The evolution of Darwin's theism

Abstract

The photographs taken of Charles Darwin late in life (indeed, from his fifties on) make him seem a kind of sage, venerable and enigmatic. It is an impression no doubt created partly by his imposing figure and by the copious, untrimmed beard hiding much of his face.' But while Darwin seems to have relished looking sage,2 he did not fancy himself particularly wise in metaphysics or religion. In these matters he was deeply and designedly reticent. Nevertheless, his legacy undeniably has been religious as well as scientific. And the fact remains that although he lived in relative seclusion and was by nature a private person, Darwin was also a public figure and a representative Victorian an illustrious "modern" trying at a crucial moment in history to make emotional and intellectual sense of the world. His views on God and religion quite naturally are of special interest, not only to scientists and religion scholars but also to the public at large.3 It is unfortunate, therefore, that the various pictures we have been given of Darwin's life and thought are less subtle and suggestive with regard to his religious attitudes than the photographs are with regard to his general demeanor. It may be true, as Michael Ruse says, that "Darwin simply cared less about religion than many other men."4 Yet Darwin's religious concerns were in fact more