Science, Evolution, and Creationism

EDITORIAL Science, evolution, and creationism Francisco J. Ayala Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697 n December 20, 2005, John E. about by chance but rather manifest to the appearance of humans on Earth and Jones III, federal judge for the have been designed for serving certain reveals our species’ biological connections Middle District of Pennsylva- functions and for certain ways of life. with other living things. It provides an nia, issued a 130-page-long de- The second prong of the argument is understanding of the constantly evolving Ocision (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Dis- that only an omnipotent Creator could bacteria and viruses and enables the de- trict) declaring that ‘‘The overwhelming account for the perfection and func- velopment of effective new ways to pro- evidence at trial established that ID [intel- tional design of organisms. In the 1990s, tect ourselves against the diseases they ligent design] is a religious view, a mere several authors in the United States re- cause. Evolution has made possible im- re-labeling of creationism, and not a sci- vived the argument from design but provements in agriculture and medicine entific theory . ID is not supported by modified the second prong of the argu- and has been applied in many fields out- any peer-reviewed research, data, or ment by referring to an unspecified ‘‘in- side biology, including forensics and soft- publications.’’ telligent designer,’’ thus avoiding explicit ware engineering; it has stimulated chem- In 1984, the National Academy of Sci- reference to God, so that the argument ists, for example, to use the principles of ences (NAS) published Science and Cre- natural selection for developing new mole- ationism: A View from the National cules with specific functions. Academy of Sciences. A second edition ‘‘Nothing makes sense in Darwin and other 19th-century biolo- was published in 1999. A third edition, gists found compelling evidence for bio- sufficiently modified to deserve a new biology except in the logical evolution in the comparative study title, Science, Evolution, and Creationism, of living organisms, their geographic dis- published on January 4, 2008 (1). light of evolution.’’ tribution, and the fossil remains of extinct Science and Creationism was prepared organisms. Since Darwin’s time, biological by a committee of the NAS in response to disciplines that emerged more recently— statutes passed by the legislatures of, first, from design could be taught in the pub- genetics, biochemistry, ecology, animal the state of Arkansas, and shortly thereaf- lic schools as an alternative to evolution. behavior, neurobiology, and especially ter, the state of Louisiana, that required Judge Jones, like so many other inde- molecular biology—have supplied power- that ‘‘creation science’’ be taught in public pendent observers, saw through this ful additional evidence and detailed con- schools together with evolution. The Loui- hypocritical subterfuge and determined, firmation. Accordingly, evolutionists are siana ‘‘Creation Act’’ was appealed all the moreover, that the argument lacks any no longer concerned with obtaining evi- way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in scientific cogency whatsoever. dence to support the fact of evolution. 1987 (Edwards v. Aguilard) concluded that Science, Evolution, and Creationism con- Rather, evolutionary research nowadays the act’s ‘‘primary purpose was to change sists of three main chapters. The first seeks to understand further and in more the public school science curriculum to chapter briefly describes the process of detail how the process of evolution occurs. provide persuasive advantage to a particu- evolution and the nature of science in Yet, the evidence from paleontology and lar religious doctrine that rejects the fac- contrast to other forms of knowledge. The the older disciplines continues to accumu- tual basis of evolution in its entirety. Thus, second chapter surveys the scientific evi- late, such as the discovery published in the Act is designed either to promote the dence that supports evolution from di- 2006 and described in Science, Evolution, theory of creation science that embodies a verse disciplines that include astronomy, and Creationism of Tiktaalik,afishthat particular religious tenet or to prohibit the paleontology, comparative anatomy, bio- lived in shallow freshwater streams and teaching of a scientific theory disfavored geography, molecular biology, genetics, swamps approximately 380 million years by certain religious sects. In either case, and anthropology. The third chapter ex- ago (4, 5). Tiktaalik is a nearly precise the Act violates the First Amendment’’ (1, amines intelligent design and other cre- intermediate between typical fish and the p. 45). Science and Creationism was made ationist perspectives so as to point out the first known four-legged animals from part of an ‘‘amicus brief’’ submitted to the scientific and legal reasons against teach- which would evolve all animals that live Supreme Court in Edwards v. Aguilard by ing creationism in public school science on the land from frogs to reptiles, to the NAS, with the endorsement of the classes. The text concludes with a selec- birds, and to mammals, including humans. American Association for the Advance- tion of frequently asked questions and No intermediate fossils between humans ment of Science and other organizations. additional readings. and apes were known in Darwin’s time. Now, thousands of remains are known Argument from Design Evolution and Natural Selection that belong to the human lineage after it The ‘‘argument from design’’ for the In 1973, the eminent evolutionist Theodo- separated from the lineage that goes to existence of God, based on the complex sius Dobzhansky famously asserted that the apes. Biological evolution is part of a com- organization of living things, was elabo- ‘‘Nothing makes sense in biology except in pelling historical narrative that scientists rated by English clergyman William Pa- the light of evolution’’ (3). Biological evo- have constructed over the last few cen- ley in his Natural Theology, published in lution is the central organizing principle of turies. The narrative begins with the for- 1802 (2). Paley’s argument from design modern biology. Evolution provides a sci- mation of the universe, the solar system, is two-tined. The first prong asserts that entific explanation for why there are so and the Earth, where conditions occur humans, as well as all sorts of organ- many different kinds of organisms on suitable for life to evolve. There are the- isms, in their wholes, in their parts, and Earth and gives an account of their simi- in their relations to one another and to larities and differences (morphological, their environment, could not have come physiological, and genetic). It accounts for © 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.0711608105 PNAS ͉ January 8, 2008 ͉ vol. 105 ͉ no. 1 ͉ 3–4 Downloaded by guest on September 28, 2021 ories that seek to account for how life aspects of the human experience. Scien- tion. It should be helpful to ‘‘school originated on Earth, but none of them tific explanations are based on evidence board members, science teachers and has gathered enough supporting evi- drawn from examining the natural world other education leaders, policy makers, dence to be generally accepted by scien- and rely exclusively on natural processes legal scholars, and others in the commu- tists. But natural selection, discovered to account for natural phenomena. Sci- nity who are committed to providing by Darwin, has been convincingly dem- entific explanations are subject to em- students with quality science education.’’ onstrated as the process that accounts pirical tests by means of observation and Moreover, as stated in the preface, Sci- for the adaptive configuration and func- experimentation and are subject to the ence, Evolution, and Creationism ‘‘is also tion of organisms (for their ‘‘design’’). possibility of modification and rejection. directed to the broader audience of Darwin’s greatest contribution to sci- Religious faith, in contrast, does not de- high-school and college students as well ence is not that he accumulated evi- pend on empirical tests and is not sub- as adults who wish to become more fa- dence demonstrating the evolution of ject to the possibility of rejection based miliar with the many strands of evidence life, but that he discovered natural se- on empirical evidence. The significance supporting evolution and to understand lection, the process that accounts for the and purpose of the world and human why evolution is both a fact and a pro- design of organisms and their wonderful life, as well as issues concerning moral cess that accounts for the diversity of life on Earth.’’ adaptations to survive and reproduce in and religious values, are of great impor- A related document, You Say You Want the environments where they live, in- tance to many people, perhaps a major- an Evolution? A Role for Scientists in Sci- cluding wings for flying, legs for run- ity of humans, but these are matters that ence Education, recently has been made transcend science. ning, eyes to see, and kidneys that public (7). This document is sponsored by regulate the composition of the blood. Many people have questions about 17 scientific societies, representing the biological evolution. They may have Evolution and Religion physical, chemical, biological, and social been told that scientific understanding sciences and science teachers’ communi- Scientists and religious authors have of evolution is incorrect or at least ties. It presents the results of a recent ex- written eloquently about their awe and doubtful. They may be skeptical that a tensive survey of the public acceptance of wonder at the history of the universe natural process could account for the evolution as a function of the level of edu- and of life on this planet, explaining astonishing diversity of the living world cation and other variables.

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