Postmodernism and Biology

Biology is a vital aspect of any worldview because it answers the question of humanity's origin. Religious traditions such as Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism have creation stories that act as their explanation of biology. Postmodernism, as a thoroughly secular worldview, inserts evolution as the answer to this question. The ramifications of this belief are significant, though they should not take nearly as long to explain as some other areas of the postmodern worldview.

Postmodernism is most readily defined by moral and cultural relativism. In order to uphold this staunch belief several support columns are required; one of these is a view of biology. Evolution is the purely naturalistic view of the earth's origins. It leaves no room for the supernatural or for a conscience in the heart of man. Man is the highest form of animal. Fate destined that it would be so; therefore, we have a species of the animal kingdom that builds cities, forms cultures, splits atoms, invents religion, and studies its fellow animal species. Man has no moral compass, no conscience, and there are certainly no such things as absolutes.

The logical and practical result of such a belief is the moral relativism we see displayed throughout the postmodern worldview. Man as animal cannot be held accountable for his actions, anymore than a lion can be held accountable for killing a zebra for food. Consequently our world is consumed in chaos.

There is a prominent pattern that runs through the Bible and affects every aspect of the Christian worldview. This pattern is also present in every other worldview because all other worldviews are poor substitutes for the truth of God's Word. This pattern is creation, fall, redemption. The Christian belief that man was created in the image of God, just slightly below the angels, and with the purpose of communing with God and glorifying Him affects the rest of our worldview story. Likewise the postmodern belief that man is simply an animal with animal instincts and the lack of any moral direction sadly affects the remainder of their story, both here on earth and throughout eternity.