• Krüger Oliver

• Krüger Oliver

Since the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859), this work has been widely received in the recent history of religion and spirituality. Apart from extreme opponents (creationists) and atheist advocates of the idea of evolution (Richard Dawkins), Darwin's theory had already been received positively by Christian theologians and philosophers in the 19th century. Here, it had been connected with a religious idea of evolution. Further, other religions like Bahai, Theosophy or Neohinduism built heavily upon the idea of evolution while at the same time evolution became the dominant paradigm in anthropology.

The idea of a new spiritual human being, that emerges from evolution, is fundamental for the European life reformers around 1900, the hippie movement and the New Age. Meditation, music, dance and alternative forms of love & life are possible means to reach that goal. They don’t aim for a new biological humanity, but intend to raise humanity to a higher level of consciousness. In transhumanism and posthumanism, this idea culminates in merging with a divine superintelligence.

The lecture gives an overview of this 160-years reception of the idea of evolution in Christianity theologies (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin etc), in philosophy (Henri Bergson, Ernst Haeckel, Jean Gebser etc.), in anthropology (Evans-Pritchaed etc.), in Neo-Hinduism (Aurobindo, Gopi Krishna etc.), in New Age thinking and practice (Ken Wilber, Marilyn Ferguson a.o.), Theosophy (Helena Blavatsky, Annie Besant), Bahai and in Transhumanism/Poshumanism (Ray Kurzweil, Frank Tipler).

It is possible to write the exam in English, German or French.

First session: 24.2.22.

Provisional structure of the lecture:

Part I: The beginning

I. The world before Darwin

II. Darwin's discovery and the evolution paradigm

III. The "rise of man" in anthropology and sociology

Part II: The reception of Darwinism by Christian churches

IV. The critical reception of evolutionism by the Catholic Church

V. The positive reception of evolutionism by Protestant theology

VI. The rejection of evolutionism by creationism and intelligent design

Part III: The philosophy of God and evolution

VII. Alexander & Whitehead

VIII. Bergson, Gebser and Teilhard de Chardin

Part IV: India, Theosophy the New Age

IX. "Isis unveiled": Helena Blavatsky and Theosophy (intervention by Dr. Yves Mühlematter)

X. Evolution in Neo-Hinduism: Aurobindo & Gopi Krishna

XI. The Hippie counterculture and the quest for higher consciousness

XII. The New Age revolution: meditation, drugs and music (intervention by Maxime Papaux)

XIII. Overcoming humanity: the singularity in posthumanism and transhumanism

1.) Knowledge of the dynamic and variant reception of evolutionary theory in recent religious history and anthropology.

2.) Knowledge in the method of the history of ideas as a hermeneutically grounded history of reception.

It is possible to write the exam in English, German or French.

Written presence examination in room E120

written presence examination in room G230 (PER)

written presence examination in room B130