Evolution and Ethics: Human Morality in Biological and Religious Perspective

This edited volume explores the complex relationship between evolutionary biology and ethics, examining how scientific accounts of human moral behavior relate to religious perspectives on morality. David Depew assembles contributions that address fundamental questions about whether evolutionary explanations of morality support or undermine religious worldviews, and how different theological traditions respond to naturalistic accounts of moral development.

The volume engages with the longstanding debate over whether morality requires divine grounding or can be adequately explained through natural selection and cultural evolution. Contributors examine various positions on this spectrum, from those arguing that evolutionary ethics necessarily leads to moral relativism or nihilism, to those proposing that evolutionary accounts complement rather than contradict religious understandings of moral obligation. The work addresses the challenge posed by sociobiology and evolutionary psychology to traditional religious ethics, while also considering sophisticated theological responses that incorporate evolutionary insights.

A central concern throughout the volume involves the question of moral realism and whether evolutionary explanations of morality's origins undermine belief in objective moral truths. Some contributors argue that if moral intuitions evolved merely to promote survival and reproduction, this debunks their claim to represent transcendent values. Others counter that the evolutionary origin of moral capacities does not determine their validity or preclude divine involvement in the process. The volume examines how different religious traditions, particularly Christianity, have attempted to reconcile evolutionary accounts with doctrines of divine command, natural law, and human dignity.

The work engages with key figures in the evolution-ethics debate, including Richard Dawkins, E.O. Wilson, and their critics, while also drawing on philosophical traditions from David Hume to contemporary moral philosophy. Contributors analyze specific issues such as altruism, cooperation, and the evolution of conscience, considering both empirical evidence and philosophical arguments about their implications for religious belief.

By bringing together scientific, philosophical, and theological perspectives, the volume advances the God debate by moving beyond simplistic oppositions between evolution and religious ethics. It demonstrates how the conversation requires careful attention to what evolutionary theory actually claims about morality, what various religious traditions actually teach about ethics, and what philosophical resources exist for relating these domains. The work's significance lies in its systematic examination of whether accepting evolutionary explanations of human morality necessitates abandoning belief in divine purpose or transcendent moral order.