Projekt „teologii” ewolucyjnej Edwarda D. Cope’a

Michał Wagner

doi:10.21697/spch.2021.57.A.11

Published: 2021-12-31

Vol. 57 No. 2 (2021)

Edward D. Cope’s Project of Evolutionary “Theology”

Michał Wagner

Studia Philosophiae Christianae

Section: Papers

https://doi.org/10.21697/spch.2021.57.A.11

Abstract

Edward Dinker Cope (1840-1897) was one of the most influential naturalists of the nineteenth century, who led the development of American paleontology and the popularization of Lamarck’s theory of evolution. One of the overlooked threads in his biography is his philosophical views. According to Cope, theology should be reformed with the introduction of new philosophical assumptions in line with the emerging theory of evolution. Cope proposed the formulation of a new “theology” based on his own theory of evolution. This article examines Cope’s philosophical views and shows how he reinterpreted the mechanism of natural selection by incorporating it into his own teleological account of evolution. According to Cope free will enables man to control evolution, but there is no guarantee that man will survive. According to Cope, this is a theological thesis as he considers maladaptation as equivalent to sin, which in turn was eliminated by natural selection. As a result, belief in God becomes the only way to guarantee survival. However, this conclusion also led Cope to rationalize racism as he saw in the exploitation of other races the effects of their degeneration. Cope’s views reflect problems in contemporary sociobiology and evolutionary psychology.

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Received: 29/08/2021. Reviewed: 11/10/2021. Accepted: 25/10/2021.

Keywords:

Edward Dinker Cope, evolution, Charles Darwin, neo-Lamarckism, eclipse of Darwinism

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Wagner, M. (2021). Edward D. Cope’s Project of Evolutionary “Theology”. Studia Philosophiae Christianae, 57(2), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.21697/spch.2021.57.A.11

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