Alleged Scientific Opposition to Evolution
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Understanding the Intelligent Design Creationist Movement: Its True Nature and Goals
UNDERSTANDING THE INTELLIGENT DESIGN CREATIONIST MOVEMENT: ITS TRUE NATURE AND GOALS A POSITION PAPER FROM THE CENTER FOR INQUIRY OFFICE OF PUBLIC POLICY AUTHOR: BARBARA FORREST, Ph.D. Reviewing Committee: Paul Kurtz, Ph.D.; Austin Dacey, Ph.D.; Stuart D. Jordan, Ph.D.; Ronald A. Lindsay, J. D., Ph.D.; John Shook, Ph.D.; Toni Van Pelt DATED: MAY 2007 ( AMENDED JULY 2007) Copyright © 2007 Center for Inquiry, Inc. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for noncommercial, educational purposes, provided that this notice appears on the reproduced materials, the full authoritative version is retained, and copies are not altered. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the Center for Inquiry, Inc. Table of Contents Section I. Introduction: What is at stake in the dispute over intelligent design?.................. 1 Section II. What is the intelligent design creationist movement? ........................................ 2 Section III. The historical and legal background of intelligent design creationism ................ 6 Epperson v. Arkansas (1968) ............................................................................ 6 McLean v. Arkansas (1982) .............................................................................. 6 Edwards v. Aguillard (1987) ............................................................................. 7 Section IV. The ID movement’s aims and strategy .............................................................. 9 The “Wedge Strategy” ..................................................................................... -
Discussion & Study Guide
DISCUSSION & STUDY GUIDE By Ryan Huxley COURTESY OF Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: The Cambrian Explosion............................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2: Darwin’s Dilemma ........................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 3: Chinese Fossils ............................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 4: The Phyla .................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 5: Biological Information ................................................................................................ 19 Answers......................................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 1: The Cambrian Explosion..................................................................................... 25 Chapter 2: Darwin’s Dilemma .............................................................................................. 27 Chapter 3: Chinese Fossils .................................................................................................... 30 Chapter 4: The Phyla ............................................................................................................ 35 Chapter -
Clearing the Highest Hurdle: Human-Based Case Studies Broaden Students’ Knowledge of Core Evolutionary Concepts
The Journal of Effective Teaching an online journal devoted to teaching excellence Clearing the highest hurdle: Human-based case studies broaden students’ knowledge of core evolutionary concepts Alexander J. Werth1 Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943 Abstract An anonymous survey instrument was used for a ten year study to gauge college student attitudes toward evolution. Results indicate that students are most likely to accept evolu- tion as a historical process for change in physical features of non-human organisms. They are less likely to accept evolution as an ongoing process that shapes all traits (including biochemical, physiological, and behavioral) in humans. Students who fail to accept the factual nature of human evolution do not gain an accurate view of evolution, let alone modern biology. Fortunately, because of students’ natural curiosity about their bodies and related topics (e.g., medicine, vestigial features, human prehistory), a pedagogical focus on human evolution provides a fun and effective way to teach core evolutionary concepts, as quantified by the survey. Results of the study are presented along with useful case studies involving human evolution. Keywords: Survey, pedagogy, biology, evolution, Darwin. All science educators face pedagogical difficulties, but when considering the social rami- fications of scientific ideas, few face as great a challenge as biology teachers. Studies consistently show more than half of Americans reject any concept of biological evolution (Harris Poll, 2005, Miller et al., 2006). Students embody just such a cross-section of soci- ety. Much ink has been spilled explaining how best to teach evolution, particularly to unwilling students (Cavallo and McCall, 2008, Nelson, 2008). -
Measuring and Understanding Public Opinion on Human Evolution
Measuring and Understanding Public Opinion on Human Evolution A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science of the College of Arts and Sciences by Misook Gwon, M.A. Political Science, University of Cincinnati December 2012 Committee Chair: Stephen T. Mockabee, PhD ABSTRACT The theory of evolution has long generated controversy in American society, but Americans‘ attitudes about human evolution are often neglected in studies of ―culture wars‖ and the nature of mass belief systems more generally (Berkman and Plutzer 2010; Freeland and Houston 2009). Gallup and other survey organizations have polled about evolution, but offered limited response categories that mask complexity in public opinion (Bishop 2006; Moore 2008). The main problems concerning the leading survey questions about evolution are: first, questions measure only a single dimension, thus they ignore the potential for multidimensionality in people‘s attitudes. Second, depending on question wording and response options, the results of public opinion surveys vary by polling groups. This is an example of measurement error which misleads the interpretation and impression of American public opinion on the origin of humankind. A number of studies have analyzed Americans‘ beliefs about evolution and hypothesized about the influential effects of several factors (Deckman 2002; Mazur 2005; Mooney 2005; Miller et al. 2006; Newport 2006; Forrest 2007; Nisbet and Goidel 2007; Scott 2009). However, there remains a lack of complete understanding of what Americans know and believe about human evolution. Given the salience of this issue and the significant influence of public opinion on policy-making in America (Page and Shapiro 1992; Stimson 2004; Newport 2004), the measurement error and explanation of polling results on controversial issues related to this topic are in need of clarification. -
Objections to Evolution Theory Impulses from the Brain
But Sammy's transplanted heart began to fail. He was immediately placed on a heart-lung machine. This supplied oxygen and removed carbon dioxide Letters to the Editor from his blood, and it circulated blood through his body. * Brief letters-one or two pages-are more likely to be The doctors consulted bioengineers about Sammy. printed than are long ones, which may be cut. Because almost all of his life-sustaining functions were being carried on by machines, it might be pos- sible to compress all of these machines into one mobile unit, which could be controlled by electrical Objections to Evolution Theory impulses from the brain. This unit would be equip- James T. Robinson, in his article "Incommensura- ped with mechanical arms to enable him to perform bility of Evolution and Special Creation" 33 A (ABT manipulative tasks. mechanism to create a flow of [9]: 535-538,545), said that I do not understand the air over his vocal cords might enable him to speak. nature of the evolution theory. To do all this, they would have to amputate at the In refutation I have analyzed the four recurring neck and attach his head to the machine, which arguments for evolution and find them weak. These would then supply all nutrients to his brain. Sammy are (i) the rock record, (ii) homologies, (iii) extra- Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article-pdf/34/5/287/40549/4443934.pdf by guest on 25 September 2021 consented, and the operation was successfully per- polated mutational data, and (iv) the appeal to formed. -
Good Science, Bad Science: Teaching Evolution in the States. INSTITUTION Thomas B
DOCUMENT RESUME ED 447 099 SP 039 576 AUTHOR Lerner, Lawrence S. TITLE Good Science, Bad Science: Teaching Evolution in the States. INSTITUTION Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 2000-09-00 NOTE 66p. AVAILABLE FROM Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 1627 K Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006; Tel: 202-223-5452 or 888-TBF-7474 (toll-free); Fax: 202-223-9226; Web site: http://www.edexcellence.net. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Academic Standards; Biological Influences; Creationism; Elementary Secondary Education; *Evolution; Public Schools; *Science Education; *State Standards ABSTRACT This report discusses evolution in science education, evaluating the state-by-state treatment of evolution in science standards. It explains the role of evolution as an organizing principle for all the historical sciences. Seven sections include: "Introduction" (the key role of evolution in the sciences); "How Do Good Standards Treat Biological Evolution?" (controversial versus consensual knowledge and why students should learn about evolution); "Extrascientific Issues" (e.g., the diversity of anti-evolutionists, why anti-evolutionism persists, and how science standards reflect creationist pressures); "Evaluation of State Standards" (very good to excellent, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, useless or absent, and disgraceful); "Sample Standards"; "Further Analysis" (grades for science standards as a whole); and "Conclusions." Overall, 31 states do at least a satisfactory job of handling the central organizing principle of the historical sciences, 10 states do an excellent or very good job of presenting evolution, and 21 states do a good or satisfactory job. More than one-third of states do not do a satisfactory job. -
Creation As Meaning Filled: Key Symbols in the Study of Creationism
Creation as Meaning-filled: Key Symbols in the Study of Creationism According to a 1996 poll, only 44% of adult Americans agreed that "[h]uman beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals" (National Science Board 1996: 8). Cultural anthropology is uniquely positioned to offer an understanding of Creationism; whereas a geologist would critique the Creationist's geology or a philosopher would critique the Creationist's philosophy the cultural anthropologist can bracket out such questions and ask "How is the Creationist constructing his or her reality?" This paper will use the symbolic theories of Clifford Geertz and Sherry Ortner to examine one particular form of anti-evolutionism throughout the rest of the paper,"Young Earth known as "Young Earth Creationism" from an Creationism" should be understood to be anthropological perspective. It will be argued prototypical Creationism; hence any reference to that creation and 'the Bible' are key symbols "Creationism" or "Creationist" without any sort which unite the Creationist 'community'; hence of adjective should be taken to mean "Young any ideas which seem to contradict these Earth Creationism" or "Young Earth Creationist" symbols are perceived threaten the conceptual respectively. cohesiveness of the Creationist's reality. The It is also important to recognize what strategies employed to defend the key symbols Creationists mean when they talk about will also be considered. evolution. A significant number of Creationists (i.e. Hovind 2003, Wieland 2003) distinguish Key Terms Defined: What I Mean When I between microevolution and macroevolution Say What I Mean (Scott 1997: 271). Microevolution is understood A number of context-specific terms will to be intra-specific change whereas be used in this paper. -
Darwin's Doubt
Debating Darwin’s Doubt A Scientific Controversy that Can No Longer Be Denied DAVID KLINGHOFFER, EDITOR DISCOVERY INSTITUTE PRESS SEATTLE 2015 Description This book contains essays responding to criticism of Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design by Stephen Meyer. The book explores topics such as orphan genes, cladistics, small shelly fossils, protein evolution, the length of the Cambrian explosion, the God-of-the-Gaps objection to intelligent design, and criticisms raised by proponents of theistic evolution. Contributors include Stephen Meyer, Douglas Axe, David Berlinski, William Dembski, Ann Gauger, Casey Luskin, and Paul Nelson. Edited by David Klinghoffer. Copyright Notice Copyright © 2015 by Discovery Institute. All Rights Reserved. Publisher’s Note This book is part of a series published by the Center for Science & Culture at Discovery Institute in Seattle. Previous books include Signature of Controversy: Responses to CritiCs of Signature in the Cell, edited by David Klinghoffer; The Myth of Junk DNA by Jonathan Wells; The Deniable Darwin & Other Essays by David Berlinski; and DisCovering Intelligent Design: A Journey into the SCientifiC EvidenCe by Gary Kemper, Hallie Kemper, and Casey Luskin. Library Cataloging Data Debating Darwin’s Doubt: A SCientifiC Controversy that Can No Longer Be Denied Edited by David Klinghoffer. BISAC Subject: SCI027000 SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Evolution BISAC Subject: SCI080000 SCIENCE / Essays BISAC Subject: SCI034000 SCIENCE / History ISBN-13: 978-1-936599-30-1 (Kindle) 978-1-936599-31-8 (EPUB) 978-1-936599-28-8 (paperback) Publisher Information Discovery Institute Press, 208 Columbia Street, Seattle, WA 98101 Internet: http://www.discoveryinstitutepress.com/ First Edition. -
Evidence for Evolution
CHAPTER 3 Evidence for Evolution VOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY HAS PROFOUNDLY altered our view of nature and of ourselves. At the beginning of this book, we showed the practical application of Eevolutionary biology to agriculture, biotechnology, and medicine. More broadly, evolutionary theory underpins all our knowledge of biology, explains how organisms came to be (both describing their history and identi- fying the processes that acted), and explains why they are as they are (why organisms reproduce sexually, why they age, and so on). How- ever, arguably its most important influence has been on how we view ourselves and our place in the world. The radical scope of evolution- ary biology has for many been hard to accept, and this has led to much misunderstanding and many objections. In this chapter, we summarize the evidence for evolution, clarify some common misun- derstandings, and discuss the wider implications of evolution by natural selection. Biological evolution was widely accepted soon after the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859 (Chapter 1.x). Charles Darwin set out “one long argument” for the “descent with modification” of all liv- ing organisms, from one or a few common ancestors. He marshaled evidence from classification of organisms, from the fossil record, from geographic distribution of organisms, and by analogy with artificial se- lection. As we saw in Chapter 1, the detailed processes that cause evo- lution remained obscure until after the laws of heredity were established in the early 20th century. By the time of the Evolutionary Synthesis,in the mid-20th century, these processes were well understood and, cru- cially, it was established that adaptation is due to natural selection (Chapter 1.x). -
Explore Evolution Exhibition
Museum Visitors Interact with Explore Evolution Exhibition Formative Evaluation Report for the Explore Evolution Project by Amy N. Spiegel, E. Margaret Evans, Wendy Gram, Brandy Frazier, Deborah Kay, Cindy Loope & Linda Allison December 2005 Explore Evolution Evaluation Team: Amy N. Spiegel, Ph.D., University of Nebraska-Lincoln E. Margaret Evans, Ph.D., University of Michigan Wendy Gram, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Prototype Data Collection Team: Linda Allison, E. Margaret Evans, Brandy Frazier, Deborah Kay, Cindy Loope, & Amy Spiegel This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #0229294. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF). © 2005 Please do not quote without permission Contents Executive Summary...................................................................................................... iii I. Introduction ................................................................................................................1 Purpose of the Evaluation ........................................................................................1 Evaluation Questions and Instruments...................................................................1 II. Description of Explore Evolution Project...............................................................1 III. Methods....................................................................................................................2 -
1 the Evolution of Creationist Movements Nicholas J. Matzke
The Evolution of Creationist Movements Nicholas J. Matzke Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley [email protected] Introduction It used to be arguable that organized creationism was some bizarre anachronism unique to American culture, but it is now clear that, like McDonald’s, creationist movements are spreading around the world along with the influence of American culture (Numbers, 2006, p. 399-431). Organized creationist movements are primarily a product of American-style Protestant biblical fundamentalism, and as such, they will pop up anywhere this style of fundamentalism becomes popular. This can occur in any place in the world that is accessible to missionaries, churches, and sectarian media; major examples include Brazil, South Korea, and Eastern Europe. In the 21st century, this is virtually everywhere except war-torn and Islamic nations (and Islamic nations, of course, have their own form of Islamic fundamentalist opposition to evolution, although the major Turkish group copied much of its material from American creationists; Numbers, 2006, p. 421-427). In the United States itself, on the other hand, creationism may not be getting bigger, but it is definitely big. The long-running Gallup polls on public attitudes towards evolution and creationism in the United States (Gallup, 2008; Newport, 2009) have numerous flaws that make naive, face-value interpretation unwise (Branch, 2004; Duncan and Geist, 2004; DYG Inc., 2000; Padian and Matzke, 2009). However, at the very least these polls 1 indicate that roughly half of the general population harbors significant sympathy for creationism, a conclusion confirmed by comparison of U.S. survey data to that of other industrialized countries (Miller et al., 2006). -
Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Kent Greenwalt
Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy Volume 17 Article 2 Issue 2 Symposium on Religion in the Public Square 1-1-2012 Establishing Religious Ideas: Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Kent Greenwalt Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp Recommended Citation Kent Greenwalt, Establishing Religious Ideas: Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design, 17 Notre Dame J.L. Ethics & Pub. Pol'y 321 (2003). Available at: http://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndjlepp/vol17/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy at NDLScholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy by an authorized administrator of NDLScholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLES ESTABLISHING RELIGIOUS IDEAS: EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, AND INTELLIGENT DESIGN KENT GREENAWALT* I. INTRODUCTION The enduring conflict between evolutionary theorists and creationists has focused on America's public schools. If these schools had no need to teach about the origins of life, each side might content itself with promoting its favored worldview and declaring its opponents narrow-minded and dogmatic. But edu- cators have to decide what to teach, and because the Supreme Court has declared that public schools may not teach religious propositions as true, the First Amendment is crucially implicated. On close examination, many of the controversial constitu- tional issues turn out to be relatively straightforward, but others, posed mainly by the way schools teach evolution and by what they say about "intelligent design" theory, push us to deep questions about the nature of science courses and what counts as teaching religious propositions.