Darwin’s Shadow: Context and Reception in the Western World

Abstract

Emerging from a particular European context, Darwin’s ideas have influenced all parts of the world. Two hundred years after his birth, Darwin contin- ues to cast a long shadow over fundamental beliefs and concepts of a large number of people. Many re- ligious scholars have devised ways to accommodate Darwinism into their religious beliefs. These include religious scholars of all three monotheistic religions, for whom the notion of God is a central tenet, even though Darwinism appears to render superfluous the very notion of a Creator as conceived in this tradition. Supported by famous scientists, a multi-million dollar Darwin industry has emerged in the wake of Darwin’s 1859 influential book, On the Origin of Species. Not only modern biology, founded on Darwinian and neo-Darwinian theories, but also several other disci- plines—such as anthropology, sociology, anatomy, ge- ology, and history—have been affected by Darwinism. This is the first of a three-part article on Darwin, natural selection, neo-Darwinism, and the philo- sophical and religious responses to these ideas. It focuses on the emergence of Darwinism and surveys Darwin’s reception in the West. Part II will deal with Darwin’s reception in the Muslim world and part III will examine Darwinism and neo-Darwinism from an Islamic perspective.