National Review
"A clear and fascinating case for a broadly theistic conception of evolution that considers the “dual potential of human nature” — our propensity for both altruism and selfishness, or, put another way, good and evil — to be both a result of the way evolution shaped us and a key to what gives life meaning."
Francis S. Collins
"Psychiatrist Sam Wilkinson digs deeply into recent insights about how evolution has shaped the competing dispositions of human nature, and how these observations point to a Creator God who has a purpose for our existence. If you are one of many in our technological society who is troubled about whether science and faith can be harmonized, you will be reassured and inspired by this intellectually rigorous and spiritually compelling presentation.”
John Morley
Wilkinson has done something extraordinary: He has provided a science-based answer to the world’s most intractable philosophical question. And he has done it in elegant, entertaining prose that any thoughtful person can enjoy. This book will change your life. It tells us not just how to live, but why. It is especially inspiring to young people struggling to find purpose in an uncertain age. This book is for anyone who wonders about the meaning of life."
Roy Baumeister
"In this lively, refreshing, and well-written book, Samuel Wilkinson thoughtfully explores the fascinating problems of evolution, freedom, meaning, and religion. Complex ideas are explained in simple and clear terms, and arguments on all sides are carefully scrutinized. Readers will enjoy engaging with this intelligent and humble mind. Anyone interested in the deep questions about human life will find this book a valuable and stimulating read."
The American Scholar
"Wilkinson, like so many 19th- and early-20th-century philosophers and scientists, is attempting to bridge the seeming gulf between reason and faith—and he does an admirable job. Wilkinson performs a service by making them more accessible to lay readers. Wilkinson’s description of our nature deserves a hearing: In order to inspire and protect meaningful relationships, human beings have to negotiate their 'dual potentials' carefully. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do, on balance, have to make the right decisions day after day, year after year. Every world religion, every great spiritual or wisdom tradition, has this idea stitched into its moral fabric. If Wilkinson is right, it’s also part of our very flesh and blood."
Reverend Professor David Wilkinson
"Samuel Wilkinson brings his considerable expertise to questions of evolution, purpose and God. What results is an innovative approach which takes the science seriously both in what it can say and where it needs a wider context to give insights into what it means to be fully human."
Kirkus Reviews
"An insightful explanation of evolution and human nature in which religion is neither excluded nor central."
Greg McKeown
"An essential book by every measure. Beautifully written, superbly researched—and life changing. You will never think of your life, or the earth, or the purpose of each in the same way again!”
From the Publisher
Winner of the Best Indie Book Award, the Independent Press Award, the Global Book Award, and the Literary Titan Award.
Arthur C. Brooks
"If you struggle to reconcile faith and reason, Sam Wilkinson’s profound book Purpose was written for you. You will be left with an understanding of the guiding forces behind human evolution and behavior.
Troy Van Voorhis
"Into the midst of the often contentious debate about evolution and the meaning of life, Purpose breathes a breath of fresh air. By taking seriously the notion that “everything that is evolved”, Wilkinson highlights how evolution must then be responsible not just for our genetic material, but also for the apparent dual nature of human nature—the tension between selfishness and altruism or between aggression and cooperation. These aspects of human nature suggest that, while the steps of evolution are random, the higher order principles that guide evolution have all the apparent hallmarks of having a clear purpose. I highly recommend this to those seeking a clear and hopeful perspective on how modern science can help us pursue a meaningful life.
Robert P. George
"Dr. Wilkinson has given us a wonderfully—indeed masterfully—synthetic work on the biggest question of all. Bringing together insights drawn from the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and theology, he puts a spotlight on the things that give human beings, over time and across cultures, a sense of purpose. His book is an intelligent person’s guide to the meaning of life.
Brad Wilcox
In Purpose, Wilkinson deftly explains how and why our most fundamental institutions—including marriage and family—play a crucial role in grounding and guiding our lives. This is a fascinating and important book.
Laura C. Bridgewater
"Wilkinson makes the case that the evolutionary forces of individual selection and kin selection, operating simultaneously over eons, have produced the best and worst aspects of human nature. God’s use of evolution in the creation of humanity therefore sets the stage for life to truly test our willingness to choose good over evil as we respond to competing urges. Well-researched, insightful, and provocative."
Dirk Evers
Anyone who wants to know how a scientific understanding of reality and the notion of purpose for human existence can go together, will be richly inspired by this book.
Thomas B. Griffith
Wilkinson makes a powerful argument for how human nature, with all its complexity, suggests there is a purpose to our existence. Drawing upon the profound insights of evolutionary biology, this successful effort to reconcile sometimes competing worldviews gives a reasoned explanation that our existence is not accidental. Wilkinson demonstrates that what we have learned so recently about human nature from our evolutionary history confirms what we have known so long from the humanities: that the boundary between good and evil runs through every heart. That Wilkinson makes his case in a way that is accessible to the layperson will broaden and deepen the impact of this important contribution to understanding who we are and what we should be about.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn
"Samuel Wilkinson challenges conventional wisdom with Purpose, his passionately argued book that seeks the essence of our existence by envisioning direction in evolution, not only randomness, and virtues in human nature, not only vices. Wilkinson, a psychiatrist specializing in depression, finds purpose in Purpose: to restore faith and bring meaning to many. An unabashed proponent of theistic evolution, Wilkinson argues that a purpose of our existence is to choose between the good and evil inherent within us—life is a test, he says—and he offers a framework to help us choose our better natures, maximize our individual well-being, and thus live the Good Life. While some (including me) may not entirely agree, all should at least consent that this debate sits at the heart of the human condition.
Professor David Wilkinson
"Samuel Wilkinson brings his considerable expertise not only in biology but also in medicine to questions of evolution, purpose, and God. What results is an innovative approach which takes the science seriously both in what it can say and where it needs a wider context to give insights into what it means to be fully human.
Roy F. Baumeister
"In this lively, refreshing, and well-written book, Samuel Wilkinson thoughtfully explores the fascinating problems of evolution, freedom, meaning, and religion. Complex ideas are explained in simple and clear terms, and arguments on all sides are carefully scrutinized. Readers will enjoy engaging with this intelligent and humble mind. Anyone interested in the deep questions about human life will find this book a valuable and stimulating read.
Kirkus Reviews
2023-10-03
A searching overview of scientific evolution that includes a plug for a personal God.
Religion has been in decline across the developed world for several centuries, with some blaming the rise of Charles Darwin, whose theory of natural selection seemed to eliminate the need for a purpose in life. Many scientists rejected Darwin at the time, but by the 20th century, hard evidence had convinced the scientific community, if not the general public. As knowledge of life and the universe grew, there were fewer reasons to postulate a God to manage matters beyond human understanding. Wilkinson, associate director of the Yale Depression Research Program, emphasizes that, despite dazzling advances in income and health, humans are no happier. Despair, hopelessness, and mental illness—especially depression—are epidemic. Perhaps, he suggests, we are missing something. The popular (but not scientific) view casts evolution as a mindless, survival-of-the fittest process that dooms us “to live, breathe, die, and whittle away our hours in a world without meaning.” Wilkinson argues that evolution is not random, but directed, and that a true understanding requires a Supreme Being “who is benevolent, who created us, and wants us to be happy.” Except for the first and last chapters, the author rarely mentions God; rather, he provides an expert account of evolution in which altruism plays as great a role as selfishness, groups as well as individuals evolve, and Homo sapiens’ superb ability to cooperate may be the leading factor in our spectacular achievements. Among its other countless accomplishments, science has discovered the single greatest element in human health and happiness: “a good marriage and family life.” Relying on solid research, Wilkinson illuminates related topics, including free will, sex, and the elements of “a good life” and “a good society.”
An insightful explanation of evolution and human nature in which religion is neither excluded nor central.
