The Evolution of God (Back Bay Readers' Pick) Reprint Edition

by Robert Wright (Author)

370 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0316067447

ISBN-10: 031606744X

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In this sweeping narrative that takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy. He explains why spirituality has a role today, and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism, but future harmony.

Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking re-examination of the past, and a visionary look forward.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR NONZERO:

"An original, accessible and thought-provoking view of history...full of rich detail, ingenious insight and bold argument."

―The Economist

PRAISE FOR THE EVOLUTION OF GOD:

"THE EVOLUTION OF GOD gives me hope...The tone of the book is dry skepticism with a dash of humour; the content is supple, dense and layered...fresh and necessary."
―Andrew Sullivan, The Times

About the Author

Robert Wright is a contributing editor of The New Republic, a Slate.com columnist, and a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the cofounder of www.bloggingheads.tv, runs the web-based video project www.meaningoflife.tv, and lives in Princeton, NJ, with his wife and two daughters.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (May 3, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 592 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031606744X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316067447
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.38 x 1.5 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #161,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17 in Comparative Religion (Books)
- #19 in Religious History (Books)
- #60 in Philosophy Reference (Books)

Customer Reviews:
370 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		72%
4 star		17%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Kevin Corn

This is an important book.

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2014

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The Evolution of God is not only well-written and skillfully argued. It is an important book in the field of religion as a part of culture. Wright's focus is on the development of monotheism and the purposes this idea serves in both past and present. He argues that monotheism that we find in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has traceable history and also a trajectory of development. it seems to have arisen out of an original polytheism and gained its early form as ancient Israelites began to insist that, while the gods of other peoples existed, theirs was the only god worthy of worship. It was only in the later stages of the Hebrew Bible's composition that the Jews became fully committed to the idea that there is only one fully divine being. The Jews then transmitted this idea to the founders of Christianity and Islam and put all three faiths on path toward what Wright calls "non-zero sum-ness." What he means by this boils down to a growing tendency of monotheists to view other societies and religions, as potential partners in improving the world, rather than competitors for the limited goods that the work has to offer. He leaves open the question of whether or not this movement in the human idea of God might be evidence of God's objective existence. In any case it has enormous power on the level of morals and ethics. One might expect such a book to be fraught with academic deadly-boring-ness. But Wright is a clear and engaging writer accessible to any educated reader. I definitely recommend this book.

55 people found this helpful

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MAJK Marge

Dare to let this book challenge you

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2015

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Wright's introduction, Afterword, and Appendix highlight this book for me---and throughout, the vital evolution of non-zero-sum awareness, with its potential to reconcile religion and science---which the future of human civilization on the planet may depend on. His candor, clarity, and keen historical insight are truly refreshing, even when the history is truly god-awful. Rigorous scholarship, massively footnoted, can make for tedious reading, but his wry humor and colloquial phrasing ease the way. He does not cite current developments in Jesus scholarship, however, which disappoints me. Whether he's unaware of the Jesus Seminar, and work by folks like John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg, and John Shelby Spong, or knows and discredits them, I found no clue. Regardless, this is the most objective and thorough consideration of God up to now, and maybe for a long while yet to come. It challenges true-believers and rabid disbelievers, alike. It's a keeper.

24 people found this helpful

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lady of the lake

I can honestly say that this book forever changed my perspective on religion in a good way. While it may seem that

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015

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This book is not for everyone. If you are afraid to question the complete and total accuracy of the Bible or the Koran, you should not read this book. If you truly want to understand the history and cultural context that underlies our beliefs and religious doctrines, read this with an open, questioning mind. The Evolution of God is one of the most thought provoking and insightful books I have ever read. I had difficulty relating to the "game theory" analysis and to Mr. Wright's concept of God at times, but that still did not detract from the overall principle that is the subject of this book. I can honestly say that this book forever changed my perspective on religion in a good way. While it may seem that, to understand the origins and fraility of doctrines and beliefs we are taught we must unquestionably accept as members of modern Christianity or other religions, would lessen a person's belief in God, in fact this book has only strengthened my belief in the perpetual existence of God and the bonds that bind all of humankind through God.

20 people found this helpful

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Taimur Rahman

Monotheism grows from economic centralisation

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2015

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Just finished reading Robert Wright's book the Evolution of God. A good book arguing that monotheism was the outgrowth of a process of growing social and economic connections. A good sociological reading the economic and political reasons behind the rise of monotheism. At one level I found it better than Karen Armstrong's book because it attempts to explain this evolution rather than just describe it.

The book starts by revealing many new facets of animistic religions that I was not familiar with. It made me look up Primitive Culture by the famous anthropologist E.B. Taylor. Wright's book also has a fascinating account of the emergence of Judaistic monotheism from monolatrist thought. The book has a surprisingly positive appraisal of Islam as a modern religion.

Overall the book argues that man's understanding of the divine develops from the particular (deity of one tribe) to the general (God of all mankind) and from the irrational (animism) to the rational (God is the Logos of the world) as man himself develops from primitive to modern society. Its a very Hegelian argument but couched in an ostensibly materialist epistemology (in the sense that the positive evolution of morality is, to my mind, somewhat of an open question).

What fascinated me the most about the argument was the instrumental role of the philosopher Philo. Philo emerges as a giant religious and secular philosopher because of his successful synthesis of the Greek notions of Logos with monotheism. This was an aspect that I was not very familiar with and till reading this book I had never ranked Philo very high in the history of philosophy. With this book, however, he towers above the others as the thinker that is instrumental in the synthesis of religious and philosophy.

18 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mark Freiter

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2017

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all good

Amazon Customer

Good read. There is no hint of any evolution ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2016

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Good read. There is no hint of any evolution of GOD from the African perspective in the book as if there is no history whatsoever in relations to this

Ronald W. Maron

A materialists view of divinity

Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2009

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Although quite lengthy, this is a high quality book about the gods of history written by an agnostic materialist. His history of the origination of god-like figures in the hunter gatherers is well researched and quite sensical. The author then traces the expansion of what the peoples view god as being as the communities in which they live grow in size and complexity. In all cases, however, the author sees that it was man, out of his needs, who created their existing image of god, and not the other way around. Religion is formed from 'the ground up' and not from 'heaven downward'.

Although he remains true to his agnostic stance Wright is able to conclude that in spite of religion's origination dynamics, there may actually be something that is 'divine' in mankind afterall. He sees that the moralistic base of most cultures, throughout time, have improved. And while history shows a repeated series of upward and downward spirals morally and spiritually, he feels that overall the moral base of the world is improving. The one critical element that this process needs is for each of the Abrahamic religions to give up their feeling of 'being special in god's eyes' and admit that they are all chasing after the same god. This is something that will not happen anytime soon.

I highly recommend this book for those persons who are researching the existence or non-existence of God and how this impacts not only the individual but society as well.

15 people found this helpful

mick jarrett

As the titel says, it is the Evolution of God

Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2021

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Putting aside religeous preferences, the author provides an interesting and enlightening ride through the evolution of God, god and gods. Although he had every opportunity to present an anti religion outline, a hopeful and supportive narative is summarized at the end.

Susan Statham

Joining with all those who recommend this book.

Reviewed in Canada on January 11, 2018

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The Evolution of God is one of those must reads. It not only answers a great many of the questions one accumulates over a life time, it also creates a road, not just to increased tolerance, but toward further wisdom and understanding.

One person found this helpful

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