Homo Deus: a brief History of Tomorrow

Homo  sapiens  evolved  through  natural  selection  alone,  free  of  all  divine
intervention;  32  per  cent  maintain  that  humans  may  have  evolved  from  earlier
life forms in a process lasting millions of years, but God orchestrated this entire
show;  46  per  cent  believe  that  God  created  humans  in  their  current  form
sometime  during  the  last  10,000  years,  just  as  the  Bible  says.  Spending  three
years  in  college  has  absolutely  no  impact  on  these  views.  The  same  survey
found  that  among  BA  graduates,  46  per  cent  believe  in  the  biblical  creation
story,  whereas  only  14  per  cent  think  that  humans  evolved  without  any  divine
supervision. Even among holders of MA and PhD degrees, 25 per cent believe
the  Bible,  whereas  only  29  per  cent  credit  natural  selection  alone  with  the
creation of our species.
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Though  schools  evidently  do  a  very  poor  job  teaching  evolution,  religious
zealots  still  insist  that  it  should  not  be  taught  at  all.  Alternatively,  they  demand
that  children  must  also  be  taught  the  theory  of  intelligent  design,  according  to

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which all organisms were created by the design of some higher intelligence (aka
God).  ‘Teach  them  both  theories,’  say  the  zealots,  ‘and  let  the  kids  decide  for
themselves.’
Why  does  the  theory  of  evolution  provoke  such  objections,  whereas  nobody
seems to care about the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics? How come
politicians  don’t  ask  that  kids  be  exposed  to  alternative  theories  about  matter,
energy,  space  and  time?  After  all,  Darwin’s  ideas  seem  at  first  sight  far  less
threatening  than  the  monstrosities  of  Einstein  and  Werner  Heisenberg.  The
theory of evolution rests on the principle of the survival of the fittest, which is a
clear and simple – not to say humdrum – idea. In contrast, the theory of relativity
and  quantum  mechanics  argue  that  you  can  twist  time  and  space,  that
something can appear out of nothing, and that a cat can be both alive and dead
at  the  same  time.  This  makes  a  mockery  of  our  common  sense,  yet  nobody
seeks to protect innocent schoolchildren from these scandalous ideas. Why?
The theory of relativity makes nobody angry, because it doesn’t contradict any
of our cherished beliefs. Most people don’t care an iota whether space and time
are absolute or relative. If you think it is possible to bend space and time, well,
be my guest. Go ahead and bend them. What do I care? In contrast, Darwin has
deprived  us  of  our  souls.  If  you  really  understand  the  theory  of  evolution,  you
understand  that  there  is  no  soul.  This  is  a  terrifying  thought  not  only  to  devout
Christians  and  Muslims,  but  also  to  many  secular  people  who  don’t  hold  any
clear  religious  dogma,  but  nevertheless  want  to  believe  that  each  human
possesses  an  eternal  individual  essence  that  remains  unchanged  throughout
life, and can survive even death intact.
The  literal  meaning  of  the  word  ‘individual’  is  ‘something  that  cannot  be
divided’.  That  I  am  an  ‘in-dividual’  implies  that  my  true  self  is  a  holistic  entity
rather than an assemblage of separate parts. This indivisible essence allegedly
endures from one moment to the next without losing or absorbing anything. My
body  and  brain  undergo  a  constant  process  of  change,  as  neurons  fire,
hormones flow and muscles contract. My personality, wishes and relationships
never stand still, and may be completely transformed over years and decades.
But  underneath  it  all  I  remain  the  same  person  from  birth  to  death  –  and
hopefully beyond death as well.
Unfortunately, the theory of evolution rejects the idea that my true self is some
indivisible, immutable and potentially eternal essence. According to the theory of
evolution, all biological entities – from elephants and oak trees to cells and DNA
molecules  –  are  composed  of  smaller  and  simpler  parts  that  ceaselessly
combine and separate. Elephants and cells have evolved gradually, as a result
of  new  combinations  and  splits.  Something  that  cannot  be  divided  or  changed

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cannot have come into existence through natural selection.
The  human  eye,  for  example,  is  an  extremely  complex  system  made  of
numerous smaller parts such as the lens, the cornea and the retina. The eye did
not pop out of nowhere complete with all these components. Rather, it evolved
step by tiny step through millions of years. Our eye is very similar to the eye of