Alone in the World? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology.
Wilson, James R.
Alone in the World? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology. By J.
Wentzel van Huyssteen. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2006.
xviii and 347 pages. Cloth. $40.00.
In this brilliant piece of interdisciplinary scholarship, van
Huyssteen weaves together insights from evolutionary epistemology,
theology, and paleoanthropology in addressing the complex subject of
human uniqueness. As in his prior works, he forcefully argues that
rationality is a property of persons and should be conceived as a skill
that applies "transversally" across the porous boundaries of
disciplines. On this view of rationality, interdisciplinarity refers to
engagement between particular persons embedded in specific contexts
whose efforts to solve clearly defined, shared problems lead them into
dialogue across the boundaries of their problem-solving traditions.
Van Huyssteen's thesis in this work is that a theological
understanding of human uniqueness might inform and be informed by the
discussion of human origins and uniqueness in paleoanthropology and that
productive dialogue between the disciplines might take place in a
dialogical space opened by evolutionary epistemology. A central aspect
of this thesis lies in the contention that an adequate understanding of
human uniqueness will account both for its evolutionary origin and its
propensity for religious expression.
Step one toward dialogue between theology and science on the
question of human uniqueness is to identify the contours of the problem
within each disciplinary context. Van Huyssteen maintains that in each
discipline, ongoing discussion revolves around a "canonical
core." Scientific discourse moves around Darwin's notion that
the evolution of human cognition is key to understanding human
uniqueness. Van Huyssteen believes the epistemic implications of
Darwin's understanding opens space for dialogue between theological
anthropology and paleoanthropology by linking (while distinguishing)
biology and culture (including religion).
From this methodological point, van Huyssteen measures current
theological discussion of human uniqueness against biblical passages
comprising the canonical core of the doctrine of the imago Dei. In his
view, the core texts focus on embodied ways that humans relate God to
other creatures through faithful stewardship. Therefore, theologians who
receive van Huyssteen's favorable review set the human longing (and
capacity) for meaning through discourse with God (via ritual and other
symbolic, imaginative behavior) in a context of overarching continuity
between humans and the rest of creation. This holistic vision of the
human as an animal who images God in its various concrete relations in
and with the world not only remains true to the canonical core but also
engages paleoanthropology more readily than theological conceptions van
Huyssteen regards as abstract and speculative. The critique of
theological speculation van Huyssteen iterates throughout this text is
effective; however, I wonder whether he correctly characterizes the
particular theologians he reviews. It may be more accurate to say, for
instance, that LeRon Shults relies on trinitarian and eschatological conceptuality as a means for marking out conditions for relating
redemptively to the biblical God, i.e., as an expression of the gospel,
rather than as "radical metaphysics" that risk Christian
theology's interdisciplinary character (p. 142).
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of van Huyssteen's treatise
is his argument for the "naturalness of religion" based on the
interpretation of several prehistoric cave images as exemplifying
"the profound role of shamanism and altered states of consciousness in the Upper Paleolithic" (p. 251). At the heart of this complex
contention is the notion that the evolution of symbolic, cognitively
fluid minds is directly linked with the emergence and integrity of
religious awareness and behavior. The intimate connection between the
evolution of human cognitive ability and its employment in religious
expression arguably justifies the claim that any adequate account of
human uniqueness will regard religion as a natural aspect of human life.
This thesis, and the multifaceted arguments articulated in support of
it, should be of great interest to anyone seeking a legitimate public
voice for theology.
James R. Wilson
Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, VA
