The Evolution of God

From Strand Bookstore

This sweeping narrative takes readers from the Stone Age to the Information Age. Robert Wright-prize-winning author of The Moral Animal and Nonzero- unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today, and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest, as well as pointing toward future harmony. 384p.

From the Publisher

A narrative examination of religion through the ages by the prize-winning author of The Moral Animal and Nonzero identifies a pattern that has emerged in the evolutions of forefront monotheistic faiths, drawing on a range of disciplines to challenge basic assumptions while explaining how science actually affirms the validity of spiritual quests.

Review

Stephen Prothero - Washington Post
"There is reason to hope, [Wright] writes, that the Abrahamic religions can get along with one another, with science and with the modern world. But [he] also exhibits an even more radical hope: that human beings might learn to talk about religion in a manner that is both civil and intelligent."

Review

Paul Bloom - New York Times Book Review
"In [this] brilliant...book, Robert Wright tells the story of how God grew up....[He proposes] that the increasing goodness of God reflects the increasing goodness of our species....[but he] makes it clear that he is tracking people's convention of the divine, not the divine itself....His views...are provocative and controversial. There is something here to annoy almost everyone."

Review

New Yorker
'Straddling popular science, ancient history, and theology, this ambitious work sets out to resolve not only the clash of civilizations between the Judeo-Christian West and the Muslim world but also the clash between science and religion....[Wright's] core argument, that religion is getting 'better' with each passing aeon, is enthralling."

Review

Gregg Easterbrook - Wall Street Journal
"On any list of nonfiction authors that many people may not know but should, Robert Wright would rank high....[His three books] THE MORAL ANIMAL, NONZERO, and THE EVOLUTION OF GOD represent a powerful addition to modern thought."

Review

H. Allen Orr - New York Review of Books
"Wright's book has several strengths. Perhaps the most conspicuous is the prose....Wright is a skillful writer and he knows how to keep a story moving....His discussion is also surprisingly erudite....In a climate in which discussions of religion...often seem superficial or rushed, Wright is to be commended for his close study....All this combines to provide an absorbing (and rant-free) tour of Western religion."

More about the book

Many creationists believe that the scientific evidence which unanimously supports the truth of evolution is actually proof of their claim to an originating force, in that only a divine being of some sort could be responsible for such a precise and perfect process. In this insightful new exploration, Robert Wright reverses this argumentative method and shows how the religious ideals which form the foundation of the creationist stance may actually be evidence in support of the theory of evolution. Wright focuses on the three "Abrahamic" religions--Christianity, Judaism, and Islam--and demonstrates how people have altered the tenets of their beliefs over time in order to better adapt to the circumstances of their changing environments. Most presciently, Wright identifies this system of evolutionary change as an inherent similarity between these three divergent faiths, and encourages religious practitioners to use this as a starting point toward focusing on tolerance and cooperation rather than antagonism and conflict. Selected by the New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of 2009.

Synopses

In this sweeping narrative that takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today, and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism, but future harmony.--From publisher description.