Darwin's Cathedral

Darwin's Cathedral
Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Total Pages : 280
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0226901351
ISBN-13 : 9780226901350
Rating : 4/5 (51 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Darwin's Cathedral by : David Wilson

Download or read book Darwin's Cathedral written by David Wilson and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2003-10 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the great intellectual battles of modern times is between evolution and religion. Until now, they have been considered completely irreconcilable theories of origin and existence. David Sloan Wilson's Darwin's Cathedral takes the radical step of joining the two, in the process proposing an evolutionary theory of religion that shakes both evolutionary biology and social theory at their foundations. The key, argues Wilson, is to think of society as an organism, an old idea that has received new life based on recent developments in evolutionary biology. If society is an organism, can we then think of morality and religion as biologically and culturally evolved adaptations that enable human groups to function as single units rather than mere collections of individuals? Wilson brings a variety of evidence to bear on this question, from both the biological and social sciences. From Calvinism in sixteenth-century Geneva to Balinese water temples, from hunter-gatherer societies to urban America, Wilson demonstrates how religions have enabled people to achieve by collective action what they never could do alone. He also includes a chapter considering forgiveness from an evolutionary perspective and concludes by discussing how all social organizations, including science, could benefit by incorporating elements of religion. Religious believers often compare their communities to single organisms and even to insect colonies. Astoundingly, Wilson shows that they might be literally correct. Intended for any educated reader, Darwin's Cathedral will change forever the way we view the relations among evolution, religion, and human society.


Darwin's Cathedral Related Books

Darwin's Cathedral
Language: en
Pages: 280
Authors: David Wilson
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2003-10 - Publisher: University of Chicago Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One of the great intellectual battles of modern times is between evolution and religion. Until now, they have been considered completely irreconcilable theories
Darwin's Cathedral
Language: en
Pages: 288
Authors: David Wilson
Categories: Religion
Type: BOOK - Published: 2002-06 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One of the great intellectual battles of modern times is between evolution and religion. Until now, they have been considered completely irreconcilable theories
Evolution for Everyone
Language: en
Pages: 402
Authors: David Sloan Wilson
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2007-03-27 - Publisher: Delacorte Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

With stories that entertain as much as they inform, renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, when prop
Does Altruism Exist?
Language: en
Pages: 190
Authors: David Sloan Wilson
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-01-01 - Publisher: Yale University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Argues that altruism is an inherent factor of group functionality and discusses how studying group function can promote positive changes to the human condition.
The Neighborhood Project
Language: en
Pages: 448
Authors: David Sloan Wilson
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-08-24 - Publisher: Hachette UK

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

After decades studying creatures great and small, evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson had an epiphany: Darwin's theory won't fully prove itself until it i