Alfred Russel Wallace’s Intelligent Evolution and Natural Theology

Alfred Russel Wallace’s conception of evolution and its relation to natural theology is examined. That conception is described as intelligent evolution—directed, detectably designed, and purposeful common descent. This essay extends discussion of the forces and influences behind Wallace’s journey fr...

Полное описание

Сохранить в:  
Библиографические подробности
Главный автор: Flannery, Michael A. (Автор)
Формат: Электронный ресурс Статья
Язык:Английский
Проверить наличие: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Загрузка...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Опубликовано: MDPI [2020]
В: Religions
Год: 2020, Том: 11, Выпуск: 3
Другие ключевые слова:B Alfred Russel Wallace
B William Paley
B Natural Theology
B Charles Darwin
B Эволюция
Online-ссылка: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Описание
Итог:Alfred Russel Wallace’s conception of evolution and its relation to natural theology is examined. That conception is described as intelligent evolution—directed, detectably designed, and purposeful common descent. This essay extends discussion of the forces and influences behind Wallace’s journey from the acknowledged co-discoverer of natural selection, to include his much lesser known position within the larger history of natural theology. It will do so by contextualizing it with an analysis of Darwin’s metaphysical commitments identified as undogmatic atheism. In this sense, David Kohn’s thesis that Darwin was the “last of the natural theologians” is revised to suggest that Wallace deserves to be included within the larger context of the British natural theologians in a surprisingly Paleyan tradition. As such, an important object of this essay is to clear away the historical fog that has surrounded this aspect of Wallace. That “fog” is composed of various formal historical fallacies that will be outlined in the penultimate section. Once described, explained, and corrected, Wallace becomes an enduring figure in carrying the British tradition of natural theology into the twentieth century and beyond.
ISSN:2077-1444
Второстепенные работы:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel11060316