Existence and Knowledge

Existence and Knowledge

Darwinian Evolution and Classical Theism: An Exploration of Cognitive Domains and the Two-Layer Reality Thesis

Document Type : Research Article

Author
Meysam Tavakoli Bina
Assistant Professor, Faculty Member, Iranian Research Institute for Wisdom and Philosophy, Tehran, Iran.
10.22096/ek.2026.2084434.1627
Abstract
The apparent conflict between Darwinian evolution and traditional theism is one of the fundamental challenges in the fields of science and religion in the contemporary era. Two common solutions to this conflict are: first, the intelligent design movement, which, by rejecting some evolutionary mechanisms, proves direct divine intervention at the biological level; second, theistic evolution, which, by fully accepting evolutionary mechanisms, modifies classical theology towards process theology. The present article, using a descriptive-analytical-critical method, proposes a third version: the compatibility of evolution and theism without the need to modify classical theology. The main thesis of the article is that the incompatibility of evolution and theism occurs only if the concepts of chance and blindness in the theory of evolution are interpreted as the absolute negation of any factor. But if we limit these concepts to the scientific realm and consider them merely to mean the negation of empirically identifiable factors, complete compatibility with classical theology as the fundamental layer of reality is maintained, and the theory of evolution remains within the realm of empirical knowledge and the apparently observable layer, and does not commit ontological excesses.
Keywords
Theistic evolution
process theology
science and religion theology
intelligent design
John Hutt
John Pakinghorn
Subjects
Bibliography
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