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The Evolution of God Hardcover – June 8, 2009

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Robert Wright (Author)
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4.2 out of 5 stars 212 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 576 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (June 8, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316734918
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316734912
  • Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.8 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (212 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #555,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsWell-Researched, Judicious, and Enlightening
By John W. Loftus VINE VOICE on June 10, 2009
Format: Hardcover
This new book from acclaimed author Robert Wright is a well-researched one covering a great deal of territory. It should be read in its entirety to be properly understood. In it he discusses the history of religion with a focus on western Abrahamic faiths, although not entirely neglecting eastern religions. He tells us in the Introduction that he's giving us a human "materialistic" account of it, although he thinks doing so "actually affirms the validity of a religious worldview," though not a traditionalist one, but one nonetheless. Wright argues the gods arose as illusions and that "the subsequent history of the idea of god is...the evolution of an illusion." This evolution points to the existence of a "divinity," he argues, even though this god is not one that most believers currently accept. As it evolved it has "moved closer to plausibility." (p.4).

Wright begins with the five types of primitive hunter-gatherer supernatural beings: elemental spirits, puppeteers, organic spirits, ancestral spirits, and the high gods. These primitive gods were not always worshipped but treated as we would treat other human beings. In these societies the Shaman was the "first step toward an archbishop or ayatollah" who had contact with these otherwise hidden forces and could help focus their powers to heal, protect, and provide.

As small tribes grew into larger societies the chiefdom was the next evolutionary stage where there was a need for a "structural reliance on the supernatural." Chiefs in these agricultural societies were conduits through which divine power entered the social scale down to the lesser folk. If things went well for a society then the chief was doing a good job. Superstition reigned in these days.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsCan Wright be wrong?
By Jay C. Smith on July 13, 2009
Format: Hardcover
The Evolution of God
In 2000 Robert Wright published Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny to some acclaim. In it he argued that there is a favorable direction to human history attributable to increasing opportunities for non-zero-sum interaction where both parties gain something, versus zero-sum situations where one party may gain, but only at the expense of the other. Social structures grow to take advantage of these situations, he contended, and build incrementally toward supranational governance. He concluded that "...it is hard, after pondering the full sweep of history, to resist the conclusion that -- in some important ways, at least -- the world now stands at its moral zenith to date."

Now comes The Evolution of God, where Wright further elaborates his contention that moral progress is ingrained in the course of history. In it Wright offers a materialist analysis of changing portrayals of gods and God, sure to aggravate conventional believers of many faiths. But he also asserts that history shows there might be something like a God force behind moral improvement, a position that many religious skeptics are likely to reject.

Wright's thesis entails three basic propositions. The first is that God evolves. By this Wright means not an actual God, whom he generally treats as illusory, but rather peoples' conceptions of gods and God. The "evolution" he writes about is mostly cultural evolution, although he includes an appendix on the possible biological roots of religion.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsReligion: explained purely naturally, or not?
By Steve on June 23, 2009
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
Robert Wright is an intellectually curious journalist and a fine writer whose previous books (The Moral Animal & Nonzero) I enjoyed. Wright's new book explores the character of religion through history, and, marshalling scholarly research, shows how religious ideas developed in response to changing social and political circumstances. The explanations make no appeal to the supernatural. But Wright sees progress (however haphazard and intermittent) in the moral dimension of religion through time, which leads him to speculate that this phenomenon actually points to the existence of something worthy of being named divine.

The bulk of the book is an interesting run through research findings from anthropology, archaeology and textual analysis on the topic of historical religious ideas and practices. The tour begins with a look at hunter-gatherer style animism and the role of gods and religion in tribal cultures, continues with an examination of the development of the various pantheons of gods in ancient civilizations, and then tackles the Abrahamic traditions. In all cases there seems to be a plausible explanation of prevailing religious ideas and the character of God or gods changing in concert with the "facts on the ground". As nations make war, their gods intone contempt for non-believers. As empires digest conquests, they co-opt the gods of their new subjects. More positively, as societies enter into non-zero sum relationships with a wider circle of neighbors, their gods become more universal and more supportive of a broader moral vision.

Wright also presents his own thoughts on what it all means.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA thoughtful presentation on the development of the concept of God in...

Robert Wright is the author of several serious books that explore the evolution of concepts. In The Evolution of God he traces concepts of such beings from earliest hunter-gatherer... Read more

Published 8 days ago by John Martin
5.0 out of 5 starsAnyone interested in how mankind's religions started and why will ...

Anyone interested in how mankind's religions started and why will want to read this book. Definitely not a one nighter, very comprehensive.

Published 17 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book!

Published 24 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

verygood

Published 26 days ago by Wayne Brown
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Interesting, but very controversial for people of faith. Well documented, but very biased

Published 1 month ago by JS Rogers
5.0 out of 5 starsVery insightful!!!

Although controversial to close minded people blinded by ignorance--such people are a dime a dozen--it was an eye opener. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Christopher M. Nilsson
4.0 out of 5 starsA good starting point.

A library check out in 2016. I actually like the fact that the writer concentrated on the Abrahamic religions the book was long enough without delving into every religion. Read more

Published 1 month ago by R. Clason
5.0 out of 5 starsLast book on religion I may ever need to read

As my friends and family know, I'm not religious. But it's always surprised me how many people are, people I'm ready to say are/were smarter than me. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Steve Kohn
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent history book

Excellent and concise book about the evolution of God or gods from various cultures starting from the very earliest hunter and gather clans. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsRead this if you aspire to lead an examined life.

The definitive guide to the origin of religions. It compares the sociopolitical milieu of the time to the theology recorded. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Al93lante

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