Which of the problems McQuilken and Copan mention in Ch 11 are most
important—that is which is the most compelling reason to reject
Evolutionary Ethics and why?
According to McQuilken and Copan, evolutionary ethics is defined as the
view which states that “our ethical beliefs have developed through
evolution to help us survive and reproduce” (McQuilken et al. 2013, 181).
Based on this definition, McQuilken and Copan state that “there are
several problems with this way of thinking” (McQuilken et al. 2013, 181).
Although several problems as noted, the one that stands out most is the
third issue. This third issue asks, “Why trust our beliefs at all if we are just
the product of those material, valueless, mindless processes?” (McQuilken
et al. 2013, 181). With this problem, since humankind cannot trust his own
thoughts and beliefs, there must be something or someone else greater
than man who is in ultimate control.
Consider whether McQuilken and Copan overstate the case or not.
/The authors really dealt with the aforementioned problem. They
absolutely did not overstate their case. In the case concerning this
argument, the authors strongly stated that “the fact that we trust that our
minds are not systematically deceiving us, makes better sense if we have
been designed by a truthful, rational God” (McQuilken et al. 2013, 182).
Consider whether Evolutionary Ethics is compatible with belief in God as
the foundation for Ethics.
Based on the assigned readings and on passages in Genesis such as “In
the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1); “And
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis
1:26-27); and, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living
soul” (Genesis 2:7), I do not believe that evolutionary ethics is compatible
with a belief in God as the foundation for ethics. The reason I state this is
because those who believe in evolutionary ethics tend to put a belief in
science and biology before God as their source of life instead of making
God the source of all things including the source of life and ethics.
Bibliography
McQuilkin, Robert, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics:
Walking in the Way of Wisdom. Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2013.
