The Evolution of God

by: Robert Wright

Published by: Little Brown and Company

Reviewed by Muhammed Hassanali

A title such as The Evolution of God can be interpreted in several different ways. One interpretation is how human understanding of God has evolved over time, and is the interpretation taken by the book. Hence the expectation is that the contents would discuss our transition from ancient religions to the faiths we know today. While the book addresses most of the above expectation, it does not cover the Eastern religious traditions–only the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).

The narrative uses well-developed approaches from the sociology and anthropology of religion to describe the development of religion from hunter-gatherer societies to modern ones. This discussion strays little from an already well-trodden path. The focus on the Abrahamic faiths leads to the observation that apart from being monotheistic faiths, they all contain a formula for salvation – again nothing novel here. The narrative then uses game theory to encourage readers to adopt a non-zero sum relationship towards those of different beliefs and show genuine tolerance towards those of other religious persuasions.

The text does not arm-twist readers to accept a theist or atheist viewpoint. Instead it tries to reconcile religion and the modern world in that it tries to account for contemporary people believing in a God while not running contrary to science. It is however presented from a man-created God perspective.

The narrative is not without its challenges. While the book does have an impressive list of references, the text does not make full use of these references and as a result it does not adequately address some mainstream contemporary views. This is especially true in references to Islam and Christianity. The analysis does not indicate that religion causes moral progress – merely that religion is a reflection of the current morality. Hence the conclusion that we are moving towards an objective moral order that transcends nature is at best suspect.

Another issue that needs further elaboration is why does God matter anyway? Or how does God drive our lives? Without this practical use, the underpinnings of a man-created God perspective are shaky at best. In trying to tread a middle ground, the book does not do justice to either the theist perspective, or the atheist one.

Armchair Interviews says: An interesting and challenging read.