Springer Asian Religious Responses to Darwinism: Evolutionary Theories in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and East Asian Cultural Contexts: 33 (Sophia Studies in ... Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures, 33)

This volume brings together diverse Asian religious perspectives to address critical issues in the encounter between tradition and modern western evolutionary thought. Such thought encompasses the biological theories of Charles Darwin, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Earnest Haeckel, Thomas Huxley, and later “neo-Darwinians,” as well as the more sociological evolutionary theories of thinkers such as Herbert Spencer, Pyotr Kropotkin, and Henri Bergson. The essays in this volume cover responses from Hindu, Jain, Buddhist (Chinese, Japanese, and Indo-Tibetan), Confucian, Daoist, and Muslim traditions. These responses come from the decades immediately after publication of The Origin of Species up to the present, with attention being paid to earlier perspectives and teachings within a tradition that have affected responses to Darwinism and western evolutionary thought in general. The book focuses on three critical issues: the struggle for survival and the moral implications read into it; genetic variation and its seeming randomness as related to the problems of meaning and purpose; and the nature of humankind and human exceptionalism. Each essay deals with one or more of the three issues within the context of a specific tradition. Review “Asian Religious Responses to Darwinism is a welcome and valuable addition to the literature about the intersection of evolutionary theory and religious belief … . Each of the essays includes a substantial list of works cited, including many non-English sources, making the book of particular interest to laypersons and scholars who do not specialize in any of these traditions. Overall, this is a valuable addition to the religion and science literature and deserving of a wide audience.” (Jim Sharp, Reading Religion, September 24, 2021) “Asian Religious Responses to Darwinism is a major contribution to the fields of religion and science and reception studies of Darwinism, two fields still dominated by Western and Christian concerns. … The volume provides fascinating explorations of a wide range of major religious thinkers and their approaches to Darwinism. … I hope this excellent volume will stimulate more scholars to investigate the impact of Darwinism in Asia.” (Clinton G. Godart, H-Net Reviews, h-net.org, July, 2021) From the Back Cover This volume brings together diverse Asian religious perspectives to address critical issues in the encounter between tradition and modern western evolutionary thought. Such thought encompasses the biological theories of Charles Darwin, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Earnest Haeckel, Thomas Huxley, and later “neo-Darwinians,” as well as the more sociological evolutionary theories of thinkers such as Herbert Spencer, Pyotr Kropotkin, and Henri Bergson. The essays in this volume cover responses from Hindu, Jain, Buddhist (Chinese, Japanese, and Indo-Tibetan), Confucian, Daoist, and Muslim traditions. These responses come from the decades immediately after publication of The Origin of Species up to the present, with attention being paid to earlier perspectives and teachings within a tradition that have affected responses to Darwinism and western evolutionary thought in general. The book focuses on three critical issues: the struggle for survival and the moral implications read into it; genetic variation and its seeming randomness as related to the problems of meaning and purpose; and the nature of humankind and human exceptionalism. Each essay deals with one or more of the three issues within the context of a specific tradition. About the Author C. Mackenzie Brown is professor emeritus of South Asian Religions and Religion and Science at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas.  He is author of Hindu Perspectives on Evolution: Darwin, Dharma, and Design (2012).  Related articles include “Hindu and Christian Creationism:  ‘Transposed Passages’ in the Geological Book of Life,” Zygon 37:1 (2002); “The Conflict between Religion an