An honest examination of evolutionary ethics should lead anyone, whether atheist or
Christian, to find this worldview problematic. At first glance, it may be a simple
solution for those who do not believe in an all knowing, infinite God who cares about
true justice. i
The biggest and most inevitable problem is that it does not address the nature of
man. i For this reason, evolutionary ethics is incompatible with a belief in God as the
foundation for ethics.
Both testaments of the Bible speak of our nature being sinful. The Old Testament
says in Jeremiah 17:9a that “The Heart is deceitful above all things.” While the New
Testament says in 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.”
In his secular article in Psychology Today, Israel W. Charny states that, “The politically
correct psychology of our time generally tells us, or at least implies, that, if free of
abnormality, human beings are humane and constructive, fun, and safe to be with.”[1] i
While he continues in his article to argue this point, he cannot deny that the dark side
of human nature is very real and must be faced.
Throughout history the majority of man has not held a Judeo-Christian worldview and
we have witnessed countless atrocities on every continent because in the absence of
a true relationship with God, man gives into his nature. i Examples such as the
Romans, Mongols, Aztecs and Muslims each prove this point with their barbarism
and violence. i This is not the result of mere evolution.
McQuilkin and Copan say that evolutionary ethics allows for the excuse that “there is
no real moral obligation behind those beliefs.”[2] Simply put, if it benefits a group or
the individual it is worth doing, whether Christian’s would find it moral or not.
McQuilkin and Copan also explain this when they say, “If we are simply the products
of naturalistic evolution and wired for survival, then the beliefs we hold are produced
by nonrational forces beyond our control.”[3] Laws become meaningless because
man can now act on his need for survival instead of ethics.
Often, I find that explaining this to someone to make them understand is to put it in
the perspective of a parent. i J. Warner Wallace says, “If you are a parent, you also
have some empirical evidence from which to draw. You know you don’t have to teach
your infant to be selfish, impatient, rude and self-serving.”[4] i It is morals that we must
teach them, not how to be sinful.
Bibliography:
Charny, Israel W. “The Nature of Man.”
Psychology Today
, March 27th, 2018.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/warrior-life/201803/the-nature-man-is-
man-nature-good-or-basically-bad (Links to an external site.).
McQuilkin, J Robertson, and Paul11197808308281802xmlmarcxml Copan.
An
Introduction to
Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom
. third ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, an
imprint of
InterVarsity Press, 2014.
Wallace, J. Warner. “What Does Christianity Say About the Nature of Humans?”
Cold-
Case Christianity
, February 24, 2020. https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/what-
does-christianity-say-about-the-nature-of-humans/ (Links to an external site.).
[1] Israel W. Charny, “The Nature of Man,”
Psychology Today
, March 27th, 2018,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/warrior-life/201803/the-nature-man-is-
man-nature-good-or-basically-bad (Links to an external site.).
[2] J Robertson McQuilkin and Paul11197808308281802xmlmarcxml Copan,
An
Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom
, third ed. (Downers
Grove, IL: IVP, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2014), 180.
[3] Ibid 181
[4] J. Warner Wallace, “What Does Christianity Say About the Nature of Humans?”
Cold-Case Christianity
, February 24, 2020,
https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/what-does-christianity-say-about-the-
nature-of-humans/ (Links to an external site.).
