Epic of Evolution
Encyclopedia
The phrase Epic of Evolution represents an attempt to create a myth
ic narrative
aimed at reconciling religious and scientific views of cosmic evolution, biological evolution, and sociocultural evolution
. According to Taylor's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, it is…
The term "Epic of Evolution" seems to have been first used by Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1978. He was using 'myth' as a grand narrative that provides a people with a meaningful placement in time, not as a falsehood. Wilson was not the first to use the term but his prominence prompted its usage as the morphed phrase 'epic of evolution'. In later years he also used the latter term.
Naturalistic and liberal religious writers have picked up on Wilson's term and have used it in a number of texts. These authors however have at times used other terms to refer to the idea: Universal Story (Brian Swimme
, John F. Haught), Great Story (Connie Barlow, Michael Dowd
), Everybody's Story (Loyal Rue
), New Story (Thomas Berry
, Al Gore
, Brian Swimme) and Cosmic Evolution (Eric Chaisson
).
, but here it means a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena, a gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex form (emergence
). It should not be 'biologized’ as it includes many areas of science. In addition, outside of the scientific community, the term evolution is frequently used differently than scientists do. Even respected dictionaries may present questionable definitions that are not scientific or only address genetic changes. Unfortunately it is common for the general public to enter into a discussion about evolution with a wrong definition in mind. This often leads to misunderstanding since scientists are viewing evolution from a different perspective. The same applies to the use of the term theory as used in the theory of evolution (see references for Evolution as theory and fact
).
This epic is not a long narrative poem but a series of events that form the proper subject for a laudable kind of tale. It is mythic in that it is a story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the worldview of a people and explains a natural phenomenon. It is a form of myth that has an approach to investigation that is empirical or scientific. According to Joseph Campbell myths serve two purposes – provide meaning for a maturing individual (an individuate) and how to be part of a community. This Epic does both.
The Epic of Evolution is a systematic story that helps make sense of humanity’s place and purpose in the process that is the Universe. It marries objective scientific facts with the meanings provided by philosophy and the spirituality of religious belief. It is a vast topic and much has been written and debated about it. It offers two different but combined perspectives of the same reality. It tells the tale of the Cosmos in a methodical way but with a religious acceptance of it while addressing complexity, directionality, purpose, human psychology and survival of the most cooperative and compassionate beings. This epic tale helps some people to deepen their faith and to understand and appreciate other religions and philosophies. They may move from believing in God, to knowing God.
explained that humans had a need for the Epic of Evolution because they must have a mythical story or a sublime account of how the world was created and how humanity became part of it. Religious epics fulfill a primal need in this respect as they verify that humans are part of something greater than themselves. The best empirical knowledge that science and history can provide is necessary in order to provide a comparable epic tale that will reliably unite a separated human spirituality. He believes the evolutionary epic can be as inherently noble as any religious epic when it is expressed in a poetic way. In a similar vein, biologist Ursula Goodenough sees the tale of natural emergence as far more magical than traditional religious miracles. It is a story that people can work with in a religious way if they elect to do so.
Philip Hefner
uses the analogy of weaving to describe the Epic. The warp anchors the story and the weft creates the pattern and the tapestry. The Epic, as scientists see it, is the warp and the weft forms the pattern as each of us views it (we are all weavers) but the patterns all have the warp in common. Hefner writes that stories about the evolutionary epic are redolent with ultimacy. It is not science; it is scientifically informed myth, a myth driven by the refusal to give up on the insistence that the natural world and our lives in the world have meaning and purpose. It is a mythical tale of irony and hope that fills a large space in the domaine of religion-and-science. Biologist Ursula Goodenough
also makes use of Hefner’s weaving metaphor.
Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd
's Great Story divides the epic into 8 phases eons or eras: the Great Radiance
, the Galactic, Hadean
, Archean
, Proterozoic
, Paleozoic
, Mesozoic
, and Cenozoic
. Dowd uses the term 'Epic of Evolution' to help construct his viewpoint of evolution theology (a form of theistic evolution
). His position is that science and religious faith are not mutually exclusive. He preaches that the epic of cosmic, biological, and human evolution, revealed by science, is a basis for an inspiring and meaningful view of our place in the universe. Evolution is viewed as a spiritual process that it is not meaningless blind chance.
Loyal Rue
states that there is nothing in the core of everybody's story to rule out belief in a personal deity. However belief in God is not an indispensable part of this narrative and here will be both theistic and non-theistic versions of it. He says it is the fundamental story of matter, created from energy, the organization of that matter into complex conditions, and then via self-organization into diverse life forms. Humans are as other living things – we are by nature star-born, earth-formed, fitness- maximinized, biochemical systems. An aspect of the Epic is the evolution of behavior by that biochemical system.
Brian Swimme
sees the Epic as a way to gently maneuver a person into the magnificence of the Universeand as an antidote to the unhealthy consciousness of consumerism. It is the way into the future and enabled him to comprehend the cultural significance of this new story of science moving away from a materialistic worldview. It may move science away from its traditional abstractness to the uniqueness found in natural history. To him evolution and creativity are equivalent so it could be the Epic of Creativity (similar to Gordon Kaufman’s thinking). Although the Epic is scientific, it is ‘definitely mythic' – it has the fundamental nature of being mythic.“You take hydrogen gas, and you leave it alone, and it turns into rosebuds, giraffes and humans.”
Gordon D. Kaufman
sees the Epic as a serendipitous creative process. He states that it is a notion that can interpret the enormous expansion and complexification of the physical universe (from the Big Bang outward), as well as the evolution of life here on earth and the gradual emergence of human historical existence. The whole vast process manifests (in varying degrees) serendipitous creativity, an everflowing coming into being of new modes of reality. In his book, In the beginning—creativity, he says this creative process is God. Creativity, as metaphor, and as defined in the concept of evolution, has possibilities for constructing a new concept of God. The most foundational kind of creativity is found in that of cosmos/biological evolution – a paradigm that is now the organizing principle of all the sciences. It would seem as though he was equating God to the evolutionary story. This is similar to Dowd who sees the facts of Nature as God's native tongue.
Eric Chaisson
sees a directionality to the epic, which he divides into 'Seven Ages of the Cosmos': Particulate, Galactic, Stellar, Planetary, Chemical, Biological and Cultural
Other interpretations include
Chaisson speaks of the future as uncertain, but possibly involving further human evolution and the exploration of space (before the Earth becomes uninhabitable in approximately 1 billion years).
John Stewart states that life on Earth is entering a new, intentionally driven, phase, requiring a new worldview to understand it. He summarizes the future arrow of evolution into four main areas:
Although in the scientific community there is essentially universal agreement that the evidence of evolution
is overwhelming, and the consensus supporting the modern evolutionary synthesis
is nearly absolute, creationists
have asserted that there is a significant scientific controversy and disagreement over the validity of the evolution epic.
The debate is sometimes portrayed as being between science and religion. However, as the National Academy of Sciences
states:
Dr.John Haught
, Roman Catholic theologian, in his Science and Religion: from Conflict to Conversation suggests a theistic acceptance of the Epic. He says contemporary theology is being changed by evolutionary science. There are many versions undergoing constant revision. He considers evolution to be, at least provisionally, a most appropriate and fruitful scientific framework within which to think about God today and deplores that contemporary theology gets hung up in the creationism controversy. There are liberal congregations these days that may see the Epic of Evolution as a history about life and the Universe that is both scientific and sacred. The profoundly sacred elements of the story warm up the cold technical facts with awe and reverence, giving Nature an inspiring beauty.
Eric Chaisson in his book, Epic of Evolution, concludes that the coherent story of cosmic evolution – a powerful and noble effort – may perhaps be the way to ethical evolution in the new millennium
. Not all of the Epic’s advocates are distinguished scientists. Some are Christians who consider it a ‘narrative of mythic proportions’ that contain religious aspects. They see it as a multifaceted concept that that has been in Christian theology implicitly for hundreds of years and is congenial to perspectives that include ultimacy, transcendence, purpose and morality. However, there are both humanists and creationists that dispute this contending that this is a materialistic story of the world.
In 1996 the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
held a conference on the Epic of Evolution. In 1997 the American Association for the Advancement of Science
organized a conference on the Epic of Evolution as part of their program on Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. In July 1999, The Forum on Religion and Ecology with special support from the Center for Respect of Life and Environment sponsored a conference titled The Epic of Evolution and World Religions. It consisted of a small invitational gathering of scholars of the world’s religious traditions as well as a number of scientists and educators. It explored how the creation stories of the world’s religions intersect with or react to the epic of evolution. An Evolutionary Epic conference was held in Hawaii in January 2008. It was attended by scientists, artists, educators, and spiritual and religious leaders. The objective was to weave together many otherwise disparate areas of study into one coherent Epic of Evolution tale (a consilience
).
An Epic of Evolution Journal was published from 1998 till 2000 with articles by noted authors Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, Ursula Goodenough, Jennifer Morgan, and Connie Barlow.
Washington University in St. Louis
offers a course on the Epic of Evolution. The Epic has also been taught at Northern Arizona University
. The course engaged the task of formulating a new epic myth that is based on the physical, natural, social, and cultural sciences for which there are as yet few textbooks. The course was presented in three segments: the cosmos before humans appeared, the human phenomenon, and scenarios for the future of evolution. Dr. Eric J. Chaisson, Professor of Physics, Tufts University teaches a course at Harvard University
on the Epic of Evolution. California Institute of Integral Studies
also offers a graduate course on the Epic.
Dr. Sidney Liebes, physicist and creator of the world-renowned exhibition, A Wall Through Time... From Stardust to Us, has a series of educational videos on The Epic of Evolution. It takes the viewer on a tour of mankind’s incredible evolutionary journey, which he believes provides the basis for a new global ethic that guarantees the Earth's biodiversity.
Educational organizations and individuals have devised a variety of novel ways to teach the Epic of Evolution such as: The Council of All Beings The Cosmic Walk, Great Story Beads, 'We Are Made of Stardust works of art, and poems (Lament of the Blue-Green Algae – Neal McBurnett), parables (The Buddha Bowl – Paula Hirschboeck, Earth’s Eyes – Leslie Pilder) and evolution songs (I Love to Tell the Story, Praise Birth and Death Amid the Stars, The River of Life Song).
Evolution Sunday, a Christian church event (1,044 Congregations observed it in 2009) arose from the Clergy Letter Project
signed in 2004 by 10,500 American clergy. It is spreading internationally and across other faiths. It supports the story of evolution in a manner similar to the Epic (science and religion compatibility) promoting serious discussion and reflection on the relationship between religion and science. "For far too long, strident voices, in the name of Christianity, have been claiming that people must choose between religion and modern science," says Michael Zimmerman, founder of Evolution Sunday and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis. "We're saying you can have your faith, and you can also have science."
Michael Dowd and his wife Connie Barlow have traveled the USA since 2002 by van as nomads teaching his Gospel of Evolution and the Epic of Evolution (Great Story) to both secular and religious audiences. Dowd’s book, Thank God for Evolution, and his neo-theistic religious naturalism teachings have been featured in media ranging from The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post to the National Catholic Reporter, NPR, the BBC and numerous other radio programs. He has presented his case for the marriage of religion and science at over a thousand events sponsored by a diverse group of denominations, including Christian
, Unitarian Universalist, Unity Church
, Religious Science
, secular humanism
and Religious Naturalists
venues. Dowd teaches that the Epic of Evolution is "a shared sacred story that honors both objective truth and subjective meaning" Barlow has put together a teaching aid for primary school children.
Voyages Through Time on CD-ROM is a year-long curriculum for ninth or tenth graders. It is divided into six modules: Cosmic Evolution, Planetary Evolution, Origin of Life, Evolution of Life, Hominid Evolution, and Evolution of Technology.
Reading lists – Books of the Epic of Evolution,
Cosmic Evolution
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
ic narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
aimed at reconciling religious and scientific views of cosmic evolution, biological evolution, and sociocultural evolution
Sociocultural evolution
Sociocultural evolution is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and social evolution, describing how cultures and societies have changed over time...
. According to Taylor's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, it is…
History
Naturalistic and liberal religious writers have picked up on Wilson's term and have used it in a number of texts. These authors however have at times used other terms to refer to the idea: Universal Story (Brian Swimme
Brian Swimme
Brian Thomas Swimme is on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco, where he teaches evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. He received his Ph.D. from the department of mathematics at the University of Oregon for work in singularity...
, John F. Haught), Great Story (Connie Barlow, Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd is an American evolutionary theologian, bestselling author, and evangelist for Big History and Religious Naturalism....
), Everybody's Story (Loyal Rue
Loyal Rue
Dr. Loyal D. Rue is professor of religion and philosophy at Luther College of Decorah, Iowa , and focuses on naturalistic theories of religion.He has been awarded two John Templeton Foundation fellowships....
), New Story (Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry, C.P. was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian ....
, Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, Brian Swimme) and Cosmic Evolution (Eric Chaisson
Eric Chaisson
Eric J. Chaisson is an American astrophysicist and science educator best known for his research, teaching, and writing on the interdisciplinary science of cosmic evolution....
).
Narrative
Evolution generally refers to biological evolutionEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, but here it means a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena, a gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex form (emergence
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
). It should not be 'biologized’ as it includes many areas of science. In addition, outside of the scientific community, the term evolution is frequently used differently than scientists do. Even respected dictionaries may present questionable definitions that are not scientific or only address genetic changes. Unfortunately it is common for the general public to enter into a discussion about evolution with a wrong definition in mind. This often leads to misunderstanding since scientists are viewing evolution from a different perspective. The same applies to the use of the term theory as used in the theory of evolution (see references for Evolution as theory and fact
Evolution as theory and fact
"Evolution is both fact and theory" is a statement that appears in numerous publications on biological evolution. The statement is framed to clarify misconceptions about the philosophy of evolution primarily in response to creationist statements that "evolution is only a theory"...
).
This epic is not a long narrative poem but a series of events that form the proper subject for a laudable kind of tale. It is mythic in that it is a story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the worldview of a people and explains a natural phenomenon. It is a form of myth that has an approach to investigation that is empirical or scientific. According to Joseph Campbell myths serve two purposes – provide meaning for a maturing individual (an individuate) and how to be part of a community. This Epic does both.
The Epic of Evolution is a systematic story that helps make sense of humanity’s place and purpose in the process that is the Universe. It marries objective scientific facts with the meanings provided by philosophy and the spirituality of religious belief. It is a vast topic and much has been written and debated about it. It offers two different but combined perspectives of the same reality. It tells the tale of the Cosmos in a methodical way but with a religious acceptance of it while addressing complexity, directionality, purpose, human psychology and survival of the most cooperative and compassionate beings. This epic tale helps some people to deepen their faith and to understand and appreciate other religions and philosophies. They may move from believing in God, to knowing God.
The Epic as myth
Dr. William Grassie of Temple University writes that the word "myth" in common usage is usually misunderstood. In academia it defines "a story that serves to define the fundamental world view of a culture by explaining aspects of the natural world and delineating the psychological and social practices and ideals of a society." He suggests that the Greek term mythos would be a better term to apply to the Epic as it is more all-encompassing. He concluded that there is not yet an interpretive tradition within science and society about this Epic of Evolution. If anything, there is an anti-interpretation tradition. Consequently, this is dangerous as it is a powerful revelation at this time. Grassie says the Epic is complex and multifaceted, not simple or easy to understand. It takes a romantic vision, philosophical rigor, and artistic interpretations. It requires a consilience of modern disciplines and acceptance of social diversity. The ancient wisdoms of the world’s spiritual traditions must be adapted to make the framework to weave the Epic.Interpretations of the epic
E. O. WilsonE. O. Wilson
Edward Osborne Wilson is an American biologist, researcher , theorist , naturalist and author. His biological specialty is myrmecology, the study of ants....
explained that humans had a need for the Epic of Evolution because they must have a mythical story or a sublime account of how the world was created and how humanity became part of it. Religious epics fulfill a primal need in this respect as they verify that humans are part of something greater than themselves. The best empirical knowledge that science and history can provide is necessary in order to provide a comparable epic tale that will reliably unite a separated human spirituality. He believes the evolutionary epic can be as inherently noble as any religious epic when it is expressed in a poetic way. In a similar vein, biologist Ursula Goodenough sees the tale of natural emergence as far more magical than traditional religious miracles. It is a story that people can work with in a religious way if they elect to do so.
Philip Hefner
Philip Hefner
Philip Hefner is a professor emeritus of systematic theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago His research career has focused on the interaction of religion and science, for which he is most well known. Hefner has held several dozen visiting teaching and lecturing appointments at...
uses the analogy of weaving to describe the Epic. The warp anchors the story and the weft creates the pattern and the tapestry. The Epic, as scientists see it, is the warp and the weft forms the pattern as each of us views it (we are all weavers) but the patterns all have the warp in common. Hefner writes that stories about the evolutionary epic are redolent with ultimacy. It is not science; it is scientifically informed myth, a myth driven by the refusal to give up on the insistence that the natural world and our lives in the world have meaning and purpose. It is a mythical tale of irony and hope that fills a large space in the domaine of religion-and-science. Biologist Ursula Goodenough
Ursula Goodenough
Ursula W. Goodenough is a Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the best selling book Sacred Depths of Nature...
also makes use of Hefner’s weaving metaphor.
Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd is an American evolutionary theologian, bestselling author, and evangelist for Big History and Religious Naturalism....
's Great Story divides the epic into 8 phases eons or eras: the Great Radiance
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
, the Galactic, Hadean
Hadean
The Hadean is the geologic eon before the Archean. It started with the formation of the Earth about 4.7 Ga and ended roughly 3.8 Ga, though the latter date varies according to different sources. The name "Hadean" derives from Hades, Greek for "Underworld", referring to the "hellish"...
, Archean
Archean
The Archean , also spelled Archeozoic or Archæozoic) is a geologic eon before the Paleoproterozoic Era of the Proterozoic Eon, before 2.5 Ga ago. Instead of being based on stratigraphy, this date is defined chronometrically...
, Proterozoic
Proterozoic
The Proterozoic is a geological eon representing a period before the first abundant complex life on Earth. The name Proterozoic comes from the Greek "earlier life"...
, Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
, Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
, and Cenozoic
Cenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
. Dowd uses the term 'Epic of Evolution' to help construct his viewpoint of evolution theology (a form of theistic evolution
Theistic evolution
Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution...
). His position is that science and religious faith are not mutually exclusive. He preaches that the epic of cosmic, biological, and human evolution, revealed by science, is a basis for an inspiring and meaningful view of our place in the universe. Evolution is viewed as a spiritual process that it is not meaningless blind chance.
Loyal Rue
Loyal Rue
Dr. Loyal D. Rue is professor of religion and philosophy at Luther College of Decorah, Iowa , and focuses on naturalistic theories of religion.He has been awarded two John Templeton Foundation fellowships....
states that there is nothing in the core of everybody's story to rule out belief in a personal deity. However belief in God is not an indispensable part of this narrative and here will be both theistic and non-theistic versions of it. He says it is the fundamental story of matter, created from energy, the organization of that matter into complex conditions, and then via self-organization into diverse life forms. Humans are as other living things – we are by nature star-born, earth-formed, fitness- maximinized, biochemical systems. An aspect of the Epic is the evolution of behavior by that biochemical system.
Brian Swimme
Brian Swimme
Brian Thomas Swimme is on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco, where he teaches evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. He received his Ph.D. from the department of mathematics at the University of Oregon for work in singularity...
sees the Epic as a way to gently maneuver a person into the magnificence of the Universeand as an antidote to the unhealthy consciousness of consumerism. It is the way into the future and enabled him to comprehend the cultural significance of this new story of science moving away from a materialistic worldview. It may move science away from its traditional abstractness to the uniqueness found in natural history. To him evolution and creativity are equivalent so it could be the Epic of Creativity (similar to Gordon Kaufman’s thinking). Although the Epic is scientific, it is ‘definitely mythic' – it has the fundamental nature of being mythic.“You take hydrogen gas, and you leave it alone, and it turns into rosebuds, giraffes and humans.”
Gordon D. Kaufman
Gordon D. Kaufman
Dr. Gordon D. Kaufman was the Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity at Harvard University where he taught since 1963. He lectured widely, and taught at universities across the United States , and also in India, Japan, South Africa, England, and Hong Kong...
sees the Epic as a serendipitous creative process. He states that it is a notion that can interpret the enormous expansion and complexification of the physical universe (from the Big Bang outward), as well as the evolution of life here on earth and the gradual emergence of human historical existence. The whole vast process manifests (in varying degrees) serendipitous creativity, an everflowing coming into being of new modes of reality. In his book, In the beginning—creativity, he says this creative process is God. Creativity, as metaphor, and as defined in the concept of evolution, has possibilities for constructing a new concept of God. The most foundational kind of creativity is found in that of cosmos/biological evolution – a paradigm that is now the organizing principle of all the sciences. It would seem as though he was equating God to the evolutionary story. This is similar to Dowd who sees the facts of Nature as God's native tongue.
Eric Chaisson
Eric Chaisson
Eric J. Chaisson is an American astrophysicist and science educator best known for his research, teaching, and writing on the interdisciplinary science of cosmic evolution....
sees a directionality to the epic, which he divides into 'Seven Ages of the Cosmos': Particulate, Galactic, Stellar, Planetary, Chemical, Biological and Cultural
Other interpretations include
- The Cosmic Walk is a ritual created by Miriam MacGillis as a way of allowing emotional acceptance of the intellectual knowledge of the 14 billion year process of the evolution of the universe.
- Bron TaylorBron TaylorBron Raymond Taylor is an American scholar and conservationist. He is Professor of Religion and Nature at the University of Florida and has also been an Affiliated Scholar with the Center for Environment and Development at the University of Oslo. Taylor works principally in the areas of religion...
's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature gives four primary categories: cosmic, planetary, life, cultural - Professor David Christian, San Diego State University, organizes the epic of creation into eight thresholds. Each threshold marks a time when something truly new appeared and forms never before seen began to arise. The story Christian relates has only been possible since the mid-1900 due to improved dating techniques. As he explains, this epic will continue to grow and change as scientists and historians accumulate new knowledge.
Future
Hefner states that the Epic is a dynamic story not a static once-and-for-all narrative myth.Chaisson speaks of the future as uncertain, but possibly involving further human evolution and the exploration of space (before the Earth becomes uninhabitable in approximately 1 billion years).
John Stewart states that life on Earth is entering a new, intentionally driven, phase, requiring a new worldview to understand it. He summarizes the future arrow of evolution into four main areas:
- Intentional evolution
- Advancing evolution by organizing a cooperative global society
- Advancing evolution by enhancing evolvability
- The unique capacity of the evolutionary worldview to provide direction and purpose for humanity
Creation-evolution controversy
The creation-evolution controversy goes beyond the field of evolutionary biology and includes many fields of science (cosmology, geology, paleontology, thermodynamics, physics and sociobiology).Although in the scientific community there is essentially universal agreement that the evidence of evolution
Evidence of evolution
of living things has been discovered by scientists working in a variety of fields over many years. This evidence has demonstrated and verified the occurrence of evolution and provided a wealth of information on the natural processes by which the variety and diversity of life on Earth developed...
is overwhelming, and the consensus supporting the modern evolutionary synthesis
Modern evolutionary synthesis
The modern evolutionary synthesis is a union of ideas from several biological specialties which provides a widely accepted account of evolution...
is nearly absolute, creationists
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
have asserted that there is a significant scientific controversy and disagreement over the validity of the evolution epic.
The debate is sometimes portrayed as being between science and religion. However, as the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
states:
Dr.John Haught
John Haught
John F. Haught is a Roman Catholic theologian and Senior Research Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. His area of expertise is systematic theology, with a special interest in issues of science, cosmology, ecology, and reconciling evolution and religion...
, Roman Catholic theologian, in his Science and Religion: from Conflict to Conversation suggests a theistic acceptance of the Epic. He says contemporary theology is being changed by evolutionary science. There are many versions undergoing constant revision. He considers evolution to be, at least provisionally, a most appropriate and fruitful scientific framework within which to think about God today and deplores that contemporary theology gets hung up in the creationism controversy. There are liberal congregations these days that may see the Epic of Evolution as a history about life and the Universe that is both scientific and sacred. The profoundly sacred elements of the story warm up the cold technical facts with awe and reverence, giving Nature an inspiring beauty.
Eric Chaisson in his book, Epic of Evolution, concludes that the coherent story of cosmic evolution – a powerful and noble effort – may perhaps be the way to ethical evolution in the new millennium
. Not all of the Epic’s advocates are distinguished scientists. Some are Christians who consider it a ‘narrative of mythic proportions’ that contain religious aspects. They see it as a multifaceted concept that that has been in Christian theology implicitly for hundreds of years and is congenial to perspectives that include ultimacy, transcendence, purpose and morality. However, there are both humanists and creationists that dispute this contending that this is a materialistic story of the world.
Research efforts
A group of scientists, theologians, and artists whose purpose was to explore the meaning and implications of the Epic of Evolution formed the Epic of Evolution Society in 1997. It was led by Brain Swimme DeBoer, founding board member and editor of EarthLight: The Magazine of Spiritual Ecology, in 1998 founded an international group.In 1996 the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
Institute on Religion in an Age of Science
The Institute on Religion in an Age of Science is a non-denominational society that promotes and facilitates the ongoing dialectic between religion and science. Both members of IRAS and non-members congregate at the IRAS conference held annually at Star Island in New Hampshire.-History:IRAS...
held a conference on the Epic of Evolution. In 1997 the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
organized a conference on the Epic of Evolution as part of their program on Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion. In July 1999, The Forum on Religion and Ecology with special support from the Center for Respect of Life and Environment sponsored a conference titled The Epic of Evolution and World Religions. It consisted of a small invitational gathering of scholars of the world’s religious traditions as well as a number of scientists and educators. It explored how the creation stories of the world’s religions intersect with or react to the epic of evolution. An Evolutionary Epic conference was held in Hawaii in January 2008. It was attended by scientists, artists, educators, and spiritual and religious leaders. The objective was to weave together many otherwise disparate areas of study into one coherent Epic of Evolution tale (a consilience
Consilience
Consilience, or the unity of knowledge , has its roots in the ancient Greek concept of an intrinsic orderliness that governs our cosmos, inherently comprehensible by logical process, a vision at odds with mystical views in many cultures that surrounded the Hellenes...
).
An Epic of Evolution Journal was published from 1998 till 2000 with articles by noted authors Brian Swimme, Thomas Berry, Ursula Goodenough, Jennifer Morgan, and Connie Barlow.
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
offers a course on the Epic of Evolution. The Epic has also been taught at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
. The course engaged the task of formulating a new epic myth that is based on the physical, natural, social, and cultural sciences for which there are as yet few textbooks. The course was presented in three segments: the cosmos before humans appeared, the human phenomenon, and scenarios for the future of evolution. Dr. Eric J. Chaisson, Professor of Physics, Tufts University teaches a course at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on the Epic of Evolution. California Institute of Integral Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies is a private institution of higher education founded in 1968 and based in San Francisco, California. It currently operates in three locations just south of the Civic Center district...
also offers a graduate course on the Epic.
Educational efforts
There are many books, journals, and videos on the evolution epic that have been published in recent years.Dr. Sidney Liebes, physicist and creator of the world-renowned exhibition, A Wall Through Time... From Stardust to Us, has a series of educational videos on The Epic of Evolution. It takes the viewer on a tour of mankind’s incredible evolutionary journey, which he believes provides the basis for a new global ethic that guarantees the Earth's biodiversity.
Educational organizations and individuals have devised a variety of novel ways to teach the Epic of Evolution such as: The Council of All Beings The Cosmic Walk, Great Story Beads, 'We Are Made of Stardust works of art, and poems (Lament of the Blue-Green Algae – Neal McBurnett), parables (The Buddha Bowl – Paula Hirschboeck, Earth’s Eyes – Leslie Pilder) and evolution songs (I Love to Tell the Story, Praise Birth and Death Amid the Stars, The River of Life Song).
Evolution Sunday, a Christian church event (1,044 Congregations observed it in 2009) arose from the Clergy Letter Project
Clergy Letter Project
The Clergy Letter Project is an project that maintains statements in support of the teaching of evolution and in opposition to the teaching of creationism in public schools and collects signatures in support of the letter from American Christian, Jewish, and Unitarian Universalist clergy. The...
signed in 2004 by 10,500 American clergy. It is spreading internationally and across other faiths. It supports the story of evolution in a manner similar to the Epic (science and religion compatibility) promoting serious discussion and reflection on the relationship between religion and science. "For far too long, strident voices, in the name of Christianity, have been claiming that people must choose between religion and modern science," says Michael Zimmerman, founder of Evolution Sunday and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis. "We're saying you can have your faith, and you can also have science."
Michael Dowd and his wife Connie Barlow have traveled the USA since 2002 by van as nomads teaching his Gospel of Evolution and the Epic of Evolution (Great Story) to both secular and religious audiences. Dowd’s book, Thank God for Evolution, and his neo-theistic religious naturalism teachings have been featured in media ranging from The New York Times Magazine and The Washington Post to the National Catholic Reporter, NPR, the BBC and numerous other radio programs. He has presented his case for the marriage of religion and science at over a thousand events sponsored by a diverse group of denominations, including Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Unitarian Universalist, Unity Church
Unity Church
Unity, known informally as Unity Church, is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement and is best known to many through its Daily Word devotional publication...
, Religious Science
Religious Science
Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was established in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and is a spiritual, philosophical and metaphysical religious movement within the New Thought movement. In general, the term "Science of Mind" applies to the teachings, while the term "Religious Science"...
, secular humanism
Secular humanism
Secular Humanism, alternatively known as Humanism , is a secular philosophy that embraces human reason, ethics, justice, and the search for human fulfillment...
and Religious Naturalists
Religious naturalism
Religious naturalism is an approach to spirituality that is devoid of supernaturalism. The focus is on the religious attributes of the universe/Nature, the understanding of it and our response to it . These provide for the development of an eco-morality...
venues. Dowd teaches that the Epic of Evolution is "a shared sacred story that honors both objective truth and subjective meaning" Barlow has put together a teaching aid for primary school children.
Voyages Through Time on CD-ROM is a year-long curriculum for ninth or tenth graders. It is divided into six modules: Cosmic Evolution, Planetary Evolution, Origin of Life, Evolution of Life, Hominid Evolution, and Evolution of Technology.
See also
- Cosmic evolution
- CosmologyCosmologyCosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
- EmergenceEmergenceIn philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
- Evolution as theory and factEvolution as theory and fact"Evolution is both fact and theory" is a statement that appears in numerous publications on biological evolution. The statement is framed to clarify misconceptions about the philosophy of evolution primarily in response to creationist statements that "evolution is only a theory"...
- Level of support for evolutionLevel of support for evolutionThe level of support for evolution among scientists, the public and other groups is a topic that frequently arises in the creation-evolution controversy and touches on educational, religious, philosophical, scientific and political issues. The subject is primarily contentious in the United States...
- Modern evolutionary synthesisModern evolutionary synthesisThe modern evolutionary synthesis is a union of ideas from several biological specialties which provides a widely accepted account of evolution...
- National Center for Science EducationNational Center for Science EducationThe National Center for Science Education is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It is the United States' leading anti-creationist organization, and defends the teaching of evolutionary biology and opposes...
- Natural historyNatural historyNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
- Objections to evolutionObjections to evolutionObjections to evolution have been raised since evolutionary ideas came to prominence in the 19th century. When Charles Darwin published his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, his theory of evolution by natural selection initially met opposition from scientists with different theories, but came to...
- Religious NaturalismReligious naturalismReligious naturalism is an approach to spirituality that is devoid of supernaturalism. The focus is on the religious attributes of the universe/Nature, the understanding of it and our response to it . These provide for the development of an eco-morality...
- Sociocultural evolutionSociocultural evolutionSociocultural evolution is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and social evolution, describing how cultures and societies have changed over time...
- Spiritual naturalismSpiritual NaturalismNaturalistic Spirituality and Spiritual Naturalism are interchangeable terms for the same philosophical perspective, with the latter term more commonly used...
- Theistic evolutionTheistic evolutionTheistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution...
- TimelineTimelineA timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
- Universal DarwinismUniversal darwinismUniversal Darwinism refers to a variety of approaches that extend the theory of Darwinism beyond its original domain of biological evolution on Earth...
Further reading
- 2009 – Michael RuseMichael RuseMichael Ruse is a philosopher of biology at Florida State University, and is well known for his work on the creationism/evolution controversy and the demarcation problem in science...
& Joseph Travis – Evolution: The First Four Billion Years, Belknap Press, 2009, ISBN 0-674-03175-X - 2008 – Chet RaymoChet RaymoChet Raymo is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column Science Musings appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years. This is now a daily blog by him...
– When God Is Gone, Everything Is Holy, Sorin Books, Sept. 2008, ISBN 1-933495-13-8 - 2008 – Michael DowdMichael DowdMichael Dowd is an American evolutionary theologian, bestselling author, and evangelist for Big History and Religious Naturalism....
– Thank God for Evolution:, Viking (June 2008), ISBN 0-670-02045-1 - 2008 – Kenneth R. MillerKenneth R. MillerKenneth Raymond Miller is a biology professor at Brown University. Miller, who is Roman Catholic, is particularly known for his opposition to creationism, including the intelligent design movement...
– Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul, Viking Adult, 2008, ISBN 0-670-01883-X - 2008 – Eugenie C. Scott – Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction, Greenwood Press, ISBN 978-0-313-34427-5
- 2007 – Eric ChaissonEric ChaissonEric J. Chaisson is an American astrophysicist and science educator best known for his research, teaching, and writing on the interdisciplinary science of cosmic evolution....
– Epic of Evolution, Columbia University Press (March 2, 2007), ISBN 0-231-13561-0 - 2006 – John HaughtJohn HaughtJohn F. Haught is a Roman Catholic theologian and Senior Research Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. His area of expertise is systematic theology, with a special interest in issues of science, cosmology, ecology, and reconciling evolution and religion...
– Is Nature Enough?, Cambridge University Press (May 31, 2006), ISBN 0-521-60993-3 - 2004 – Gordon KaufmanGordon D. KaufmanDr. Gordon D. Kaufman was the Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity at Harvard University where he taught since 1963. He lectured widely, and taught at universities across the United States , and also in India, Japan, South Africa, England, and Hong Kong...
– In the Beginning....Creativity, Augsburg Fortress Pub., 2004, ISBN 0-8006-6093-5 - 2003 – James B. Miller – The Epic of Evolution: Science and Religion in Dialogue, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2003, ISBN 0-13-093318-X
- 2000 – Ursula GoodenoughUrsula GoodenoughUrsula W. Goodenough is a Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the best selling book Sacred Depths of Nature...
– Sacred Depths of Nature, Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (June 15, 2000), ISBN 0-19-513629-2 - 2000 – John Stewart – Evolution's Arrow: The Direction of Evolution and the Future of Humanity, Chapman Press, 2000, ISBN 0-646-39497-5
- 1999 – Loyal RueLoyal RueDr. Loyal D. Rue is professor of religion and philosophy at Luther College of Decorah, Iowa , and focuses on naturalistic theories of religion.He has been awarded two John Templeton Foundation fellowships....
– Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution, SUNY Press, 1999, ISBN 0-7914-4392-2 - 1997– Connie Barlow – Green Space Green Time: The Way of Science, Springer (September 1997), ISBN 0-387-94794-9
- 1992 – Brian SwimmeBrian SwimmeBrian Thomas Swimme is on the faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco, where he teaches evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. He received his Ph.D. from the department of mathematics at the University of Oregon for work in singularity...
– The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era, HarperCollins, 1992, ISBN 0-06-250835-0 - 1978 – Edward O. Wilson – On Human Nature, Harvard University Press,1979, ISBN 0-674-01638-6
Reading lists – Books of the Epic of Evolution,
Cosmic Evolution
External links
- Epic of Evolution
- Epic of Evolution Information
- Cosmic Evolution
- Forum on Religion and Ecology
- Center for the Story of the Universe
- National Center for Science Education
- Understanding Evolution: Evolution Beyond Biology
- Evolution.Berkeley.edu
- The Great Story.org
- Tufts University.edu
- Voyages Through Time