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Darwin, Social Theory, and the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
Research Articles
Darwin, Social Theory, and the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge
Research Articles
Darwin, Social Theory, and the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge

Abstract

This essay considers ways in which Darwin's account of natural processes was influenced by economic, ethical, and natural‐theological theories in his own day. It argues that the Anabaptist concept of “the gospel of all creatures” calls into question alliances between evolutionary theory and social policy that are based on the dominance of conflictual images such as “the survival of the fittest” and questions the negative images of both nature and God that Darwinism has been taken to sponsor. The essay also considers developments in biology that have called into question dualist accounts of human nature as body and soul, thus reminding us that we are fully a part of the natural world and thus contributing, in turn, to a better theological grasp of God's relation to nature.

Keywords

Charles Darwin, religion and science, nonreductive physicalism, social Darwinism, Thomas Malthus

How to Cite

Murphy, N., (1999) “Darwin, Social Theory, and the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 34(4), 573–600. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.00237

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© 2024 The Author(s).

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Authors

Nancey Murphy (Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science)

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Issue

  • Volume 34 • Issue 4 • December 1999

Publication details

Pages 573–600
Published on 1999-12-01

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

Identifiers

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0591-2385.00237

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  • PDF: 02b5b8150a686ca06c201231c12c4c33
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