Exploring the timeless questions between evolution, creation, and faith through a scientific lens, Neurologist Prof. Sultan Tarlacı invites readers on a thought-provoking journey into the deeper meanings of the universe, consciousness, and existence with his book From Cave to Mars. The work has been reissued under the Üsküdar University Press label.
Neurologist Prof. Sultan Tarlacı, a faculty member in Üsküdar University’s Department of Neuroscience and a specialist at NPİSTANBUL Hospital, explores the timeless questions between evolution, creation, and faith through a scientific perspective in his book From Cave to Mars. He invites readers to contemplate the deeper meanings of the universe, consciousness, and existence.
The book has been reissued under the Üsküdar University Press label. From now on, From Cave to Mars will be published by Üsküdar University Press.
In this work, which aims to bridge the gap between scientific findings and belief systems, Prof. Tarlacı examines the idea that evolution and existence are not in conflict but complement one another, drawing on philosophical, theological, and scientific insights.
Arguing that the evolutionary process may be part of divine creation, Prof. Tarlacı offers a new perspective to both the scientific community and the world of faith.
Published by Üsküdar University Press, From Cave to Mars invites readers to think at the intersection of science and belief.
Should believers reject evolution?
At the outset, Prof. Tarlacı addresses the artificial conflict that evolution theory has sparked between science and religion, a divide particularly pronounced in Türkiye. He critiques the false dichotomy that “if you believe in God, you must reject evolution,” emphasizing that this misconception distances faithful individuals from science and breeds societal mistrust. He also points out the responsibilities on both sides: on one hand, the “knights of science” who dismiss belief altogether, and on the other, those who reject evolution while paradoxically embracing scientific concepts like the Big Bang as divine proof.
The goal is not to prove evolution but to resolve the conflict
Prof. Tarlacı stresses that the book’s purpose is not to prove evolution, but to eliminate the meaningless conflict between science and faith. Rather than forcing the reader to take sides, he examines the nature of belief, the dynamics of the science–religion debate, and the limitations of both realms.
Proposing that the universe and life were shaped through a principle of sequential and gradual formation, Tarlacı argues that theories such as the Big Bang and evolution fit within this universal law of creation. He concludes that this process does not have to contradict the existence of a Creator but can instead be seen as fully harmonious with it.
From Cave to Mars, published by Üsküdar University Press, calls readers to think at the borders of both science and faith, offering a bold invitation to rediscover meaning in existence itself.