In social, cultural, and religious studies in the United States, the "epic of evolution" is a narrative that blends religious and scientific views of cosmic, biological, and sociocultural evolution in a mythological manner. According to The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, an "epic of evolution" encompasses
History
"Epic of evolution" seems to have originated from the sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson's use of the phrase "evolutionary epic" in 1978.E. O. Wilson coined the term "evolutionary epic"– Teilhard Perspective, Volume 30 #2 Fall 1997."The evolutionary epic is probably the best myth we will ever have." On Human Nature, E. O. Wilson, 1978, p 201. Wilson was not the first to use the phrase, but, due to his prominence, the modified phrase 'epic of evolution,' became widespread. In later years, he, too, used the modified phrase.
Naturalistic and liberal religious writers have used the phrase in a number of texts. They have also used related phrases: Universe Story (Brian Swimme, John F. Haught), Great Story (Connie Barlow, Michael Dowd), Everybody's Story (Loyal RueRue, Loyal. Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution, SUNY Press, 1999, ), New Story (Thomas Berry, Al Gore, Brian Swimme) and Cosmic Evolution (Eric ChaissonChaisson, Eric. Epic of Evolution: Seven Ages of the Cosmos, Columbia University Press, 2006, , paper978-0-231-13561-0).Thomas, Alfred K. The Epic of Evolution, Its Etiology and Art: A Study of Vardis Fisher's Testament of Man, University Microfilms International, 1989Miller, James B. The Epic of Evolution: Science and Religion in Dialogue, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2003, Kaufman, Gordon. The Epic of Evolution as a Framework for Human Orientation, 1997Hefner. The Evolutionary Epic. Zygon, vol.44 #1, March 2009, page 3. "An enormous amount of attention has been given to constructing this myth. Such efforts commonly go under the names 'evolutionary epic,' 'epic of evolution,' or 'epic of creation'."
Narrative Evolution generally refers to biological evolution, but here it means a process in which the whole universe is a progression of interrelated phenomena, a gradual processJ. C. Polkinghorne, The Work of Love: Creation as Kenosis, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2001, (Peacocke chapter) page 21, in which something changes into a different and usually more complex form (emergence). It should not be "biologized" as it includes many areas of science.Erwin Fahlbusch, Geoffrey William Bromiley – The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2001, page 229, In addition, outside of the scientific community, the term evolution is frequently used differently from scientists' usage. This often leads to misunderstanding since scientists are viewing evolution from a different perspective.Laurence Moran – What is Evolution, 1993 retrieved 4-07-09 The same applies to the use of the term theory as used in the theory of evolution (see references for Evolution as theory and fact).
This epic is not a long narrative poem but a series of events that form the subject for a kind of tale. It is mythic in that it is a story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the worldview of a people and explains a natural phenomenon.Merriam-Webster It is a form of myth that has an approach to investigation that is empirical or scientific.Epic of Evolution is definitely mythic – Brian Swimme interview According to Joseph Campbell, myths serve two purposes—provide meaning for a maturing individual (an individuate) and how to be part of a community.Duncan Campbell in one of his interview
The epic as myth William Grassie of Temple University writes that the word "myth" in common usage is usually misunderstood. In academia it defines "a story that serves to define the fundamental world view of a culture by explaining aspects of the natural world and delineating the psychological and social practices and ideals of a society". He suggests that the Greek term mythos would be a better term to apply to the Epic as it is more all-encompassing. He concluded that there is not yet an interpretive tradition within science and society about this epic of evolution. If anything, there is an anti-interpretation tradition. Consequently, this is dangerous as it is a powerful revelation at this time.Can the modern evolutionary cosmology be a mythic story for our time?- retrieved 3-22-09 Grassie says the Epic is complex and multifaceted, not simple or easy to understand. It takes a romantic vision, philosophical rigor, and artistic interpretations. It requires a consilience of modern disciplines and acceptance of social diversity. The ancient wisdoms of the world's spiritual traditions must be adapted to make the framework to weave the Epic.William Grassie, Science and Spirit 1998, 9(1) – page 6 of this ref- Science and Spirit retrieved 3-16-09
Interpretations of the epic
E. O. Wilson wrote that humans had a need for the epic of evolution because they must have a mythical story or a sublime account of how the world was created and how humanity became part of it. He believes religious epics fulfill a primal need in this respect as they verify that humans are part of something greater than themselves. His position is that the best empirical knowledge that science and history can provide is necessary in order to provide a comparable epic tale that will reliably unite a separated human spirituality.Edward O. Wilson, Foreword of Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution By Loyal D. Rue, SUNY Press, 1999, page ix and x,, He believes the evolutionary epic can be as inherently noble as any religious epic when it is expressed in a poetic way. Edward O. Wilson, Consilience 1998 In a similar vein, biologist Ursula Goodenough sees the tale of natural emergence as far more magical than traditional religious miracles. It is a story that people can work with in a religious way if they elect to do so.Ursula Goodenough – Sacred Depths of Nature, Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (June 15, 2000),
Philip Hefner uses the analogy of weaving to describe the Epic. The warp anchors the story and the weft creates the pattern and the tapestry. The Epic, as scientists see it, is the warp and the weft forms the pattern as each of us views it (we are all weavers) but the patterns all have the warp in common.Classic Quotations – Philip Hefner, 1997 AAAS Epic of Evolution Conference Hefner writes that stories about the evolutionary epic are redolent with ultimacy. It is not science; it is scientifically informed myth, a myth driven by the refusal to give up on the insistence that the natural world and our lives in the world have meaning and purpose. It is a mythical tale of irony and hope that fills a large space in the domain of religion-and-science.Hefner – The Evolutionary Epic – Zygon, vol.44 #1, March 2009, page 5,6 Biologist Ursula Goodenough also makes use of Hefner's weaving metaphor.Ursula Goodenough – The Sacred Depths of Nature, Oxford University Press US, 1998, page 272,
Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd's Great Story divides the epic into 8 phases eons or eras: the Great Radiance, the Galactic, Hadean, Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Great Story Timeline Dowd uses the term 'epic of evolution' to help construct his viewpoint of evolution theology (a form of theistic evolution). His position is that science and religious faith are not mutually exclusive.Evolution Theology: Religion 2.0 He preaches that the epic of cosmic, biological, and human evolution, revealed by science, is a basis for an inspiring and meaningful view of our place in the universe. Evolution is viewed as a spiritual process that it is not chance.Thank God for Evolution An entry by Barlow in Bron Taylor's The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature gives four primary categories: cosmic, planetary, life, cultural.
Loyal Rue states that there is nothing in the core of everybody's story to rule out belief in a personal deity. He says belief in God is not an indispensable part of this narrative and here will be both theistic and non-theistic versions of it.Loyal Rue – Everybody's Story: Wising Up to the Epic of Evolution, SUNY Press, 1999, He says it is the fundamental story of matter, created from energy, the organization of that matter into complex conditions, and then via self-organization into diverse life forms. Humans are as other living things—we are by nature star-born, earth-formed, fitness-maximized, biochemical systems. An aspect of the Epic is the evolution of behavior by that biochemical system.Loyal Rue – Religion is not About God, Rutgers University Press, 2006, Part 1.1,
Gordon D. Kaufman sees the Epic as a serendipitous creative process. He states that it is a notion that can interpret the enormous expansion and complexification of the physical universe (from the Big Bang outward), as well as the evolution of life here on earth and the gradual emergence of human historical existence. The whole vast process manifests (in varying degrees) serendipitous creativity, an everflowing coming into being of new modes of reality.Gordon D. Kaufman – God, mystery, diversity: Christian theology in a pluralistic world, Fortress Press, 1996, page 101–102, retrieved 3-17-09 In his book, In the beginning—creativity, he says this creative process is God. Creativity, as metaphor, and as defined in the concept of evolution, has possibilities for constructing a new concept of God. The most foundational kind of creativity is found in that of cosmos/biological evolution—a paradigm that is now the organizing principle of all the sciences.Gordon D. Kaufman – In the beginning—creativity, Fortress Press, 2004, page x,33,57,137, retrieved 3-17-09] It would seem as though he was equating God to the evolutionary story. This is similar to Dowd who sees the facts of Nature as God's native tongue.evolutionary evangelist retrieved 2009-02-01
Eric Chaisson orients his view of the epic around an "arrow of time",Two movies: Arrow of Time and Cosmic Origins which he divides into 'Seven Ages of the Cosmos': particulate, galactic, stellar, planetary, chemical, biological, and cultural.Chaisson – Epic of Evolution: Seven Ages of the Cosmos, 2006Cosmic Evolution However, such a thermodynamic arrow is not intended to be directional, a common misunderstanding; he sees no purpose, plan, or design in evolution, which he regards as unceasing, uncaring, and unpredictable. Chaisson's scientific analysis of evolution in its sense—cosmic evolution)—implies a unidirectional, meandering process extending from the Big Bang to humankind on Earth, and continuing while likely producing increasing complexity, perhaps forever, to ends unknown. As a physicist, he is perhaps best known for attempting to quantify the epic of evolution, using the currently known laws of science and the scientific method (with its insistence on experimental tests of all ideas, principally those of energy rate density) in order to empirically discriminate between objective sense and subjective nonsense. What emerges is a grand and inspiring scientific narrative of who we are and whence we came—the most recent and up-to-date version of this work having been summarized in a long peer-review article."The Natural Science Underlying Big History," The Scientific World Journal, v 2014, 41 pgs, 2014; DOI:10.1155/2014/384912.
Creation–evolution controversy
The creation–evolution controversy goes beyond the field of evolutionary biology and includes many fields of science (cosmology, geology, paleontology, thermodynamics, physics and sociobiology).Mark Isaak (2006), "An Index to Creationist Claims", TalkOrigins Archive.