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Falling Up:: Evolution and Original Sin
Attempts to describe human distinctiveness typically focus on specific positive human traits such as brain size, the mind, symbolic consciousness, language, culture, morality, or (from a theological perspective) on the ‘soul’, or being created in the ‘image of God’. However, one may define human distinctiveness also negatively. In this contribution I will raise the question of whether only humans sin, and will provide a brief survey of the available literature in this regard. I will then explore this question in conversation with Frans de Waal, the well-known animal ethologist, with reference to his major books including Good Natured (1996), Primates and Philosophers (2006), The Age of Empathy (2009) and The Bonobo and the Atheist (2013). De Waal suggests that evolutionary continuity may be found not only in genetic (biological) features of human existence but also in terms of noble human characteristics such as empathy, reciprocity and fairness. Inversely, claims for human uniqueness may need to focus on torture, cruelty, deception, exploitation, and environmental destruction. De Waal is therefore a helpful conversation partner for theological reflection on human sin.
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