Evolution Topic: Ongoing debates: what are the key causal factors in biological history?

The first is Monod’s proposal. The chance element is held to be overwhelmingly dominant.

	[1] Does Evolution ‘do the work of a friend’ for the Christian Religion?
	Setting the scene - why focus on providence?
	[2] Supposed challenges from the evolutionary sciences to theology
	Intellectually fulfilled atheists?
	A challenge to human uniqueness and status?
	A challenge to purpose in creation?
	A threat to the veracity of scripture?
	Evolution ‘explains away’ theology?
	A challenge to Christian morality?
	The challenges in wider context - Darwin as a scapegoat?
	[3] The current state of the evolutionary sciences
	Different ways of conceptualising Darwinian evolution
	Evolution as chance and necessity
	Evolution as an algorithm
	Evolution as movement within a ‘fitness landscape’
	Ongoing debates: contingency versus convergence
	Ongoing debates: the environment as the principle cause?
	Ongoing debates: convergence as the principle cause?
	Ongoing debates: ‘Universal biology’ as the principle cause?
	The importance of moving from evolution as abstraction to particular history
	Ongoing debates: directionality and progress
	Ongoing debates: the origin of life
	Different levels and kinds of selection?
	[4] Responses from theology
	Evolution, probabilities and providence
	Responses from contemporary theologians
	Holmes Rolston III
	Keith Ward
	John Haught
	Arthur Peacocke
	An increased role for general providence?
	Theology of Creation in the light of evolution: three scenarios
	[5] Concluding remarks
	Sources