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Article

Abstract

Science profoundly undermines our traditional self-conception, portraying humans not as categorically different than and superior to the rest of creation, but material things, the contingent product of vastly improbable natural processes. We are superficial features of the universe, not among its basic or necessitated constituents. For some, this threatens the conviction that we are made in God’s Image. However, the author argues that God chose to create us but not to design us. The Christian faith, looking to God’s nature and revealed purposes in creation, finds resources not merely to cope with the scientific erosion of the human self-image, but to integrate it into a richer story of our Creator and his creatures. By embracing our superficiality, we can better avoid the primal temptation to be like gods and instead focus on being God’s, not gods.

About the Author

An encounter with Dutch Calvinist philosophy led Dr. Wacome to pursue a master's degree in philosophy and write his thesis in epistemology. He continued his studies at Duke, where he earned a doctorate and explored metaethical theory in his dissertation. Since he started teaching, his interests have focused on the philosophy of the mind and the philosophy of science, particularly their bearing on the relation of scientific naturalism and the Christian faith. Wacome has a strong interest in theology and remains interested in metaethics, as well as political philosophy, particularly in its classical liberal and libertarian manifestations.

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