Human Uniqueness, the Other Hominids, and “Anthropocentrism of the Gaps” in the Religion and Science Dialogue

Abstract. The concept of human uniqueness has long played a central role within key interpretations of the hominid fossil record and within numerous theological understandings of the imago Dei. More recently, the status of humans as evolutionarily unique has come under strong criticism owing to the...

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Autore principale: Moritz, Joshua M. (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
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Pubblicazione: Wiley-Blackwell 2012
In: Zygon
Anno: 2012, Volume: 47, Fascicolo: 1, Pagine: 65-96
Altre parole chiave:B Upper Paleolithic Revolution
B anthropocentrism of the gaps
B Imago Dei
B hominids
B Evoluzione
B monogenism
B polygenism
B Paleoanthropology
B multiregionalism
B human uniqueness
B Racism
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Riepilogo:Abstract. The concept of human uniqueness has long played a central role within key interpretations of the hominid fossil record and within numerous theological understandings of the imago Dei. More recently, the status of humans as evolutionarily unique has come under strong criticism owing to the discovery of certain nonhuman hominids who, as language and culture-bearing beings, lived as contemporaries with early anatomically modern humans. Nevertheless, many scholars, including those in the field of religion and science, continue to interpret the remains of these other hominids in light of empirically ungrounded implicit assumptions about human uniqueness, which the author calls “anthropocentrism of the gaps.” This paper argues that “anthropocentrism of the gaps” is philosophically unwarranted and thus should not be assumed by scholars in religion and science when evaluating contemporary findings in paleoanthropology.
ISSN:1467-9744
Comprende:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2011.01240.x