Darwin and the Theory of the Common Ancestors

Darwin believed that all creatures (such as humans and animals) have had common ancestors and through a complicated and long process, they have evolved and thus, different types of creatures such as humans and other types of animals have emerged. In The Descent of Man, Darwin has broadly discussed this issue. In this book, he rejects all essential differences between humans and animals and considers all physical and psychological attributes of human being as an evolved state comparing them with other animals’. He said that the human brain is at a more perfected stage than monkey’s brain and that primitive man was the intermediary between advanced monkeys and humans. The existence of hair on the body of humans is an attribute common between humans and animals and all the differences in humans such as standing on two feet, the shape of face, movement of the hands and such mental traits as imagination and illusion in humans are partially observable in monkeys as well. He even brought about characteristics such as sacrifice, affection and altruism through “natural selection” and concluded that there is no reason to exempt human beings from all other animals. Thus man, who up to that time, was considered sacred and divine was lowered to the realm of natural laws and was evaluated within the same categories that other animals were evaluated. Thus, the English biologist and Darwin supporter, Thomas Huxley (1825 - 1895) declared that there are fewer differences between humans and the highest monkeys than there are between the highest and lowest monkeys.

Darwinism and Disorder in Creation

As noted in the discussion on the argument of design for the existence of God. creation, with all its wonders.
has a special design Since it was demonstrated that the Creator of this design is wise and all His actions are performed with wisdom, therefore all creation came into being for a specific purpose. Although. Darwinism accepts the existence of design in creation, at the same time it says that evolution is a law of nature which plays a random and unbounded role in the development of species. In other words, changes are essentially random and nothing but environmental pressures and the struggle for survival, direct the evolutionary process.

Short Answer

That which Darwin stated in regards to the theory of evolution differed from that said by some proponents of the theory who had their own aims. Darwin himself believed in God and was religious and never wanted his theories to be used to reach the conclusion that there is no God. As Darwin had said, the world is highly regulated and we are witnesses to gradual evolution within creatures, but what some supporters of Darwin have said, which is more controversial, is that there is no need for a regulator. What the supporters of Darwin have used to dismiss the proof of design for the existence of God, can, in the words of Mortezā Motahharī, be used to affirm this proof for the existence of God. The followers of Darwin assumed that if the evolution of various creatures and the governing of this process by the laws of nature are proved, then there is no longer a need for the existence of a regulator. This is while the existence of natural laws which cause change and evolution within creatures is not only compatible with the existence of a wise regulator, it even affirms the necessity for the existence of a wise regulator. When Darwin says nature selects the finest, this selection is a cause for an organism to move towards improvement and perfection. This matter shows us that there is a rational design behind this selection which guides organisms towards perfection and that these choices are not incidental. The order we observe in the world is the result of this selection and guidance, which emanates from a wise and supernatural power.

The reality is that the evolution of different organisms is a scientific principle and has been proven; however with the meaning that the possibility of genetic change within organisms is possible. Depending on differences in weather and geography and due to the passing of time, changes within species do occur. However to say that all organisms or animals have a common ancestor is a theory that has not been scientifically proven and also has many opponents.

Abrahamic Religions and Gradual Creation

In the Bible as well as in the Qur’an, it states that man was created in his current form and with complete intelligence and wisdom, not in the form of an animal such as a monkey, which lacks human sagacity and reason. Between this aspect of Darwin’s theory (that humans are the outcome of an evolutionary process) and holy religious texts, no compatibility exists.

‘Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī writes in Tafsir Al-Mizan:

“The verses of the Qur’an imply that modern man descended from a specific man and woman and in the Qur’an that man has been called Adam. That man and woman were not born from a mother and father; rather they emerged from soil, clay or baked clay, or earth.”

The disagreement of ‘Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī with Darwin’s theory had not only been due to its incompatibility with the apparent meaning of the Qur’an’s verses; in his view, this theory had not reached the border of certainly and was still a hypothesis which had been proposed to explain some matters.

Another scientific reason for ‘Allamah Ṭabāṭabāʾī rejection of Darwin’s view of evolution is that the generational continuity of humans and monkeys is notable to be observed; so far we have not seen that one type of being has changed into another type of being. Hence, it has never been witnessed that a monkey has changed into a human. Some academics in the West have also raised similar objections.

“Although many people try to show conflict between this hypothesis [evolution] and theology, and they might be right from one aspect since ... it brought a great war between the heads of the church and advocates of this hypothesis... but today, it is clear for us that the two have no conflict with each other; i.e. whether we accept this hypothesis or not, we can remain a believer in God...even with verses of the Qur’an do not directly approve or reject evolution or approving the constancy of species, but they better agree with independent creation (of human being), while still they are not very explicit in this regards. The appearance of the verses about creation of Adam focus more on independent creation, however the Qur'an is silent about creation of other creatures.”

Theory of evolution, if true, has no contradiction with monotheism and the need of the world for a wise creator and what have been suggested as a question about the argument from design is just a simple illusion.

Regarding the creation of human being, theory of evolution disagrees with the story of creation in divine books including the Qur’an.

From a scientific viewpoint, the principle of evolution as the possibility of some genetic changes and occurrence of changes due to climate and environmental conditions is acceptable, but there is no definite argument for the claim that all animals or living creatures have common ancestors and their return would be to one species about which, there are critics in biology.

Although this new theory was influential in the fields of biology, geology and medicine and after his death, led to the discovery of genes, chromosomes and ultimately DNA, by other scientists, it became a model for ethical theorists and brought about the emergence of, ‘Darwinist morality’. The greatest influence of Darwin’s theory can be seen in other academic fields, such as the social sciences, philosophy, ethics and theology and the empirical sciences of that time.

Darwinist Morality

It is said that, because the struggle for survival and selection of the fittest is the law of nature, people in society should also be like this. In accordance with this law, the strong are entitled to eliminate the weak; this system was considered to be of value. Any opposition against the evolutionary survival of the fittest was considered to be negative. According to this principle, war and violence in human societies, as with other animals, is inevitable. Due to the effects of reproduction over many generations, the human species like other organisms, will be subject to a shortage of food, followed by conflict with the aim of survival. If this is so. Then what role do humanitarian and ethical principles have?

As a result, such acts as helping the poor, the vulnerable and the sick are all considered evils. Words such as love and affection, intimacy and a sense of brotherhood and helping your fellow man have lost their real meaning. It is obvious that such a moral system is completely incompatible with a religious moral system that urges the helping of the poor.

The capitalist class, seeing themselves as being in social competition, and based on this principle, regard themselves to be the most successful. Becoming more worthy is achieved through the accumulation of wealth and social power.
Humanity has witnessed two world wars, in which the most heinous crimes and killings took place to achieve wealth and power.