Lecture 6: Towards an Eschatology of Evolution

Evolutionary convergence strongly suggests that evolution has inherent directionalities, and by implication end-points.

One such is intelligence and consciousness. Against all the odds the universe can now understand itself, yet any attempt to explain this entirely in naturalistic terms seems doomed to failure. Our world-picture has failed and unsurprisingly materialism becomes idolatrous.

The world is now haunted by Faustian bargains, including the promise of unlimited power and the denial of death (“Ye shall be as gods”). The dangers of this enterprise were clearly seen by the remarkable seventeenth century scientist Robert Boyle and with equal perspicacity that apostle of sanity G. K. Chesterton.

But by no means is all lost. Paradoxically science not only reveals the rationality of the world but points to its deep and beautiful structure. Not for the first time are the mountain peaks of investigation scaled by the most intrepid of scientists, only to find the theologians already enjoying the spectacular views. Now is the time to recover the richness of Creation and discover its future potentialities.

Not only is the Creation open-ended and endlessly fertile, suggesting that in the future science itself faces an infinity of understandings, but so too there is good evidence of realities orthogonal to every-day experiences. Rather than trudging across the arid landscapes skimpily sketched by the materialists, we need to accept the invitation and accompany the Artist that brought Creation into being.

Be warned, however, it is a risky enterprise. His last visit ended in apparent disaster, although a closer reading of the Story actually reveals a very different narrative. Be further warned that the narrative is yet to be concluded.

This lecture has been recorded on MP3: