“By anybody's standards, there's a world of difference
between the human brain and human culture on the one hand, and
the primordial radiation that the universe began with.
Something has happened. Something is working itself out
in this universe and the question is, what is that?”
John Haught is a theologian and author who looks at life, the
world, and the divine in terms of infinitude and the evolution
of being and consciousness itself. He seeks a coherent sense of
purpose and divine plan within the grandest strokes of cosmic
creation, and is particularly interested in issues pertaining to
science, cosmology, ecology, and religion. In his open-minded
inquiry, Haught has pursued such edgy theological questions as,
What would happen to the idea of God if extraterrestrial life
appeared on earth?
Interviewed at the annual Metanexus Conference, Haught was
asked by WIE's Amy Edelstein to elaborate on some of
the central themes of his work. Why is the standard Darwinian
recipe for evolution not enough to explain everything that
exists? Why do human beings harbor an innate desire for
infinitude? Is our sense of God evolving as we evolve?
Haught beautifully articulates the potent terrain
between—and above—the worlds of science and
religion. Viewing the evolution of consciousness as fundamental
to the purpose of our universe, he sees human evolution not as
an end in itself, but as one step along a greater all-consuming path toward an infinite, unknowable, yet wholly positive conclusion.
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Recorded on: 6/10/2006
Evolutionary Theories
Evolution of Consciousness