Christianity and Evolutionary Ethics: Sketch Toward a Reconciliation

Abstract. Evolutionary ethics posits the evolution of dispositions to love self, kin, and friend. Christianity claims that God's ethical demand is to love one's neighbor. I argue that the distance between these two positions can be interpreted theologically as original sin, the disposition...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Williams, Patricia A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 1996
In: Zygon
Year: 1996, Volume: 31, Issue: 2, Pages: 253-268
Further subjects:B Michael Ruse
B Atonement
B Evolutionary Ethics
B Love Command
B Original Sin
B Christianity
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Summary:Abstract. Evolutionary ethics posits the evolution of dispositions to love self, kin, and friend. Christianity claims that God's ethical demand is to love one's neighbor. I argue that the distance between these two positions can be interpreted theologically as original sin, the disposition to disobey God's command and practice self-love and nepotism rather than neighbor-love. Original sin requires Incarnation and Atonement to unite God and humanity. The ancient doctrine of the Atonement as educative does not invoke the Fall. Its revival may help reconcile Christianity and evolutionary ethics.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contains:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.1996.tb00022.x