Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply about the Meaning of Our Existence

Generations have been taught that evolution implies there is no overarching purpose to our existence. Some scientists take this logic one step further, suggesting that evolution is intrinsically atheistic and goes against the concept of God. But is this true? By integrating emerging principles from a variety of scientific disciplines—ranging from evolutionary biology to psychology—Yale Professor Samuel Wilkinson provides a framework of evolution that implies not only that there is an overarching purpose to our existence, but what this purpose is. Nature seems to have endowed us with competing dispositions, what Wilkinson calls the dual potential of human nature. When we couple this with the observation that we possess a measure of free will, all this strongly implies there is a universal purpose to our existence. Our life is a test. From a certain framework, these aspects of human nature—including how evolution shaped us—are evidence for the existence of a God, not against it. What is the meaning of life? Based on the scientific data, it would seem that one such meaning is to develop deep and abiding relationships. This is a function of our evolution.