The Evolution Solution : Teaching Evolution Without Conflict
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Argumentation and Fallacies in Creationist Writings Against Evolutionary Theory Petteri Nieminen1,2* and Anne-Mari Mustonen1
Nieminen and Mustonen Evolution: Education and Outreach 2014, 7:11 http://www.evolution-outreach.com/content/7/1/11 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Argumentation and fallacies in creationist writings against evolutionary theory Petteri Nieminen1,2* and Anne-Mari Mustonen1 Abstract Background: The creationist–evolutionist conflict is perhaps the most significant example of a debate about a well-supported scientific theory not readily accepted by the public. Methods: We analyzed creationist texts according to type (young earth creationism, old earth creationism or intelligent design) and context (with or without discussion of “scientific” data). Results: The analysis revealed numerous fallacies including the direct ad hominem—portraying evolutionists as racists, unreliable or gullible—and the indirect ad hominem, where evolutionists are accused of breaking the rules of debate that they themselves have dictated. Poisoning the well fallacy stated that evolutionists would not consider supernatural explanations in any situation due to their pre-existing refusal of theism. Appeals to consequences and guilt by association linked evolutionary theory to atrocities, and slippery slopes to abortion, euthanasia and genocide. False dilemmas, hasty generalizations and straw man fallacies were also common. The prevalence of these fallacies was equal in young earth creationism and intelligent design/old earth creationism. The direct and indirect ad hominem were also prevalent in pro-evolutionary texts. Conclusions: While the fallacious arguments are irrelevant when discussing evolutionary theory from the scientific point of view, they can be effective for the reception of creationist claims, especially if the audience has biases. Thus, the recognition of these fallacies and their dismissal as irrelevant should be accompanied by attempts to avoid counter-fallacies and by the recognition of the context, in which the fallacies are presented. -
Getting Beyond Religion As Science: "Unstifling" Worldview Formation in American Public Education
Getting Beyond Religion as Science: "Unstifling" Worldview Formation in American Public Education Barry P. McDonald* Abstract Since ancient times, Western civilization has witnessed a great debate over a simple but profound question: From whence did we come? Two major worldviews have dominated that debate: a theistic worldview holding that we, and the world in which we live, are the purposeful product of a supernatural creator; and a materialistic worldview holding that we are the product of unintelligent and random natural forces. This debate rose to the fore with Darwin’s publication of his theory of evolution and the development of the modern scientific establishment. In America, it initially took its most conspicuous form in efforts by creationists to ban the teaching of evolution in American public schools, and then to have creationism taught as science. After legal setbacks based on the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, that effort morphed into the intelligent design movement of the past couple of decades. That movement’s aim to gain a place in the science curriculum recently stalled with a court ruling that it was, like the creationists before it, attempting to teach religious concepts as science. Most recently, a notable group of scientists and atheists have reversed the trend of defending science against religious attacks and launched a very public and aggressive campaign against religion itself. Prominent scientists and other believers have responded with works attempting to reconcile science and faith. * Associate Professor of Law, Pepperdine University School of Law. J.D., Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois (1988). I would like to extend my grateful thanks and appreciation to Kent Greenawalt, Kurt Lash, and Steve Smith for some very helpful comments on this Article. -
Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial 2 NOVA Teacher’S Guide CLASSROOM ACTIVITY (Cont.) the Nature of Science
Original broadcast: November 13, 2007 BEfoRE WatCHIng Judgment Day: 1 Ask students to describe the nature of science and the process by Intelligent Design on Trial which scientists investigate the natural world. Define “hypothesis” and “theory” for students and have them come up with examples PRogRAM OVERVIEW of each (see The Nature of Science Through courtroom scene recreations and interviews, on page 3). NOVA explores in detail one of the latest battles in 2 Organize students into three the war over evolution, the historic 2005 Kitzmiller v. groups. Assign each group to take Dover Area School District case that paralyzed notes on one of the following a community and determined what is acceptable program topics: evidence support- ing intelligent design as a scientific to teach in a science classroom. theory, evidence that ID is not a scientific theory, and evidence The program: supporting the theory of evolution. • traces how the issue started in the small, rural community of Dover, Pennsylvania, and progressed to become a federal court test case for science education. AFTER WATCHING • defines intelligent design (ID) and explains how the Dover School Board was the first in the nation to require science teachers to offer 1 Have each group meet and create ID as an alternative. a synopsis of its notes to present • chronicles the history of legal efforts involving the teaching of to class. What was the judge’s final evolution, beginning with the Scopes Trial in 1925 and culminating decision? Discuss his ruling with the class. What evidence did he in 1987 when the Supreme Court ruled against teaching creationism. -
Answers to Common Misconceptions About Biological Evolution Leah M
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Papers in Evolution Papers in the Biological Sciences 5-2017 Answers to common misconceptions about biological evolution Leah M. Abebe University of Nebraska-Lincoln Blake Bartels University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kaitlyn M. Caron University of Nebraska-Lincoln Adam M. Gleeson University of Nebraska-Lincoln Samuel N. Johnson University of Nebraska-Lincoln See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscievolution Part of the Evolution Commons Abebe, Leah M.; Bartels, Blake; Caron, Kaitlyn M.; Gleeson, Adam M.; Johnson, Samuel N.; Kluza, Tyler J.; Knopik, Nicholas W.; Kramer, Kristen N.; Maza, Masiel S.; Stava, Kaitlyn A.; Sullivan, Kaitlyn; Trimble, Jordan T.; and Zink, Robert M. , editor, "Answers to common misconceptions about biological evolution" (2017). Papers in Evolution. 4. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscievolution/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Papers in the Biological Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in Evolution by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Leah M. Abebe; Blake Bartels; Kaitlyn M. Caron; Adam M. Gleeson; Samuel N. Johnson; Tyler J. Kluza; Nicholas W. Knopik; Kristen N. Kramer; Masiel S. Maza; Kaitlyn A. Stava; Kaitlyn Sullivan; Jordan T. Trimble; and Robert M. Zink , editor This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscievolution/4 Answers to common misconceptions about biological evolution Class of BIOS 472, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Spring 2017 Students: Leah M. Abebe, Blake Bartels, Kaitlyn M. -
Fossil Hominids FAQ In
Fossil Hominids FAQ Fossil Hominids Copyright © 1996-1999 by Jim Foley [Last Update: July 10, 1999] Permission is given to copy and print these pages for non-profit personal or educational use. These web pages are intended to refute creationist claims that there is no evidence for human evolution. To do this, it is first necessary to summarize the current thinking about human evolution and the fossil evidence supporting it. If you are not interested in creationism, you can read only those pages. If you are only interested in creationism, you can skip to the pages on creationist arguments; they will contain links to the fossils under discussion when necessary. Table of Contents ● Hominid Species (also includes an introduction and a timeline) ● Hominid Fossils (a list of the most important hominid fossils) ● Recent Developments (what's new in paleoanthropology) ● Creationist Arguments ❍ The Australopithecines ❍ Homo habilis ❍ Homo erectus ❍ Java Man ❍ Peking Man ❍ Piltdown Man ❍ Nebraska Man ❍ Orce Man ❍ The Neandertals ❍ Anomalous Fossils ❍ Brain Sizes ❍ Bones of Contention ❍ Semicircular Canals ❍ Overview ● Further Reading ● References ● Illustrations ● Type specimens http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/fossil-hominids.html (1 of 3) [31/8/1999 1:48:39 PM] Fossil Hominids FAQ ● Biographies ● What's New? ● Feedback ● Other Links ● Fiction ● Humor ● Crackpots ● Misquotes ● About these pages This site will be updated on a regular basis. Contact the author ([email protected]) with corrections, criticisms, suggestions for further topics, or to be notified of future versions. The FAQ can be found in the talk.origins archives on the Internet at: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/fossil-hominids.html (Web version) ftp://ftp.ics.uci.edu/pub/origins/fossil-hominids (text version) Thanks to those who have reviewed or made comments on the FAQ, including Randy Skelton, Marc Anderson, Mike Fisk, Tom Scharle, Ralph Holloway, Jim Oliver, Todd Koetje, Debra McKay, Jenny Hutchison, Glen Kuban, Colin Groves, and Alex Duncan. -
Has Evolution Disproved God?: the Fallacies in the Apparent Triumph of Soft Science
Liberty University Law Review Volume 4 Issue 1 Article 2 October 2010 Has Evolution Disproved God?: The Fallacies in the Apparent Triumph of Soft Science Tim Newton Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review Recommended Citation Newton, Tim (2010) "Has Evolution Disproved God?: The Fallacies in the Apparent Triumph of Soft Science," Liberty University Law Review: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review/vol4/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Liberty University School of Law at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Liberty University Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLE HAS EVOLUTION DISPROVED GOD?: THE FALLACIES IN THE APPARENT TRIUMPH OF SOFT SCIENCE Tim Newton Since Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, the controversy over the origin of life has raged between science and religion.1 Recently, it seems that a consensus has been reached; even many conservatives have conceded that evolution should be taught to the public, both in schools and through government-sponsored organizations, and that creationist views should not.2 The logic is simple: evolution is science, whereas historic views of creation are religious. From there, the logical conclusion is that scientific learning such as evolution should not be censored, but teaching religious dogma such as creationism violates freeDom of religion.3 This consensus, like compromise, may keep the peace. But it sacrifices educational and intellectual integrity on the altar of political correctness. -
Georgia Public School Board Members' Beliefs Concerning the Inclusion of Creationism in the Science Curriculum
The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism Volume 6 Print Reference: Pages 461-471 Article 37 2008 Georgia Public School Board Members' Beliefs Concerning the Inclusion of Creationism in the Science Curriculum Karen Cook Steven W. Deckard Kathie (Johnson) Morgan Liberty University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/icc_proceedings DigitalCommons@Cedarville provides a publication platform for fully open access journals, which means that all articles are available on the Internet to all users immediately upon publication. However, the opinions and sentiments expressed by the authors of articles published in our journals do not necessarily indicate the endorsement or reflect the views of DigitalCommons@Cedarville, the Centennial Library, or Cedarville University and its employees. The authors are solely responsible for the content of their work. Please address questions to [email protected]. Browse the contents of this volume of The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism. Recommended Citation Cook, Karen; Deckard, Steven W.; and Morgan, Kathie (Johnson) (2008) "Georgia Public School Board Members' Beliefs Concerning the Inclusion of Creationism in the Science Curriculum," The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism: Vol. 6 , Article 37. Available at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/icc_proceedings/vol6/iss1/37 In A. A. Snelling (Ed.) (2008). Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Creationism (pp. 461–471). Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship and Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research. Georgia Public School Board Members’ Beliefs Concerning the Inclusion of Creationism in the Science Curriculum Karen S. Cook, Ed. D., Melanie Court, Jonesboro, GA 32036 Steven W. Deckard, Ed. D., 909 Wellington Drive, Forest, VA 24551 Kathie Morgan (Johnson), Ed. -
Scientific Controversies and Boundary Disputes: the Intelligent Design Movement Network
Scientific Controversies and Boundary Disputes: The Intelligent Design Movement Network by Jared Scott Coopersmith B.A., University of Pittsburgh, 2003 M.A., University of Pittsburgh, 2005 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2012 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences This dissertation was presented by Jared Coopersmith It was defended on January 17, 2012 and approved by Thomas Fararo, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, Sociology Akiko Hashimoto, Associate Professor, Sociology Charles Jones, Lecturer, Geology and Planetary Science John Marx, Professor Emeritus, Sociology Dissertation Advisor: Patrick Doreian, Professor Emeritus, Sociology ii Copyright © by Jared Coopersmith 2012 iii Scientific Controversies and Boundary Disputes: The Intelligent Design Movement Network Jared Coopersmith, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Although anti-evolutionism has existed for well over a century, recent evolutionary critics have used non-theistic arguments to attempt to show that Darwinian evolution could not have produced some examples of biological complexity. Called “intelligent design” (ID) theory this movement claims to present genuine scientific facts that prove the inability of evolution to produce most biological structures, thus necessitating the infusion of ‘intelligently-designed’ structure or information into biological life. Despite claims of scientific -
Factors Potentially Influencing Student Acceptance of Biological Evolution
1 Effects of an Educational Experience Incorporating an Inventory of Factors Potentially Influencing Students’ Acceptance of Biological Evolution ABSTRACT This investigation provides an extensive review of scientific, religious, and otherwise non-scientific factors that may influence student acceptance of biological evolution. We also measure the extent to which students’ levels of acceptance changed following an educational experience designed to address an inclusive inventory of factors identified as potentially affecting student acceptance of evolution (n=81, pre-test/post- test; n=37, one-year longitudinal). Acceptance of evolution was measured using the MATE instrument (Rutledge and Warden, 1999; Rutledge and Sadler, 2007) among participants enrolled in a secondary-level academic program during the summer prior to their final year of high school and as they transitioned to the post-secondary level. Student acceptance of evolution was measured to be significantly higher than initial levels both immediately following and over one year after the educational experience. Results reported herein carry implications for future quantitative and qualitative research as well as for cross-disciplinary instruction plans related to evolutionary science and non- scientific factors which may influence students’ understanding of evolution. INTRODUCTION Evolution, defined narrowly, is the scientific principle that the diversity of life on Earth has arisen via descent with modification from a common ancestry.1 In the broader 1 This definition of evolution is derived from that used by Scott (2004, p. 23). This definition is consistent with Bell (1996, p. 9) and with the definition used by Alters and Alters (2001, p. 10), which was originally found in Futuyma (2000, p. -
Evolutionary Developmental Biology and Intelligent Design
Swarthmore College Works Biology Faculty Works Biology 2011 Evolutionary Developmental Biology And Intelligent Design Scott F. Gilbert Swarthmore College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-biology Part of the Biology Commons Let us know how access to these works benefits ouy Recommended Citation Scott F. Gilbert. (2011). "Evolutionary Developmental Biology And Intelligent Design". Biological Evolution: Facts And Theories. Volume 312, 691-700. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-biology/362 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biology Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EvOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENTAL BIOWGY AND INTELLIGENT DESIGN Scott F Gilbert Biology is a young science, and it cannot discern Truth. However, in its attempts to explain the world's biodiversity, it has gathered evidence for a remarkable theory of change, called evolution. This theory of organic change has been tested nu merous times, and it has survived each challenge. Currently, a challenge is being made by Intelligent Design, a set of ideas that is not science, but which frequently masquerades as such. The Church, and indeed any intelligent person, should be highly suspicious of the claims of Intelligent Design. First, the proponents of In telligent Design (ID) do not present a counter-theory to evolution. Second, they celebrate ignorance rather than knowledge. Third, proponents of!ntelligent De sign ofren base their criticisms of evolutionary theory on assumptions or models that scientists have already disproved or abandoned (but which might sound rea sonable to a person who has not been trained in science). -
Intelligent Design: the New
A Guide to the Creationism/Evolution Controversy This website provides information and online resources to help improve public education and understanding of evolution. "It is almost as if the human brain were specifically designed to misunderstand Darwinism, and to find it hard to believe". - Richard Dawkins, 1996 This site was launched to commemorate the Darwin Year in 2009 (200 years since Darwin was born and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species). If you are interested in translating the content into another language or providing educational slide presentations to post on this website, please contact us. © 2009, Dustin J. Penn Introduction: Why Evolution Matters "Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age, an epic saga about who we are, where we came from, and where we are going." - Michael Shermer, 20061 It has been 150 years since Charles Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species2, and yet the public still does not generally accept evolution or understand why it is so scientifically important. Darwin achieved two major accomplishments in his book, both of which were revolutionary. First, Darwin presented a massive amount of evidence from a wide variety of disciplines to show that evolution is a fact. Species change over time. The fact of evolution is no longer debated among scientists, as the evidence for evolution is overwhelming. Second, Darwin also suggested a theory, he called "natural selection," to explain how life evolves. His theory not only explains how the diversity of species has arisen, but also the complex, design-like properties of organisms. -
Jonathan Wells (Intelligent Design Advocate)
Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Article Talk Read Edit View history Search Wikipedia Jonathan Wells (intelligent design advocate) Main page From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Contents Featured content This article is about the author, intelligent design advocate, and Current events Unificationist. For other people named Jonathan Wells, see Jonathan Random article Wells (disambiguation). Donate to Wikipedia John Corrigan "Jonathan" Wikipedia store Jonathan Wells Wells (born 1942) is an Born John Corrigan Wells Interaction American biologist, author, and 1942 (age 76–77) Help advocate of the United States About Wikipedia pseudoscientific argument of Alma mater University of California, Berkeley, Community portal intelligent design.[1] Wells Unification Theological Seminary, Recent changes joined the Unification Church in Yale University Contact page 1974, and subsequently wrote Occupation Author Tools that the teachings of church Known for Intelligent design advocate and anti-evolution activist What links here founder Sun Myung Moon, his Related changes own studies at the Unification Title Senior Fellow, Discovery Institute Upload file Theological Seminary and his Special pages prayers convinced him to devote his life to "destroying Darwinism." The term Permanent link Darwinism is often used by intelligent design proponents and other Page information creationists to refer to the scientific consensus on evolution.[2][3][4][5] He Wikidata item Cite this page gained a PhD in religious studies at Yale University in 1986, then became Director of the Unification Church’s inter-religious outreach organization in Print/export New York City. In 1989, he studied at the University of California, Berkeley, Create a book where he earned a PhD in molecular and cellular biology in 1994.