Jewish Tradition And the Challenge of Darwinism

by Cantor, Geoffrey

• ISBN13: 9780226092768
• ISBN10: 0226092763
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-11-15
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Darwin's theory of evolution transformed the life sciences and made profound claims about human origins and the human condition, topics often viewed as the prerogative of religion. As a result, evolution has provoked a wide variety of religious responses, ranging from angry rejection to enthusiastic acceptance. While Christian responses to evolution have been studied extensively, little scholarly attention has been paid to Jewish reactions.Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinismis the first extended meditation on the Jewish engagement with this crucial and controversial theory. The contributors toJewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinismfrom several academic disciplines and two branches of the rabbinatepresent case studies showing how Jewish discussions of evolution have been shaped by the intersections of faith, science, philosophy, and ideology in specific historical contexts. Furthermore, they examine how evolutionary theory has been deployed when characterizing Jews as a race, both by Zionists and by anti-Semites.Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinismaddresses historical and contemporary, as well as progressive and Orthodox, responses to evolution in America, Europe, and Israel, ultimately extending the history of Darwinism into new religious domains.

Author Biography

Geoffrey Cantor is professor of the history of science at the University of Leeds. Marc Swetlitz has taught history of science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Oklahoma.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Historical Perspectives on Jewish Responses to Evolution
Introduction to Part 1	p. 19
Anglo-Jewish Responses to Evolution	p. 23
Responses to Evolution by Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Rabbis in Twentieth-Century America	p. 47
"Practically, I Am a Fundamentalist": Twentieth-Century Orthodox Jews Contend with Evolution and Its Implications	p. 71
Social Uses of Evolution: Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Zionism
Introduction to Part 2	p. 89
The Impact of Social Darwinism on Anti-Semitic Ideology in Germany and Austria, 1860-1945	p. 93
The Evolution of Jewish Identity: Ignaz Zollschan between Jewish and Aryan Race Theories, 1910-1945	p. 116
Zionism, Race, and Eugenics	p. 137
Evolution and Contemporary Judaism
Introduction to Part 3	p. 163
Crisis Management via Biblical Interpretation: Fundamentalism, Modern Orthodoxy, and Genesis	p. 166
Torah and Madda? Evolution in the Jewish Educational Context	p. 188
Modern Orthodoxy and Evolution: The Models of Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi A. I. Kook	p. 208
The Order of Creation and the Emerging God: Evolution and Divine Action in the Natural World	p. 225
Suggested Reading	p. 247
Index	p. 251
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