What is Darwinism?

What is Darwinism? is Charles Hodge's incisive 1874 examination of the philosophical and theological implications of Darwin's evolutionary theory. Written in a lucid, argumentative prose characteristic of nineteenth-century theological controversy, the book distinguishes between evolution as a possible natural process and Darwinism as, in Hodge's judgment, a system excluding design. Its literary context is the Victorian confrontation between natural science, metaphysics, and Christian doctrine. Hodge, long associated with Princeton Theological Seminary, was one of America's leading Reformed theologians and a formidable defender of orthodox Calvinism. His training in biblical theology, systematic doctrine, and common-sense realism shaped his response to Darwin. Rather than offering a scientific refutation in the narrow sense, he asks what Darwinism means for providence, teleology, and the intelligibility of creation. This book is recommended to readers interested in the history of science and religion, nineteenth-century theology, or the intellectual reception of Darwin. Even where one disagrees with Hodge's conclusions, his careful definitions and forceful reasoning make the work an important document in the modern debate over evolution, design, and belief.