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Evolution Beyond Biology: Comments and Responses

The theory of evolution is perceived by many people, particularly but not only in the United States, as a controversial theory not yet fully demonstrated. Yet, that living organisms, including humans, have evolved from ancestors that were very different from them is beyond reasonable doubt, confirmed by at least as much evidence as any other scientific theory. In my 2009 J.K. Russell Research Conference lecture on April 4, 2009, as well as elsewhere, I argued that Darwin’s contribution to science goes much beyond demonstrating that evolution occurs. I made two particular points that were, I thought, relevant for the occasion. The first is that Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the adaptations of organisms, their ‘‘design.’’ The second is that Darwin’s scientific explanation of the diversity and adaptations of organism is of consequence for Christian (and, more generally, monotheistic) theology, because it provides helpful grounds to deal with the ‘‘theodicy problem,’’ how to account for the presence of evil in the world.