Biocultural Evolution and Theological Anthropology

This session draws on recent findings in evolutionary biology to clarify the “biocultural” character of human beings in theological anthropology. Presenters will engage the latest research on niche construction, gene-culture coevolution, and cultural evolution (including, but not limited to, work done under the banner of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis) to show the mutually constitutive interplay of biological and cultural processes in hominid evolution. Nature-culture continuities identified in this biology literature will be considered for each of the project's theological foci: aesthetics, morality, and purposiveness. In conversation with theological respondents, this panel session explores new pathways in science-engaged theological anthropology and seeks to bring the field up to date in terms of its engagement with current evolutionary thinking.