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The Evolution of God

by Robert Wright

3.82 · rating details · 904 ratings · 267 reviews

In this sweeping narrative, which 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 archeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianit...more

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Published July 9th 2009 by Tantor Media Inc (first published January 1st 2009)

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May 15, 2010

David rated it

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This is a most impressive book.

Robert Wright's earlier book "Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny" explored the notion that much of the advance of human civilization (including religion) has been driven by a fundamental principle of game theory (and also of economics), namely that a cooperative strategy benefits both parties. The development of trade rather than war, first between tribes, then among larger groups, then between nations, can be seen as manifestations of thi...moreThis is a most impressive book.

Robert Wright's earlier book "Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny" explored the notion that much of the advance of human civilization (including religion) has been driven by a fundamental principle of game theory (and also of economics), namely that a cooperative strategy benefits both parties. The development of trade rather than war, first between tribes, then among larger groups, then between nations, can be seen as manifestations of this principle.

Wright's latest book, "The Evolution of God", is a wide-ranging analysis of religious belief, starting from the earliest shamanistic gods, to the emergence of Abrahamic monotheism, to the rise of Christianity and Islam, and to the present-day religions that are being challenged by modern science.

Wright's thesis is that at each juncture, religion has advanced by expanding its realm of universality. For example, originally the Judaic religion, while emphasizing love and cooperation among the "chosen people", expressed only disdain and anathema for other peoples. Persons descendants from Moabites, for instance, were banned forever from the Hebrew congregation (Deu 23:3), and the Jewish people were taught not to even associate with, much less intermarry with, persons outside the faith. Eventually these restrictions were not taken quite so seriously, and then, with the emergence of Christianity, especially as taught by Paul, the distinctions between Jewish and Gentile, circumcised and non-circumcised, were completely discarded.

In the end, Wright concludes that it is this principle of inclusion, of love and cooperation rather than animosity and war, that has been the principal guiding light behind the advance of religion.

Wright relies on the latest in biblical scholarship, both Old Testament and New, and in this regard he will likely offend or at least disturb many of fundamental religious backgrounds. Indeed, the whole idea that our notion of God has evolved through the ages will disturb many, not to mention the numerous examples of internal contradictions and other difficulties in the Bible. On the other hand, Wright makes it clear that such difficulties and contradictions must be faced, one way or the other, and he does not flinch in dealing with them.

Wright has obviously done an enormous amount of research in writing this book, and is careful at every step not to overstate or overdramatize his subject material. Whether or not one agrees with him, this book is a major work that deserves serious attention.(less)

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Jan 09, 2012

Karen rated it

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Long Story Short: This book has a lot of interesting close-ish reading of the big three Abrahamic religious texts (Torah, Bible, Koran), interspersed with a lot of philosophy and splaining I wasn’t that crazy about.

The Book’s Strengths: First of all, I like Wright’s writing style. He explains his points well, and he intersperses his texts with just enough humor that it’s a pleasant surprise every time. True, writing style is not a very important part of a book’s message, but it makes i...more

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Jul 27, 2011

Michael Johnston rated it

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The scope of this book's undertaking is impressive (and a little daunting). It is a book principally about mankind's cultural evolution. An account of our social and cultural development as told through a review of the history of religion. Yet, Wright also dicusses the existence of God, the relationship between science and religion, the causes of (and solutions for) radical Islamic terrorism, the nature of ancient trade relationships and the modern relations between the major monotheistic relg...moreThe scope of this book's undertaking is impressive (and a little daunting). It is a book principally about mankind's cultural evolution. An account of our social and cultural development as told through a review of the history of religion. Yet, Wright also dicusses the existence of God, the relationship between science and religion, the causes of (and solutions for) radical Islamic terrorism, the nature of ancient trade relationships and the modern relations between the major monotheistic relgions (oh is that all!).

The first third of the book is about the birth and growh of early pagen religions. For those of you more interested in traditional theology or more modern social/cultural challenges, this part could drag a bit. However, it is important to understanding Wright's principal point so stick with it; he's setting up for the punch line. So here is the set up - our cultural development has always been a product of mankind's tendency to embrace non-zero sum relationships. In other words, we are genetically predisposed to evolving towards mutually interdependent relationships of trust.

So what has this to do with theology you say? Ah, here is the punch line - Wright posits that God's face can be seen in the inevitable march of civilization towards greater tolerance. However, these are my words not his. Wright is a skeptic of organized religion ("Religion arose out of a hodgepodge of genetically based mental mechanisms designed by natural selection for thoroughly mundane purposes.") At least he is neutral - he is equally skeptical of all major religions.

In the end, however, he makes offers up two interesting views. First, he makes the case that perhaps God is embedded in the rational development of human civilization.

"In other words,” he says, “maybe natural selection is an algorithm that is in some sense designed to get life to a point where it can do something - fulfill it's goal, it's purpose." Finally, in an optimistic view on religion’s ability to deal with Islamic radicalism he says that the modern monotheistic God is not nationalistic or xenophobic as nearly all past gods had been and that herein lies the backbone of religion's impact on modern civilization - a theology that brings the nations of the world closer together. Because of this, Wright sees great potential in having this religious worldview bring the three monotheist religions back from the brink of open warfare.

IN the end thought(less)

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Jun 24, 2011

Jorge rated it

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Shelves: atheism-religion

The Evolution of God by Robert Wright

The Evolution of God by Robert Wright is a book about the evolution of the concept of God. The author makes use of archaeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology to explain how mainly the Abrahamic religions evolved. The book 576 pages worth is composed of twenty chapters within five major sections: I. The Birth and Growth of the Gods, II. The Emergence of Abrahamic Monotheism, III. The Invention of Christianity, IV. The Triumph of Islam, and...more

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Dec 28, 2010

Sarah rated it

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I grew up trying to read the Bible, copiously; first as an exercise in divining God's will, then as a desperate attempt to demonstrate that I was among the saved, then as an act of refutation, then later in an attempt to contain the whole thing in my head and come to some sort of coherent "once and for all, dammit" understanding of the thing. It was this last attempt that really brought home what a patched together, boggling document it is- style, tone, characters, thesis- all a jumbl...moreI grew up trying to read the Bible, copiously; first as an exercise in divining God's will, then as a desperate attempt to demonstrate that I was among the saved, then as an act of refutation, then later in an attempt to contain the whole thing in my head and come to some sort of coherent "once and for all, dammit" understanding of the thing. It was this last attempt that really brought home what a patched together, boggling document it is- style, tone, characters, thesis- all a jumble that shift across chapters, with the will of God bafflingly flexible and arbitrary. It was this most recent attempt, in my mid twenties, which made me realize if I was ever going to make headway into understanding this foundational document of Western culture, I'd have to turn to outside sources.

The Evolution of God is one of the more recent books I've read on the subject of "understanding religion". While it is not primarily concerned with the Bible, the Bible is the foundation of this work, which purports to explore the evolution of the concept of a monothesistic God. This book relies heavily on Bible stories to both introduce various aspects of ancient conceptions of divinity, and then uses those stories as the basis of research into what is hidden beneath the text (the context of the stories, various interpretations, etc).

I'm not a biblical scholar by any means, but I was familiar enough with both the biblical stories and with at least some of the general research and interpretations to find that some of the writing was a bit redundant for me- not within the text, but more that it was a repetition of work I've read elsewhere. Also, Wright's thesis- that we use the idea of God to promote a vision of goodness that is just on the edge of unobtainable- and when we obtain that goodness, we create a slightly "better", more good and just vision of God- is one that is close enough to my own suspicions that I felt Wright was both preaching to the choir with me, without tackling some of the larger problems with that (very Western history based) thesis. These are all however more of a problem with me as the reader than with what Wright has done, which I think is an astute, accessible and plausible scholarly research into and explanation of the role that the idea of a monotheistic God has played in the evolution of our culture.

Which is not to say that this is for everyone. While Wright describes himself as an Atheist, I had to wonder if he actually means it- and I suspect that average atheist reader would have his or her doubts as well. (Perhaps it is more accurate to call Wright a very reluctant Atheist- he really seems sad that God probably does not exist). As a believer in God, I find this sort of sweet- I feel however, that this attitude may not endear all people, atheist or believers. Also, his thesis- that we are evolving into better people- is one seriously challenged by things like the constant implosion of the middle east, and I don't think Wright goes far enough in dealing with current human-made horrors. And of course people who do believe in a deity of a more specific and personal nature will probably find the whole thesis and book extremely specious and non-convincing, though perhaps interesting in an "alternative universe" kind of way.

For people who, like me, feel there have been some serious gaps in their religious education regarding the genesis of our foundational faiths, and who are unsatisfied with the "believers are delusional people who refuse to outgrow childish myths" explanation which is popular in some circles, this book is a thoughtful and invaluable resource. (less)

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Jul 18, 2010

Laura rated it

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This book gets a bonus star because I am delighted by the notion of a Marduk of Accounting. That said, I’m not sure there’s much new here, though it is certainly presented in an accessible way.

Write proposes that there is an arc to the western concept of the divine, from amoral and capricious creatures that could, from time to time, be persuaded to heal or hurt to a single divine being worthy of worship among many not so deserving, to a single divine being that required a certain...more

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Mar 04, 2010

Pat rated it

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As the title suggests, this book explores the history of how god(s) evolved, beginning with pre-historic hunter-gather societies who had many gods, through to the birth of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Wright is a clear and compelling writer, and researched his topic well. I thoroughly enjoyed the history. The description of Polynesian religion, in particular, was fascinating, as was the description of how Judaism moved from monolatry (the belief that many gods exist...more

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Nov 22, 2009

Daniel rated it

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This is one of the best books I have read on this subject. A must read for anyone who wants to sound intelligent on religion.

That being said, my two criticisms would be the author's heightened awareness of the nature of non-zero sum equations. Yes, we get it. It isn't necessary to reintroduce the concept over and over.

The other critique I would offer is that this book seems to be the work of a tortured soul. A deconstructer by day who searches at night for an altar on w...more

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Amy I enjoyed your review. On the issue of whether we're becoming more moral--have you read or heard about Rifkin's new book, the Empathic Civilization? H...more
Mar 12, 2010 12:11pm

Daniel Thanks,
I hadn't heard of Rifkin but I'm not sure I would agree with that either. Can't say for sure having not read the book, but it seems to me ...more
Mar 21, 2010 02:35pm

Nov 07, 2009

Mary Gail O'Dea rated it

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Robert Wright is a terrific writer. This is a heady work -- starting with hunter/gatherer societies and taking us through the beginnings of Christianity and Islam. The premise is that God always has been made in the image and likeness and man. God has evolved over the centuries to reflect "conditions in the ground," which help makes sense of the various "Gods" seen in the Old Testament -- e.g. the warrior god and the protective god, in the Koran -- (pretty much the same) -...more

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Oct 05, 2009

David rated it

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Shelves: religion, anthropology

I've read other books by Wright, and found his arguments interesting. Unfortunately, I am not sure of some his notions about evolution, since there is a difference between genes for blue eyes and genes for, let's say, picking a mate, which he makes an argument for. (For men it involves picking a woman with a certain hip to waist ratio that would make her a good candidate for child bearing.) Anyway, the purpose of this book is to explore the idea that since society is becoming more moral, our co...more

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Loren I just started reading The Evolution of God and so far I felt he was trying to say that religion has become more moral as a result of cultural evoluti...more
Oct 13, 2009 06:08am

David
Hi Loren, Thanks for your comment. I've been thinking about it, and reviewed the end of the book. It seems to me, he makes an argument for rel...more
Oct 19, 2009 01:26pm

Ben Babcock Hi David. I agree with your take on Wright's argument. However, I think you misread the section on Paul.

Rather than spreading the gospel to...more
Jun 19, 2010 04:41pm

Oct 02, 2009

Holly rated it

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For all you would-be philosophers out there, this one is for you! Robert Wright is an author who, for his past several books anyway, has taken on the notion of "if God exists, who is he? And how do we know?". While this might sound like a rehash of every 'existence of God' argument you've heard before, it isn't, and I encourage you to give The Evolution of God a try.

In short, this book address the god of science and not the god of religion. Using everything from anthropolog...more

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Sep 05, 2009

Gene Grant rated it

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This was a fascinating book albeit from a materialist viewpoint of religion. I was reading at the same time a article in BYU Studies about Open Theology and there were very interesting parallels between the article and the book. One of the best insights was about the biblical traces of Israelite polytheism including the Mother in Heaven Asherah and the close relation between Elohim and Allah. The history of the rise of Islam and discussion of the Koran was very interesting since I have recent...moreThis was a fascinating book albeit from a materialist viewpoint of religion. I was reading at the same time a article in BYU Studies about Open Theology and there were very interesting parallels between the article and the book. One of the best insights was about the biblical traces of Israelite polytheism including the Mother in Heaven Asherah and the close relation between Elohim and Allah. The history of the rise of Islam and discussion of the Koran was very interesting since I have recently traveled to the middle east and have been reading the Koran. I have long felt that religions is evolving to a higher level until the forces of evil will be completely vanquished in the millenium which is not that different than the materialist view of the evolution of ethics and religion. The most intriguing and interesting part for me was the discussion of the scientific worldview of the greeks that resulted in the abstraction of God, which is at the heart of the apostasy and now finally the open theology of the Evangicals is realizing that the anthropmorphic God of the bible is much more satisfying and real than the abstract spirit God of the Greeks, Catholics and most Protestants. This all relates to reconciling the Greek scientific worldview with the religion which is grappling with the very apparent absence of God from the material world as observed by the scientist. The secret to reconciling the absence of God from the universe as observed by the senses and the presence of God as observed by the religious is for me the principle that God is not bound by the dimension of time. It makes sense to me that God is outside the Universe and that the biblical veil is naturally beyond piercing by our physical senses, but God can be present and visions can be seen and our perceptions of these present religious experiences may be something that God built into the universe before the big bang but that we perceive in the dimension of time as a present religious experience. (less)

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Jul 26, 2009

Todd rated it

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If your a religious scholar, there's probably not much here that would be news to you. However, the rest of us have plenty to learn from Wright's latest work. In many ways, Evolution of God fits in nicely was some of the recent work of Bart Ehrman (Misquoting Jesus and Jesus Interrupted) in that Wright puts forth the context and scholarly interpretations of some of the better known parts of the Bible and the Koran (i.e. The exhortation to 'Love thy neighbor' is most likely a lot more provincia...more

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Jul 02, 2009

Jeffrey rated it

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Shelves: current-events, history, religion, science

Why is most of the world now mono-theistic? Was the advent truly something from the Jews, or was it simply a natural out growth of prevailing current ideals during the birth time of the philosophy? These are the questions that are asked in the book, The Evolution of God by Robert Wright.

Before reading the book, I thought this was going to be another attack on religion in the vain of Hitchens or Dawkins. After reading the book, I think that might be a tad much but it is still in the b...more

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Jun 27, 2009

Richard marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Recommended to Richard by: NY Times

Shelves: cognition, philosophy, non-fiction, theology

Extensive review in the New York Times on June 24, 2009, along with a Q&A with the author.

Looks like a good addition to the ongoing debate on the origins of morality. As an agnostic, the obvious fact "God" has evolved in fundamental ways is one of my primary objections to the Christian belief in a perfect God. For that matter, the clear fact that religions develop over time is a pretty clear indicator that they are cultural creations, and not supernatural in origin.

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Jan 03, 2012

Mark rated it

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Peruse scripture a little, and you can find license for whatever deed you contemplate. That's the bad news.

A closer study shows god to be the ductile creation of Man, alternately vengeful or loving, jingoistic or welcoming, as He finds expedient for the time. I feel Wright easily makes this basic point, that religion has evolved to fit "the facts on the ground" and by the time he's done, it feels like a layup. I had thought it contradictory that people could both espouse a ...morePeruse scripture a little, and you can find license for whatever deed you contemplate. That's the bad news.

A closer study shows god to be the ductile creation of Man, alternately vengeful or loving, jingoistic or welcoming, as He finds expedient for the time. I feel Wright easily makes this basic point, that religion has evolved to fit "the facts on the ground" and by the time he's done, it feels like a layup. I had thought it contradictory that people could both espouse a Church and hold their individualized personal beliefs as Truth, but in fact religion seems never to have offered immutable truth in the first place. Notwithstanding its definition, only a superficial understanding assumes dogma is carved in stone. TEoG explodes that myth & will let you recognize the next encyclical for what it is, just the latest audible from Rome.

Study the history more carefully still, and it reveals god in Man's evolved epiphenomenal godly spandrel: love. These are Wright's words, and though he tries immediately to soften them, TEoG offers the religious only cold comfort of Spinoza's natural God. This is a last small patch of turf where one can safely ensconce God in a world where the secular territory just keeps expanding. In that sense TEoG is like the dual to Novak's No One Sees God where an olive branch is purportedly offered across the aisle. Unlike Novak's offering, Wright's seems a genuine one; it's just that it's not much of one for deists.

Wright doesn't see it that way though; he's asking you to be happy with this resolution. Wright makes great headway with me at least in his discussion of Philo, an expatriate working in Alexandria on dangerously thin theological ice who makes long stretches to reconcile the Old Testament with his non Jewish masters, who're rightfully suspicious of all the fire and brimstone old Yahweh promised them. So Philo invents a new name, (Elohim) and abstracts a more friendly and universalist God to go along with it. This is an example of the expedient makeovers I mentioned earlier. A great moment was his reinterpreting the parting of the Red Sea and concomitant apocryphal extinction of the Egyptian army as just a scholarly metaphor: it's God's exhortation to transcend the craven bonds of the flesh. Hmm, I wonder how THAT played in Alexandria? It was a bold gambit, at least! Better yet, he (Philo) introduces Logos, Hawking's God with a match.* This is the ultimate retrenchment, and I found it exciting that the buzz of our age, Science vs God, is just rehashing Philo's ancient conundrum of Athens vs Jerusalem. where, like the Moon worshipers who had some hard rationalization to do when eclipses became predictable, theologians are penned into an ever more philosophical and abstract magesterium. Apparently there's nothing new under the sun: this has been going on forever! ...and indeed, perhaps Logos is a satisfying answer.

Wright takes a final step to find it hopeful that we'll rise to the challenge in these troubled times that look like a rekindling of the crusades. A less optimistic review of the arc of history is that religions evolution's just been been selfishly expediency all along. Maybe circumstances have happened to encourage a win-win outcome, or maybe it's the Deus ex Machina. One way or another, it's time for a hail Mary.

* As a footnote, I originally MISused "Deus ex Machina" here: a term worth looking up!
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Jul 15, 2011

David rated it

Shelves: religious-studies, psychology, science, sociology, speculative, world-history, anthropology, archaeology, biology, evolution, general-history, geo-politics, history, non-fiction, philosophy, paranormal, materialism, skepticism

An excellent book which though read from the materialist perspective (for which I am sympathetic) charts a course between rejection & contempt on the one hand and wholehearted, uncomprehending acceptance on the other.

In Wright's reading Religion is a historical & cultural phenomenon (as well as being psychological) but it is a worthwhile enterprise and belief system. Although he leaves room for the transpersonal experience he does not analyze this or pursue it rationally. His is a w...more

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Oct 02, 2010

Mike Angelillo rated it

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The first three quarters of this book, dealing with the evolution of God through the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths are both informative and enjoyable to read. Essentially, Wright makes the case that God evolved based on the changing social and political situations of the member faiths. He covers the growth of Israel from Canaanite origins (as opposed to conquering Canaan), the historical Jesus versus the scriptural Jesus, Mohammad's changing views of faith as his political situation cha...more

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Feb 09, 2010

Audrey rated it

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I learned about the history of the development of religion from caveman to modern times. The author develops the idea that religion has evolved in mankind towards a moral order which can possibly provide a basis for getting along better in the world rather than cause conflict.
At the end of the book he has some discussions of conflicts of thought between believers, atheists, scientists and others. He discusses posssible concepts of god that perhaps could develop from this evolved moral ord...more

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Feb 06, 2010

Christine rated it

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OK, Robert Wright is a smart guy and definitely did his research well for this book. But I was hoping for a history without any opinions and he had to share! And he has his mind made up even though he likes to delude himself that he is open-minded. The religion of Robert Wright is set in stone. He also loves to use his lingo a lot, and I mean a lot. He probably think it sounds pretty suave to the ladies...he needs converts.

Anyway, if you can deal with all that and work around ...more

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Sep 07, 2010

John rated it

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Wright’s “Evolution of God” is a valuable and, I think, important book. His history of the development of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) is a fascinating read and is generally perceptive and likely accurate in analysis. The historical education that this book provides is valuable, even if some of Wright’s extended conclusions are unpersuasive. Having read a number of books recently on the construction of the New Testament writings and theological developments, ther...moreWright’s “Evolution of God” is a valuable and, I think, important book. His history of the development of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) is a fascinating read and is generally perceptive and likely accurate in analysis. The historical education that this book provides is valuable, even if some of Wright’s extended conclusions are unpersuasive. Having read a number of books recently on the construction of the New Testament writings and theological developments, there was little for me to learn from Wright. But reading thru his history and analysis of the Hebrew nation and Old Testament scriptures I found to be fascinating, and in places, exciting. Wright presents nothing new in his development of Mohamed but I enjoyed the refresher course, if not much new enlightenment.

That being said, there are (I think) a number of non-lethal problems with this book. First,
Wright’s writing style is cumbersome and often just plain irritating. The theme of his work is to show the development and (positive) evolution of morality in the great monotheistic religions. And then, however tenuously, posit the notion that since God ‘gets better,’ the process (progress, trend) somehow demonstrates the existence of some ‘out there’ divinity. Toward the end, Wright even honestly admits (and he is generally honest in his presentation) that “The [religious] movement toward moral truth, though regionally significant, has been globally modest, at best.” I will not belabor the other problems since they will be readily recognizable to most educated readers and I think the value of Wright’s work far out-weighs the negatives.

Particularly important are the ideas of “moral imagination” which are almost entirely lacking in contemporary American thought. J. S. Spong covers this topic brilliantly from a negative (tribal war-god) point of view. Wright does it a bit more positively and with a few details.

This work would be of special value to the evangelical/orthodox/fundamentalist individual, who alas, will not likely pick it up because of its title. The organic evolution of God was apparent to me when I read thru the bible 50 years ago as a young teenager. Unfortunately we too often place the veneer of evolved theology over the story and completely miss the lessons of history. The way Wright brings this historical perspective (truth?) to light is the essential value of The Evolution of God.

Should you read the book and become persuaded by Wrights conclusions regarding the possibility of the divine hand on the tiller of history, please refer to the review of this book by Jerry Coyne in The New Republic, Aug. 12, 2009, entitled “Creationism for Liberals.”

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Oct 03, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine rated it

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Shelves: nov-dec-2009

An articulate writer with a spry sense of humor, Wright offers an optimistic vision of the future of humanity. Avoiding any hint of the sermon, Wright's line of reasoning tends to straddle the middle ground of belief, "too open to theism for the [atheists and:] too rooted in scientific rationalism for the [fundamentalists:]" (Boston Globe). A few critics lamented his focus on Western religions and his insistence that monotheism is naturally superior to other types of belief systems, an...more

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Jul 26, 2011

John Harder added it · review of another edition

Robert Wright’s does not deny of affirm the existence of God in The Evolution of God; he considers this to be beyond the ken of man. Personally I disagree. There is no God. There are also no leprechauns, fairies dancing on pins or monsters under my bed. I concede, however, that since I am not a home now to look under my bed, I am not currently sitting at the end of a rainbow and I have not done a worldwide inventory of pinheads I can not prove that any of these do not exist.

I hope you will f...more

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Nov 12, 2010

Matthew rated it

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Shelves: couldn-t-finish

Made it through as much of this as I could. I think the broader idea I understand: that our conception of God has changed fundamentally over the millenia towards a being with a greater capacity for compassion. Wright argues that this evolution suggests a divine intent - perhaps one of the more compelling philisophical proofs for the existance of a higher power. That argument seems more pleasing to me than what I remember from college of Descarte's proof for the existance of God, but to be hon...more

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Sep 11, 2011

Russell Smith rated it

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The title of this book accurately describes the book's thesis - how the "idea" of "God" has evolved over time. To a fundamentalist believer, such an inquiry will seem blasphemous, while to an atheist this theme will seem banal. This book is written for those in between those two poles, who want to know if religion has, and/or can in the future, play a part in advancing the human race.

In order to answer this question, Wright surveys the history of various religiou...moreThe title of this book accurately describes the book's thesis - how the "idea" of "God" has evolved over time. To a fundamentalist believer, such an inquiry will seem blasphemous, while to an atheist this theme will seem banal. This book is written for those in between those two poles, who want to know if religion has, and/or can in the future, play a part in advancing the human race.

In order to answer this question, Wright surveys the history of various religious traditions, from the "primitive" gods of hunter-gatherer societies, through the more sophisticated gods of chiefdoms and early city-states, culminating in the three great Abrahamic, monotheistic faiths we know today. In so doing, Wright observes an expanding "moral imagination" on the part of human beings, evidenced by and aided by various religious traditions. The book does not discuss, except in fleeting moments, eastern religions. This is, for the most part, a book about Judaism, Christianity and Islam only.

Most interesting to me was Wright's description of how "primitive" the God of the Bible was throughout much of the history of Judaism. Indeed, it would be incorrect to even use the singular form of god, as the early Israelites were, almost certainly, polytheists. That much of the Bible was written by polytheists came as a revelation to me, although judging by this book's massive bibliography much has been written about this already. There are many more interesting insights in this vein throughout the book, and if you find this kind of stuff interesting, stop reading now and buy the book.

The part of the book that left me cold, however, was the notion that the "evolution" of God is somehow evidence that there IS a God. While I do not dispute the idea of God has evolved over time, I think that Wright is too quick to just simply assume that human morality "on the ground" has also evolved. Indeed, Wright believes this so strongly that he believes that such "moral progress" is itself evidence for the existence of a "God." This is where he loses me. I simply do not see such moral progress. For me, the twentieth century was filled with one horrific atrocity after another, notwithstanding the fact that it had more sophisticated gods and religions.

Nevertheless, this book is filled with many interesting and entertaining facts about the Abrahamic religions, as well as many more interesting conjectures about various interpretations of various scriptural passages. It easily meets its primary goal - providing an explanation of God's evolution alongside biological, psychological and cultural evolution. While it fails to leverage this explanation into providing evidence for the existence of God, one cannot criticize any book too harshly for failing to "prove" God exists, since no book has yet to do so to everyone's satisfaction.

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Jul 28, 2009

Angela rated it

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Recommended to Angela by: nytimes review

The Evolution of God is an ambitious look at how our religions tend to change along with the societies in which we live, from animism in small tribes to the rise of monotheistic religions to unite empires. Wright's detachedly bemused commentary on various religious practices throughout the world makes most of the book an entertaining read, although the last half of the book begins to drag a bit as he begins to couch his challenges in more justification. Still, as the book moves on and begins to ...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Ben Vogel rated it

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Read for the bookclub. A bit long in places, interesting ideas here and there, but the ultimate test of whether this book succeeds in any way might be whether it changes anyone's mind about religion or makes them more open minded to others. In the fairly diverse (for MN) group of our bookclub (1 Agnostic, 1 confused Christian, 1 devout Atheist, 2 devout Baptists, 1 wannabe Buddhist , 1 Catholic with a Jewish wife raising Jewish kids), the book made for a pleasant evening of discussion, but I saw...more

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Mar 27, 2011

Jignesh Shah rated it

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Shelves: religion

How did belief in gods come about in every known human society? What gave rise to religion? Were religious tenets truly handed down to us from gods? Or, were they beliefs conceived and shaped by human beings to serve human purposes? This is an engaging, bold and multi-dimensional book that tackles fundamental questions about god and religion in general, and about the Abrahamic God and his three faiths in particular. Wright does a remarkable job of providing a matter-of-fact analysis of evolution...moreHow did belief in gods come about in every known human society? What gave rise to religion? Were religious tenets truly handed down to us from gods? Or, were they beliefs conceived and shaped by human beings to serve human purposes? This is an engaging, bold and multi-dimensional book that tackles fundamental questions about god and religion in general, and about the Abrahamic God and his three faiths in particular. Wright does a remarkable job of providing a matter-of-fact analysis of evolution of god and religion. But, even as he dispels the traditional view of god, he provides a speculative theory of his own. As such, this book may disappoint the believer and the atheist alike, even though it does make for mighty interesting reading.

Wright rationalizes the traditional view of god is an illusion conceived consciously or otherwise, to explain the unexplained. He traces the evolution of the human imagination of god. Gods started out as forces that were part of this world and could be negotiated with to intervene in it's working - example gods of rain. As our understanding of how the world works improved, god had to become increasingly abstract. In this imagination, god exists outside our universe and does not necessarily intervene. Wright himself feels that it is possible that such an abstract god could exist. But his arguments for this hypotheses are weak and offered somewhat as a consolation to the traditional believer.

The bulk of the book and it's central thrust is really about the hand-in-hand evolution of religion and moral consideration - treating other people considerately or not. Wright posits a three fold theory of evolution of religion in this respect. First, divine inspiration does not drive religious doctrine regarding who is included in the circle of moral consideration and how to treat those outside the circle. In reality, religious doctrine is a response to social and political realities on the ground. If two groups of people can find common interests, religions tend to preach tolerance, even compassion among them. If not, religious doctrine does not support inclusion and may even approve belligerence. Second, through the arc of history, the circle of moral consideration along with religion's criteria for inclusion has expanded to larger groups of people as societies grew larger and more interdependent. Lastly, the fact that religion did become incrementally more universal, could in fact be a sign that there is a god.

The first part of Wright's theory is on solid footing as he traces the pattern of religion evolving in response to ground reality throughout different times and different religions. This pattern keeps recurring as Wright provides an amazing behind-the-scenes look at how Judaism, Christianity and Islam were born and propagated.

But Wright ends up on shaky ground as he narrows focus on just the evolution of the three Abrahamic faiths as evidence that religion's universality keeps expanding. Wright argues that Abrahamic religions progressively extended their consideration to greater and greater number of people and this expanded humanity's moral compass. This argument seems flawed when viewed from a larger context that includes those outside the Abrahamic faiths, currently half of the world. Wright inexplicably ignores Abrahamic religions' hard line on monotheism. This doctrine implies increasing intolerance of other gods and hence intolerance of other peoples. This logical flaw becomes clear later when Wright contradicts himself and urges Abrahamic faiths to renounce the specialness of their monotheism altogether in order to become more inclusive. Per Wright's own analysis, non-Abrahamic religions like Buddhism, have outperformed the Abrahamics in terms of moral and philosophical virtues and have probably done a better job of making sense of the world and bringing it together. It seems Wright could have made a stronger case for expanding religious universality by including other major religions in his thesis.

Regardless of whether one buys into the expanding moral compass theory, Wright's last point that such an expansion is a sign of a god is pure conjecture. It's a feel-good idea with no evidence, just like the traditional imagination of god that Wright dispels throughout the book. One can't help but feel that this premise was conceived solely for the purpose of giving the book a lofty and feel-good narrative.(less)

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Mar 19, 2010

Seleucid rated it

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Have you noticed how a religious debate has been happening lately, especially in my region where reverence for religion is still widespread. A group of people with different viewpoints come to discuss God and you feel the tension. People trying to adhere to comfort zones, trying to bypass the obvious while their unconscious is screaming... Until somebody stands up and yells something totally stupid and ignorant, and people start whispering "Good thing someone had the guts to say it".
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Jul 25, 2011

Lacey rated it

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A fascinating and provoking read if you are relatively new to the material, and a well-written, thoughtful book all around. Wright refreshingly combines scholarly research with his own musings, which at times can also get frustrating (wait, what is he saying? does he think God exists or not?! which he does clear up quite clearly if you stick with him).

Some of the ideas I had previously read in Karen Armstrong's "The Bible" and "A History of God," but I found Wright's style a ...more

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About Robert Wright

ROBERT WRIGHT is the author of The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and Three Scientists and Their Gods. The New York Times selected The Moral Animal as one of the ten best books of the year and the other two as notable books of the year.

Wright is a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A contributing...more

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Books by Robert Wright

The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology

Three Scientists and Their Gods: Looking for Meaning in an Age of Information

Our Man in Tehran: The True Story Behind the Secret Mission to Save Six Americans During the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Foreign Ambassad [With Earbud

A Receyt to Stay the Plague. Delivered in a Sermon by R.W. Minister of Gods Word (1636)

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“What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" asked the Christian theologian Tertullian... Having received the revealed thruth via Christ, "we want no curious disputation." Well that was then. Today science is so powerful that theologians can't casually dismiss secular knowledge. For most... Athens and Jerusalem must be reconciled or Jerusalem will fall off the map. Philo's thoughtful answer is 'Logos')” — 1 person liked it

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