A question for theistic evolutionists

[Ichthys4121517]

There seems to be one key inconsistency between Christianity and evolution that so many theistic evolutionists overlook. Consider this: If evolution is true, then that would mean that it will continue to happen in the future, as it (hypothetically) has happened in the past. If that were so, then wouldn’t humans eventually evolve into some sort of superhuman race that is more intelligent and more physically powerful than us? If that were true, then we humans wouldn’t be the pinnacle of God’s creation, as all Christians believe. Why would Jesus come to Earth as a human if, eventually, a greater being than humans would exist?

So, theistic evolutionists, how do you confront this problem? Do you believe that the end-times will come before that superhuman race evolves? Do you believe that evolution has just plateaued at humanity; we will never evolve into anything greater? Do you believe that any superhuman race will just not have souls?

I mean no disrespect, and I intend to keep this discussion civil. I’m just genuinely curious.

By the way, I know that this isn’t necessarily related to Scripture (although theistic evolution does seem to me to be incompatible with Genesis). But why should discussion about this topic be banned in “Philosophy” anyway?

 

[ZDHayden]

The response to your question actually was answered directly to a class I was in once. The teacher said that we control so much of our environment, and are likely to control more of it as time goes on, that the most we’d be likely to develop is an added resistance to UV rays or certain forms of bacteria. Think about it: evolution rests on the principle that change is brought about by competition. We are our own competition. We have wiped out or subjected every other form of competition. There is nothing for the human species, in short, to compete against for survival. That’s at least one command of God’s that we’ve managed to follow as a species

Also, if another species of Man does evolve, it won’t be us. It would, by necessity, be another species. Also it does not have to be a “superhuman.” If bulkier bodies and dimmer wits are advantageous to a particular region - that is what would, under the theory of evolution, develop.

Also, I’ve read a book, The Language of God by Francis S. Collins (you can probably find a paperback copy in Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble for &15), that deals with the compatibility of Christianity and our current knowledge of science. There are a few spots that are shaky on Catholic ground, but the author is addressing general Christianity and is likely not a Catholic.

For those of us who, like me, accept, within the bounds of Catholic teaching, the theory of Evolution, we must remember that science changes according to the evidence. The theories of how we got here are just that: speculative ideas about how we got to our present state. They should not be our focus.

Why is evolution banned from the philosophy section? I can only speculate but at any rate evolution as a biological theory has nothing to do with philosophy.

 

[Alan55]

There seems to be one key inconsistency between Christianity and evolution that so many theistic evolutionists overlook. Consider this: If evolution is true, then that would mean that it will continue to happen in the future, as it (hypothetically) has happened in the past. If that were so, then wouldn’t humans eventually evolve into some sort of superhuman race that is more intelligent and more physically powerful than us? If that were true, then we humans wouldn’t be the pinnacle of God’s creation, as all Christians believe. Why would Jesus come to Earth as a human if, eventually, a greater being than humans would exist?

So, theistic evolutionists, how do you confront this problem? Do you believe that the end-times will come before that superhuman race evolves? Do you believe that evolution has just plateaued at humanity; we will never evolve into anything greater? Do you believe that any superhuman race will just not have souls?

You assume that evolution will lead to some sort of superhuman race. In fact, evolution will simply make humans who are better adapted to their environment to have a competitive advantage, i.e., have more offspring. They could be smarter and weaker. Or dumber and stronger (I cite that excellent scientific source, the movie Idiocracy

 

[steveb1]

My understanding is that evolution is not about “getting better and better” - it’s about natural selection, a process that doesn’t “care” about intellectual or moral outcomes, unless such outcomes have survival value. So there is no reason why humankind should evolve into some kind of super-race possessed of telepathy and/or other preternatural powers. If one wishes to think - as Teilhard de Chardin did - that Christ as the Omega is drawing the evolving universe to a glorious completion in Himself, that’s an act of faith, but there is nothing inherent in evolution to prove such an idea.

 

[Ichthys4121517]

Ichthys4121517;7429724:

There seems to be one key inconsistency between Christianity and evolution that so many theistic evolutionists overlook. Consider this: If evolution is true, then that would mean that it will continue to happen in the future, as it (hypothetically) has happened in the past. If that were so, then wouldn’t humans eventually evolve into some sort of superhuman race that is more intelligent and more physically powerful than us? If that

were true, then we humans wouldn’t be the pinnacle of God’s creation, as all Christians believe. Why would Jesus come to Earth as a human if, eventually, a greater being than humans would exist?

So, theistic evolutionists, how do you confront this problem? Do you believe that the end-times will come before that superhuman race evolves? Do you believe that evolution has just plateaued at humanity; we will never evolve into anything greater? Do you believe that any superhuman race will just not have souls?

You assume that evolution will lead to some sort of superhuman race. In fact, evolution will simply make humans who are better adapted to their environment to have a competitive advantage, i.e., have more offspring. They could be smarter and weaker. Or dumber and stronger (I cite that excellent scientific source, the movie Idiocracy). Or about the same as they are today in intellect and physical strength. Given the generation time of the human race, noticeable changes likely will take a very long time to emerge.

The better test is with organisms having a very short generation time, such as bacteria. We can observe measurable changes in bacteria when subjected to environmental challenges in the laboratory and can even trace those changes to specific genetic mutations. Smarter and stronger, however, don’t seem to apply to single-celled organisms, but heritable changes to make bacteria better metabolizers of toxic substances, non-standard food sources, etc. are commonplace.

Of course, end times could come at any moment.

It doesn’t matter how long those noticeable changes take; if evolution is true, then humans are bound to become ancestors of a greater race, just as it has been the case for every other species. Evolution is based on the idea that we humans are just descendants of animals, and therefore are animals (in the common usage sense; no one would dispute that humans are mammals and, hence, animals, but “animal” has a non-human connotation to it) ourselves. So why shouldn’t we expect our descendants millions of years from now (if we live that long) to be an entirely different kind of organism? This is my point. It seems like a bit of a stretch to compromise Christianity with evolution, yet to expect us humans to have a special place in creation compared to everything else. Genesis says that God formed man and woman in a special way, different from that of the animals (from the dust and rib, respectively, with the breath of life).

My understanding is that evolution is not about “getting better and better” - it’s about natural selection, a process that doesn’t “care” about intellectual or moral outcomes, unless such outcomes have survival value. So there is no reason why humankind should evolve into some kind of super-race possessed of telepathy and/or other preternatural powers.

On the contrary, evolution, by definition, means a positive change. Evolution, on the grand scale, requires an addition of information (which science has shown to be highly unlikely, if not impossible, by mutations, but that’s a different topic). Humans have more information, and more intelligence, than apes. You seem to be thinking on a small scale - that is, natural selection, which has been observed and causes speciation. The large-scale, molecules-to-man macroevolution, however, implies that evolution will continue to produce greater species (and has not been observed). It is illogical - and arrogant - to assume that no greater being than man will be produced by evolution if it is true.

 

[edwest2]

We must always look to Church teaching about this subject. God has given us actual, real knowledge about our parents who were an actual couple. The secular world rejects this because a few scientists have told them that no God or supernatural force had been involved in the “natural” process that led to man. We are not just another animal. And our connection to previous forms is speculative.

Peace,
Ed