This is a YouTube series of 3 videos from Marlene’s talk at a retreat, explaining why she thinks the most important thing about accepting evolution has nothing to do with the Garden of Eden. It’s about understanding ourselves for who we are – animals. Just as Copernicus and Galileo helped us understand that the earth was not the center of the universe, much to the ire of Christendom, evolution brings our identity into perspective. But it’s not merely humbling; it’s empowering. Because when we understand our own brains in the context in which they evolved, we can take responsibility for our emotions and our reactive “instinctive” behaviors in a way that allows us to make mature, more enlightened choices that exemplify the best in us as humans, or hom0 sapiens. Our brains have a long history and we are incumbent to know that history (evolution) if we are to behave well, i.e. humanely, and even have a chance to survive as a species. Our cerebral cortex is capable of rational thought and mirror neurons are capable of empathy but only if we honestly recognize and learn to manage the overriding power of our “reptile brains.” The same religious hubris that denies global warming can harm everyone on the planet by denying who we are.
Call me \”Animal\”: Evolutionary Psychology and Religion, Part 1 of 3