Darwin in the Twenty-First Century : Nature, Humanity, and God

This collection of essays originated in conferences held at the Gregorian University in Rome and at the University of Notre Dame to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. These essays, by leading scholars, assess the continuing relevance of Darwin's work from the perspectives of biological science, history, philosophy, and theology. The contributors focus on three primary areas: developments in evolutionary biology that open up new ground for interdisciplinary dialogue; reflections on human evolution, with a particular focus on evolution and ethics; and new reflections on theology and evolution, particularly from a Roman Catholic perspective, drawing both on traditional perspectives and on new currents in Catholic theology. "This volume presents the best scholarship available on the present and future developments in evolutionary science and its implications for the humanities. It will reward careful study by evolutionary biologists and social scientists, but also philosophers and theologians-or indeed, by any reflective person seeking to be informed about up-to-date analysis of its three main topics: Nature, Humanity, and God. The editors of this volume are to be congratulated for producing a volume that makes available a rich array of voices from a variety of disciplines and schools of thought. It is a must read for anyone who wishes to be informed about the interpretation of Darwin in the twenty-first century." -Stephen J. Pope, Boston College "Darwin in the Twenty-First Century aims to present 'new reflections that anticipate the future of scientific and philosophical inquiry about evolution,' rather than giving an overview of all issues discussed in the conference or beyond. The volume focuses on present and future developments within evolutionary science and the impact on, and relation to, the humanities. These are central and the most exciting questions, and the volume gives multiple answers to how the discourse could be shaped in the future, both scientifically and from the perspective of the humanities." -Hille Haker, Loyola University Chicago