2. Evolution
2.1 A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION TO
EVOLUTIONARY THEORYWhat is evolution?^1 We used the term in Chapter 1 but we have not yet
provided a definition. A simple definition of (Darwinian) evolution isvari-
ation with inheritance. Darwin himself used the phrase“descent with modi-
fication over time”(Darwin, 1909, pp. 132, 178, 380, etc.). The same basic idea
can be expressed with somewhat more precision:“Evolution is a process that
results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations”
(Moran, 2006).
Let us examine this definition in more detail and spell out some of its
important implications. (1) First, evolution is not tied to a certain material
environment or medium. In hisThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins (2006,
pp. 191–2) considered how alien life forms based on different materials than
life on earth could evolve, and suggested that Darwinian evolution would
probably shape such life forms just as it shapes life on earth. By an extension of
that argument, Dawkins introduced the concept of a“meme,” a cultural
replicator, to which we will return later in this chapter. Obviously, evolution
can take place in computer programs (Eiben & Smith, 2015), and possibly in
multiple universes (Smolin, 1997). In this sense, evolution is a philosophical
rather than empirical matter: it is a model that describes and explains a range
of phenomena. (2) Second, our definition does not say anything about the
mechanism of inheritance. It is well known that Darwin came upon the idea of
natural selection without knowing anything about genes. It has to be noted,
however, that the neo-Darwinian model of evolution, which is the most widely
applied understanding of evolution in biology today, puts much emphasis on
(^1) This chapter is a substantially revised version of I. Czachesz,“How Can Evolutionary Theory
Contribute to Biblical Studies?”In D. J. Chalcraft, F. Uhlenbruch, & R. Watson (Eds.),New
Directions in Biblical Studies: Social Scientific and Cultural Approaches(pp. 16–38). Sheffield:
Phoenix Press, 2014. I thank Sheffield Phoenix Press for granting me permission to use the paper.