About the Epic of Evolution

Science

Because Epic of Evolution is so vast, it requires a good liberal arts education to tell this story. As mentioned above, this epic begins with the Great Radiance (a.k.a. Big Bang) and tells about the emergence of energy, matter, galaxies, stars, planets, chemicals, life and our culture on Earth. A useful way to visualize the science of the Epic of Evolution is to concatenate the following timelines found in Wikipedia:

• Cosmological timeline
• Geologic time scale
• Timeline of evolution

Story

But this Epic of Evolution is more than just science. It is science translated into meaningful story. This is the story of our human origins. It tells how the 13.7 billion year-old universe has come to know itself through the consciousness of human beings. For a growing number of people, the Epic of Evolution provides an interpretation of the scientific cosmology that is culturally and/or religiously meaningful. In this way, the Epic of Evolution bridges science, religion and philosophy. This cosmology gives some people reason to celebrate their place and purpose in the evolving universe. People of all cultures, religions and philosophies understand this universal Epic because people from all cultures, religions and philosophies have contributed to it and because it is the product of the rigorous peer review process of science.

The Epic of Evolution is central to understanding the philosophies of Integral thought, Process Philosophy, New Thought, Spiral dynamics, Evolutionary Theology and Theistic Evolution.

A central idea of the Epic of Evolution is that evolution has a direction. This direction is toward greater complexity, toward greater consciousness, and toward greater cooperation.

Dialogue between Science, Religion and Philosophy

The Epic of Evolution is a story that fosters dialogue between science, religion and philosophy.

Like more traditional epic tales, the Epic of Evolution can serve as a roadmap to help people effectively navigate through life. According to astrophysicist Eric Chaisson, “. . . the integrated, coherent story of cosmic evolution – a powerful and noble epic – can act as a viable intellectual vehicle to involve all our citizens as participants, not just spectators, in the building of a whole new legacy.”

Understanding the directionality of evolution opens the door of evolution to people of faith, who see God as the ultimate creator and sustainer of the universe. Although media headlines might suggest otherwise, for a growing number of people, the Epic of Evolution reconciles science and religion.

Although it still leaves open the debate as to the existence of God or not, the Epic of Evolution fosters dialog between atheists, agnostics and people of faith. For example in November of 1997, scientists, philosophers and theologians gathered at the Field Museum in Chicago for the Epic of Evolution Conference sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dialogue fostered by The Epic of Evolution is in part responsible for the emergence of Evolution Sunday, an annual day of worship begun in 2006 in which over 400 churches of all denominations celebrated evolution as the means by which God created the Universe.

The Epic of Evolution contrasts starkly with Social Darwinism, in that the Epic of Evolution acknowledges cooperation and consciousness as forces in survival of the fittest. In addition, the Epic of Evolution does not deny (yet nor does it prove) the existence of a Creator God.

History

The Epic of Evolution is an ancient idea based on long time observations that the universe and everything in it is constantly changing. For thousands of years, understanding the past has helped humans seek meaning and purpose in this changing universe.

The details of the Epic of Evolution have been elucidated by thousands of individuals.  Those who have contributed to the understanding of this comprehensive epic include the following:

• Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher “Everything Flows and Nothing Stays”
• Charles Darwin, naturalist
• Henri Bergson, French philosopher
• Teilhard de Chardin, paleontologist, priest
• Thomas Berry, priest
• Brian Swimme, cosmologist
• Loyal Rue, philosopher
• Ursula Goodenough, biologist
• Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow
• Eric Chaisson, astrophysicist

Ages in the Epic of Evolution

There are many worthy ways of categorizing the ages in the Epic of Evolution. Many useful timelines, when put all together, form the continuum that is the Epic of Evolution:

• Cosmological timeline
• Geologic time scale
• Timeline of evolution

Following is a simple categorization elaborated on by astrophysicist Eric Chaisson, in his 2006 book ‘Epic of Evolution: Seven Ages of the Cosmos’ (ISBN 0-231-13560-2.)

• Particle Epoch
• Galactic Epoch
• Stellar Epoch
• Planetary Epoch
• Chemical Epoch
• Biological Epoch
• Cultural Epoch

Controversies

As in other matters of evolution, the Epic of Evolution is the subject of controversy. While the vast majority of scientists accept the overall science of evolution – cosmic, biological and cultural – many details are still unknown and many others under debate. In addition, as with other areas of philosophy, the Epic of Evolution generates many controversial interpretations.

Celebrate the Epic of Evolution