Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism
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Darwin’s theory of evolution transformed the life sciences and made profound claims about human origins and the human condition, topics often viewed as the prerogative of religion. As a result, evolution has provoked a wide variety of religious responses, ranging from angry rejection to enthusiastic acceptance. While Christian responses to evolution have been studied extensively, little scholarly attention has been paid to Jewish reactions. Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism is the first extended meditation on the Jewish engagement with this crucial and controversial theory. The contributors to Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism—from several academic disciplines and two branches of the rabbinate—present case studies showing how Jewish discussions of evolution have been shaped by the intersections of faith, science, philosophy, and ideology in specific historical contexts. Furthermore, they examine how evolutionary theory has been deployed when characterizing Jews as a race, both by Zionists and by anti-Semites. Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism addresses historical and contemporary, as well as progressive and Orthodox, responses to evolution in America, Europe, and Israel, ultimately extending the history of Darwinism into new religious domains. Quarterly Review of Biology "I feel that this volume will provide fresh perspectives and new ideas to consider for scholars interested in the interaction of evolution and religion."—Daniel Stoebel, Quarterly Review of Biology— Daniel Stoebel
List of Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction PART 1: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON JEWISH RESPONSES TO EVOLUTION Introduction to Part 11 Anglo-Jewish Responses to Evolution Geoffrey Cantor2 Responses to Evolution by Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist Rabbis in Twentieth-Century America Marc Swetlitz3 “Practically, I Am a Fundamentalist”: Twentieth-Century Orthodox Jews Contend with Evolution and Its Implications Ira Robinson PART 2: SOCIAL USES OF EVOLUTION: ANTI-SEMITISM, RACISM, AND ZIONISM Introduction to Part 24 The Impact of Social Darwinism on Anti-Semitic Ideology in Germany and Austria, 1860-1945 Richard Weikart5 The Evolution of Jewish Identity: Ignaz Zollschan between Jewish and Aryan Race Theories, 1910-1945 Paul Weindling6 Zionism, Race, and Eugenics Raphael Falk PART 3: EVOLUTION AND CONTEMPORARY JUDAISM Introduction to Part 37 Crisis Management via Biblical Interpretation: Fundamentalism, Modern Orthodoxy, and Genesis Shai Cherry8 Torah and Madda? Evolution in the Jewish Educational Context Rena Selya9 Modern Orthodoxy and Evolution: The Models of Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik and Rabbi A. I. Kook Carl Feit10 The Order of Creation and the Emerging God: Evolution and Divine Action in the Natural World Lawrence Troster Suggested Reading Index
