The Evolution of God

By: Robert Wright

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

In this sweeping narrative, which takes us from the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright unveils an astonishing discovery: there is a hidden pattern that the great monotheistic faiths have followed as they have evolved. Through the prisms of archeology, theology, and evolutionary psychology, Wright's findings overturn basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and are sure to cause controversy.

He explains why spirituality has a role today and why science, contrary to conventional wisdom, affirms the validity of the religious quest. And this previously unrecognized evolutionary logic points not toward continued religious extremism but to future harmony. Nearly a decade in the making, The Evolution of God is a breathtaking reexamination of the past and a visionary look forward.

©2009 Robert Wright (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[An] in-depth approach yields original insights." ( Kirkus)

Fascinating description of the evolution god.

"The Evolution of God" is a convincing explanation of how "Homo Sapiens" has come to believe in gods, and then in one god. He quotes (sometimes at great length) anthropolical research and the books of the (now) mono-theistic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to support his thesis, and comes to a surprising, unconventional conclusion about the validity of belief in divinity.

A great read and very informative

Many interesting facts and a a good perspective on the economic drivers of the monotheistic religions.

This is an amazing book everyone should read

I love this book and recommend it to folks whenever religion comes up. It's full of interesting information about people over thousands of years and miles. I feel like I have taken a college course, this is just excellent.

Worth a read

Perhaps better titled "What Man sees though his culture,history and intellect as God." Not what IS or is not God. Never the less well researched with plenty of interesting information. Roberts comes to many conclusions true or not true, but with food for thought.

Nice overview of the history of GOD.

Very good flow and the author keeps you interested.
Very good history of God and the evolution of religious belief. It is amazing what people have and do believe. It has something for everyone.

Exceptionally informative and entertaining.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. A great listen, filled with provocative and piercing analysis. It made me smarter and kept me entertained. Very, very, very well done.

Interesting, but was a Lecture

This book was extremely interesting, and enlightening, but was definitely a lecture. I normally listen to books during my commute (about 1 hour 15 min each way), and go for entertainment. I figured that I would give this a try. It was interesting enough to keep my interest, but didn't help shorten the commute at all. Kind of felt like listening to a good lecture in college, but not something I would listen to normally on my "free" time

Life changing experience?

It certainly was for me. It is so important to understand the origins of cultural and social elements of our lives. This book should be required reading for every adult human being. It is so thoroughly informative that I intend to immediately listen again and study it like a college course. get it. If you regret reading it will probably be for the right reasons. truth can sometimes be hard to accept.

Great book. Well read.

A well written book with some compelling ideas. The narrator, Arthur Morey, was so natural and convincing, it was though the book was being read by the author himself. Well done.

An amazing synthesis of ideas and history

Even if you disagree with Wright's presuppositions, his analysis of history, science, and religion is both compelling and challenging. I wish there were more writers who could write accessibly without sacrificing depth and complexity of thought. I will be thinking about this book for years to come.