknowledges, some biologists are religious, while a significant portion of religious believers are willing to accept the concept of evolution at least to some extent. But, he argues, the way evolutionists have often linked their science to progressive politics has, in recent decades, become anathema to many believers, especially fundamentalist Christians whose biblical literalism leads them to believe that worldly change will only arrive with the Second Coming. The advocates of evolution, Ruse argues, have thus been ”competing for space in the hearts and minds” of many religious believers without even realizing it - much to the detriment of their cause.”
