Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion and the Nature of Society (Paperback)

If it wasn't clear that this book is intended as serious science, it might be considered a hoax. Wilson attempts to reconcile evolutionary biology with the social sciences to build a case for religion's evolutionary roots. This has been attempted before, of course, but Wilson provides some new twists. He rejects Susan
Blackmore's idea that religion is a meme, even refusing to use the term. He likes religion, and tries to give it a Darwinian foundation. To do so, Wilson reverts to the outdated thesis of "society as an organism." He provides false portrayals of social roles among animals [birds, mostly] he then attempts to project some aspects of social animals onto humans. Assessing "primitive" societies in relation to the modern life, he attempts to build a case for the evolutionary roots of religion. His thesis, however, is built on a porous foundation.

As a professional biologist, Wilson makes some perplexing assertions. Citing bird groups with "callers" and "foragers" he presents these as fixed roles. In fact, the callers must forage, while foragers must stand watch through a rota. Otherwise the group will not survive. In religion, "callers" [priests] remain fixed in their part supported by the remainder of the group. For group selection to work in evolution, the groups require reproductive isolation. Religions, for all their rigidity at times, can represent a wide, diverse population. In the evolutionary process, this is too wide and mobile a target. Wilson contends instead that religions "evolve" through competition with each other. This idea wholly ignores the multitude of non-deistic or animist adherents in "non-Western" societies around the world. As the book progresses, "religion" in the general sense tends to be displaced by "Christianity." Christianity, maladaptive though it is at times, Wilson credits with attracting adherents as no other religions do. Evangelism, then, becomes the tactic used to enlarge and enhance the group.
Inevitably, one surmises, one species is to be identified with one religion.

Wilson's evenhanded tone is the redeeming feature of this book. In some cases, he even apologises to other authors if he's misinterpreted them. His scholarship is wide, reflecting the scope of his interest. He presents various positions, including his own with clarity and precision. However, his argument is too tenuous. Group selection wasn't rejected by science because it was a fad, genetics demonstrated its invalidity. Wilson may wish to resurrect it, but he hasn't accomplished that miracle here. His Christian stance allows him to treat his opponents gently, but he doesn't refute their assertion that group selection is biologically groundless. Even less does the history of religion support it. Wilson is careful to note "religion" goes well beyond the role of "gods," acting as a social construct. With this, he takes us from biology to morality. It's compelling reading, but He's deft with words, slipping the old "genetic determinism" charge against those not guilty of it. He struggles to downplay genetic input as the primary cause of evolutionary change, but fails to provide a structure to replace it. It was all spelled out by natural selection's original architect. Darwin's cathedral was built brick by brick - it isn't a modular construction. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]