The Evolutionary Argument for Atheism
The Evolutionary Argument for Atheism
It is commonly said that Darwinian evolution conflicts with theistic religion. Those who say such things often have in mind claims that are peripheral to theistic religion, for example, the claim that God created the earth about 6,000 years ago or the claim that God directly created each species. No interest is shown in the thesis that Darwinian evolution conflicts with these peripheral claims. However, an interest is shown in the thesis that Darwinian evolution conflicts with claims that are central to theistic religion. Among those who say that Darwinian evolution conflicts with claims central to theistic religion, we find those who say that it is incompatible with them and those who say that, although there is no incompatibility, evolution nevertheless provides significant evidence against them. This essay focuses on the second group. More narrowly, the focus is on Paul Draper’s argument for this conclusion.
Keywords: theism, evolution, Draper, atheism, agnosticism, van Inwagen, Leibniz
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