Do Conservatives *Need* Darwin?

Un comentario mio en http://www.touchstonemag.com/ un Magazine Cristiano conservador. La discusión es acerca de si los Conservadores necesitamos a Darwin. (Vía Darwinian Conservatism):

Hi,
First of all, I celebrate how deep some Americans, like you, work, think and believe hard to keep the core values that made our Civilization. Unfortunately, this is not the same in Europe.

I talk about values because I´m sure that the deepest question you are discussing here is about values, rather that about faith. You all are discussing about if either a theistic or a non-theistic notion of the universe support better the values we consider as fundamental for everything, survival included.

Therefore, the question of faith is instrumental, as seen from this point of view. If we agree that we are talking about the instrumental value of either Darwinism or Divine-established natural law (and I know many of you will not agree with this) , I have to say that I´m in a mixed position. both are the best in different contexts.

1) Divine-established natural law is the best instrumental position to defend out values IF the great majority of the people believe in God ("you people believe, ergo you must obey the law of God"). The other good point of Cristian faith is the after-life consequences of our acts. That forces us to behave well (impelled by egoistic incentives!!!!!). Darwinian evolution has no moral instrument like this.

2) Darwinian-established natural law is the best instrumental position to defend our values against a influential majority of believers in science. Within this expression I include both the people that sincerely search for Truth as well as the fashionable people impressed by technology and human achievement who take the scientific people as priests of the Scientist Religion, the Faith of our time. Darwinian evolution has very concrete consequences about human values. Most of them can be probed mathematically (trough a branch of Mathematics called Game Theory): Love for truth, help the poor, family values, sense of free will, Clear distinction between Good and Evil. Even Faith in Good for himself can be probed to be either human instincts or unquestionable positive social values (or both) inside the framework of Darwinian evolution !!!!!!.

Darwinian established Natural law has an unbeatable potential to defend good values against ideologically-driven atheistic scientists. I know Neo-Darwinian theory (also called Synthetic theory) is devastatingly effective against moral relativism and cultural determinism. This is so up to the point that no anti-Cristian atheist mention the expression "Darwinian theory" . Instead, they talk about mere "Natural evolution". The former is the scientific explanation of the latter, but while "Natural evolution" can suggest anything, "NeoDarwinian theory" suggest very concrete implications that are far more uncomfortable for moral relativistic atheists than for Christians. I beg you to study Evolutionary Psychology to understand how much Neodarwinism can support the Christian view of Human Nature and the Christian conservative values. Please!! study it.

It is NOT true that evolution change human nature in a measurable way. For all effects, the human nature is unchangeable for generations. It is necessary a CONSTANT adaptive pressure during tens of hundred of years to see a change in human nature. This constant pressure needs a society with no change. (that is, a society that will end up having deep traditions) During all this time span. Therefore, no evolution within a changing world like this is possible.

All considered, the BEST of the bests instrumental positions to defend our values is Good supported Natural Law trough NeoDarwinian-driven evolution. Just the suggestion of Mr Arnhart.

Moreover, The Cristian tradition has a mix of Faith and moral science. Christianity ever has taken the best of the best thinkers of each time. Probably, the way the Cristian conservatism interpret the world and the Natural order is influenced by Aristotle trough Saint Thomas Aquinas as much as Jesus Christ. Other great thinkers have influenced Christianity all over the time, like Plato trough Saint Augustine, not to mention the great thinkers inside the Cristian churches.

If Christianity has inside a moral science in search of rational explanation of the revealed Truth ( that could not, by definition, be in conflict), then Christianity MUST embrace the modern evolutionism, because no other rational paradigm known in History is, at the same time, more scientifically solid and supportive of Christian traditional values.