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Product Description
Review
PRAISE FOR NONZERO:
"An original, accessible and thought-provoking view of history...full of rich detail, ingenious insight and bold argument."
(The Economist )PRAISE FOR THE EVOLUTION OF GOD:
"THE EVOLUTION OF GOD gives me hope...The tone of the book is dry skepticism with a dash of humour; the content is supple, dense and layered...fresh and necessary."
(The Times Andrew Sullivan )
Book Description
In this sweeping, dazzling journey through history, Robert Wright unveils a discovery of crucial importance to the present moment: there is a pattern in the evolution Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and a "hidden code" in their scriptures. Through the prisms of archeology, theology, anthropology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright repeatedly overturns conventional wisdom to show how and why religion can strengthen the social order-even in an age of globalization-and explains why modern science is not only compatible with religion, but actively affirms the validity of the religious quest. Vast in scope and thrilling in ambition, The Evolution of God brilliantly alters our understanding of God and where He came from-and where He and we are going next.
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Most helpful customer reviews
28 of 32 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating History; Disappointing Analysis,
By
This review is from: The Evolution of God (Hardcover)
As the title suggests, this book explores the history of how god(s) evolved, beginning with pre-historic hunter-gather societies who had many gods, through to the birth of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Wright is a clear and compelling writer, and researched his topic well. I thoroughly enjoyed the history. The description of Polynesian religion, in particular, was fascinating, as was the description of how Judaism moved from monolatry (the belief that many gods exist but only one is worth worshiping) to monotheism (the belief that there is only one god).Throughout the main portion of the book, Wright's main theme is that the kind of god people imagine depends on the way they view their neighbors. When people feel isolated, and that everyone is out to get them, they imagine a god who is intolerant of outsiders (non-believers). When people see their neighbors as friendly, and potential allies or trading partners, they imagine a god who is more tolerant and inclusive. Moreover, the scriptures of all three Abrahamic faiths contain portions that were written when the authors were feeling threatened, and other portions that were written when they were feeling friendly. So, today, people can find support in the scripture for declaring jihad (or crusade) on the infidel, or for loving thy neighbor. That fact has obvious implications for the world today. If we in the West make Muslims feel that we hate them, they will hate us and radical interpretations Islam of flourish. While that is an important point, with important implications, it is also rather obvious. The last portion of the book was, in my view, the weakest. Wright expressly states that he is agnostic; he is not sure whether God exists. Wright then attacks the new atheists -- Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, Hitchens -- claiming that something Wright calls "moral truth" is evidence that a god of some description exists. "Moral truth" apparently means that: 1. We all had better learn to get along or we're all in trouble; and/or 2. "History" is moving in the direction of a larger and larger moral circle, i.e., as time goes by, we tend to accept larger and larger groups of people as morally relevant. I get that, generally speaking, the moral circle is increasing and that that is a good thing and to be encouraged. The rest of it, however, made little or no sense to me. Maybe that is my fault, but I suspect not. Personally, I was very disappointed by this book, but I still think it is worth a read. Wright's two previous books, Nonzero and The Moral Animal, are two of my all time favorites. Many reviewers, both amateur and professional, share that view. I had very high expectations for this book, so perhaps my expectations were too high. I would give almost anything to be able to write a book even one tenth as valuable and insightful as Nonzero. Perhaps Wright just set the bar too high for himself.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A materialists view of divinity,
By
This review is from: The Evolution of God (Hardcover)
Although quite lengthy, this is a high quality book about the gods of history written by an agnostic materialist. His history of the origination of god-like figures in the hunter gatherers is well researched and quite sensical. The author then traces the expansion of what the peoples view god as being as the communities in which they live grow in size and complexity. In all cases, however, the author sees that it was man, out of his needs, who created their existing image of god, and not the other way around. Religion is formed from 'the ground up' and not from 'heaven downward'.Although he remains true to his agnostic stance Wright is able to conclude that in spite of religion's origination dynamics, there may actually be something that is 'divine' in mankind afterall. He sees that the moralistic base of most cultures, throughout time, have improved. And while history shows a repeated series of upward and downward spirals morally and spiritually, he feels that overall the moral base of the world is improving. The one critical element that this process needs is for each of the Abrahamic religions to give up their feeling of 'being special in god's eyes' and admit that they are all chasing after the same god. This is something that will not happen anytime soon. I highly recommend this book for those persons who are researching the existence or non-existence of God and how this impacts not only the individual but society as well.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Controversial and Challenging,
By Ian Gordon Malcomson (Victoria, BC) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Evolution of God (Hardcover)
Religious writer and modern theologian Robert Wright has recently come out in defense of monotheism in his tongue-in-cheek study of God and modern culture. Wright believes that the world is moving towards a more generic understanding of who God or Yahweh is in contemporary thinking. Over the centuries, many people and groups from various religious perspectives have devised images of God that suit their own particular earthly and after-death needs. As the 21st century rolls on, those images of who God is tend to coalesce in a form that resembles an all-loving deity who wants his creatures to be the same. No anger in this God regardless of what humanity has done to earn hell-fire and eternal damnation. The tough-minded, authoritarian God of the Old Testament has been conveniently forgotten about and replaced with a kind grandfatherly patriarchal figure who preaches love rather than practices revenge. I agree with Wright that we are moving rapidly towards a concept of God that is comfortable to our senses rather than challenging to our consciences. Soon, morals and precepts will give way to an easy and cheap grace that amounts to striving to obey the second commandment of Scripture without practicing the first and most important one: "love the Lord your God with all your heart . . . ". God, in essence, has become a commodity to be sold as an idea, and not a truth, to a world fixated on love, peace and all things nice. For many, loving your neighbour is the ultimate challenge for gaining God's grace and mercy, and the dividing line between saint and sinner in that final day. Don't talk about loving an invisible God because that is too high an expectation for the average earthling caught up in the moil and toil of everyday life. For traditionalists like myself, Wright might be guilty of trying to reduce God to a very humanistic and earthly being that becomes our friend rather than our holy father. Nevertheless, an interesting redefining of God in a secular setting.
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