A Christian Epistemological Analysis of Brian Boyd’s Biocultural Approach to the Origins of Narratival Structure

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the limitations of naturalistic frameworks, particularly Brian Boyd’s biocultural model, in accounting for the origins and coherence of storytelling principles. This study argues that Christian theism provides a more comprehensive and coherent foundation for understanding the purpose and origins of storytelling than Boyd’s evolutionary model. Boyd posits that narrative structures evolved as adaptive traits within the biological and cultural evolution of humans, shaping cognitive and social behavior for survival. This dissertation critiques Boyd’s approach, demonstrating that his reliance on evolution to explain storytelling principles overlooks the need for a truth-oriented epistemology found in the Christian worldview, which holds that narrative finds ultimate coherence in God’s self-revelation. Engaging Romans 1:18–20 and historical Christian epistemology by key thinkers such as John Chrysostom, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Cornelius Van Til, and Greg L. Bahnsen, this study establishes that storytelling principles align more cohesively with a worldview that recognizes divine purpose rather than sheer survival. Through this comparative analysis, the dissertation reveals the internal inconsistencies of naturalistic storytelling explanations and advances the argument that storytelling principles are intrinsic to man’s purpose and divine design.