On 18 October 2024, Daniel Peterson interviewed Ben Spackman, a Latter-day Saint historian of religion, science, and biblical interpretation, on the topic of Latter-day Saint views of evolution, and Dr. Samuel T. Wilkinson, an active Latter-day Saint who currently serves as an associate professor of psychiatry in Yale University’s School of Medicine. The conversation with Dr. Wilkinson focused on Professor Wilkinson’s recent book, Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply About the Meaning of Our Existence (New York and London: Pegasus Books, 2024).
Dr. Spackman’s background and formal training are exceptionally broad, including advanced work in Semitic languages, Biblical studies, the history of science, and the history of Christianity, with a primary focus on the Reformation and on modern American religious thought. He completed all of the coursework for a PhD in Comparative Semitics (effectively, in Old Testament Languages and Literature, as well as Arabic) at the University of Chicago, but ultimately received his PhD in American Religious History from Claremont Graduate University, where his dissertation explored twentieth-century Latter-day Saint attitudes toward evolution and creationism.
In Purpose, Dr. Wilkinson argues for a religious dimension—indeed, a religious purpose—in evolution. “Our coming into existence was not random,” he contends, “allowing for the possibility of an overarching purpose to our lives. But evolution seems to have shaped us in such a way that we are pulled in different directions: the dual potential of human nature. We also find ourselves in possession of free will. . . . [W]hen we bring it all together, it seems clear . . . that life is a test. A principal purpose of our existence is to choose between the good and evil inherent within us.”
Purpose was not written for a primarily Latter-day Saint audience, but elements of its argument will surely resonate with students of the Book of Mormon.
Both conversations were recorded, and are now available for viewing below and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGtODuGEATc and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qOXI48Ns40, respectively.
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