Evolution and the Problem of Natural Evil

by Corey, Michael A.

• ISBN13: 9780761818113
• ISBN10: 0761818111
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-11-22
• Publisher: UPA

Summary

Is the evolutionary process intelligently designed? If so, why did the Creator choose such an evil-infested means to create the biosphere? What is the intrinsic nature of evil itself? Is natural evil necessary? Is evil compatible with the existence of God? Will the world's evils ever be totally redeemed? What place does humanity occupy in the cosmic scheme of things? Evolution and the Problem of Natural Evil attempts to answer these and other timeless questions by proposing a bold new conceptual synthesis that aggressively marries the tenets of modern developmental psychology to the basic concepts of classical theism. The end result of this novel approach is deeply encouraging, insofar as it places the problem of evil, as well as the general fate of human existence, in a much larger and more optimistic context than has traditionally been imagined.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction
Evolution and Evil
Historical Background	1	(4)
Empirical Support For Theistic Evolution	5	(70)
Lamarckism
Empirical Support for Neo-Lamarckism
Neo-Lamarckism and the Immune System
Genomic Stress and Extinction
Homeotic Genes
Introns and Evolution
Goldschmidt's ``Hopeful Monster''
Polyploidy
Evolutionary Genes and the Origin of Species
Denton's Bid for Directed Evolution
Not by Chance
Self-Organization and the Rise of Species
Autoevolutionism
Molecular Drive and Concerted Evolution
Genetically Driven Evolution
Discussion
The Explanatory Power of Masking Theory
Opportunism and Directed Evolution
Randomness and the Mutational Process
Three Types of Muations
The Role of Randomness in the Mutational Process
Randomness and Self-Organization
Holism and Directed Evolution
Charles Darwin And The Problem of Natural Evil	75	(10)
Moderate Anthropocentrism	85	(8)
The Necessity of Evolution	93	(38)
The Validity of the Evolutionary Paradigm
Human Nature and the Developmental Process
The Principle of Existential Ownership
Human Development and Process Thought
``Data Disks'' and the Human Mind
The Sanctity of Human Memory
The Primacy of the Developmental Process
The Character of the Human Developmental Process
The Link Between Evolution and Human Development
Unbroken Wholeness
The Biblical View
Philosophical Theology And Theistic Evolution	131	(20)
God is Natural
Can God Act Acausally?
Divine Delegation
Theistic Evolution and Modern Science
Creation Ex Nihilo
Theistic Essentialism and Process Thought
Theistic Naturalism vs. Supernatual Naturalism
The More Plausible View
William Paley and the Theistic Evolutionist's Position
God and Time
Evolution, Evil, and The Divine Goodness	151	(16)
Evolution and the Epistemic Distance Stipulation
Animal Suffering
The Ichneumons
Evolutoinary Waste and Intelligent Design
Discussion
Does the End Justify the Means?
Evolution And The Nature of The Miraculous	167	(8)
The Problem of Evil	175	(16)
Philosophical Statement of the Problem
Irenaean vs. Augustinian Theodicies
An Appropriate Reference Point
Essentialism And The Theodicy Question	191	(56)
A Critique of Essentialism
The Hidden Nature of the Essentialist's Position
The Quest for Ultimate Explanation
Freedom and Human Nature
Existentialism and Human Self-Assembly
Is the Infant's Brain a Tabla Rasa?
The First-Hand Nature of Human Development
The Price of Freedom
Evil, Freedom, and the Image of God
Evidence for the Semi-Divine Status of Humanity
The Anatomy of Moral Evil
The Intra-Human Origin of Moral Evil
Discussion
The Link Between Mental Illness and Moral Evil
The Prevention of Moral Evil
The Role of Sin
The Shadow
Dystelogical Evil, the Cross, and Human Growth	217	(30)
Evil And Modern Religious Philosophy	247	(34)
Apparent vs. Genuine Evil
The Justifiability of Putative Dysteleological Evil
The Developmentally Extended Free Will Defense
Transworld Depravity and Human Development
Entelechy and Evil
Evil as Non-Being
Barth's das Nichtige
Omnipotence and Evil
Freedom and the Possibility of Divine Intervention
An Infinitely Difficult Goal?
Evil and the Afterlife
A Theodicy For Natural Evils	281	(58)
Natural Evil and Soul-Making
Nature and the Human Developmental Process
The Human Essence as a Structural Template
The ``Fundamental Constants'' of the Human Essence
The Biblical View
The Role of Time
Human Character and the Earth's Geological Structure
The Inconspicuous Nature of this Contrivance
Spiritual Growth and the Survival of the Fittest
Evil and the Behavioral Incentive to Grow
Evil and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
The Path of Least Resistance
The Archetypal Nature of Natural Evils;
Animals as Archetypal Symbols
The Instructional Role of Natural Evil
The Body and Evil
Cancer and Neurosis
The Fragility of the Human Body
Death and Human Development
The Need for Pathogenic Microorganisms
The Need for Mind-Altering Substances
The Privation/Satiation Biological Cycle
The Need for Physical Limitations
Natural Evil and the Process Position
Freedom and the Great Chain of Behavioral Choices
Dialectical Balance in Nature and Human Life
The Likelihood of this Scenario
Relation to Hick's Theodicy
Necessity, Spiritual Growth, and Natural Evil
Why is Natural Evil a Problem to be Solved?
CONCLUSION	339	(6)
A Justifiable Means?
The Problem of Good
The God of Evolution
Bibliography	345	(16)
Index	361