Creation v. Evolution: An Educational View

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Creation v. Evolution: An Educational View

Many words have been written about the origins of things. Numerous ancient people believed that several powerful gods were responsible for creating human beings (Warburton 12). Another theory is parallel evolution, humans evolving simultaneously in several parts of the world (Allman, 54). The metaphysical assumptions and moral implications demonstrated in aspects of evolution theory have been a source of conflict for over one hundred years. "Pre-Darwinian" biologists based their science on theological assumptions. Science was rooted in religion; its purpose was to prove the existence of God, using as evidence the design and purpose in nature. Darwin introduced as explanation of biological change that "excluded the necessity of supernatural minacy" (Fix 172). He hypothesized that the " human family" arose in Africa. He was right. All the earliest hominid species have been found in Africa, and Africa alone. Thus, Darwin's Origin of Species was viewed as a revolutionary document in 1859, although its primary contribution was to "organize and synthesize a set of ideas that had pervaded the scientific literature for more than fifty years" (Nelkin 17). Thomas Huxley, an early supporter of Darwin's theory attended the famous British Association meeting held at Oxford in 1860. His views clashed with those of the eloquent Bishop of Oxford who defended fundamentalists. Darwin himself took very little part in these controversies and was rather "distressed at the furore to which his ideas had given rise" (Waechter 8), though throughout his life he never altered his views. The introduction of Darwin's theory in the American school system gave a reason for concern about this underlyi...

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...rn Humans." U.S. News & World Report 16 Sept. 1991: 53-60.

Eldredge, Niles. The Monkey Business. New York:Washington, 1982.

"Echoes: Cosmology and Gravity." The Economist 10 April 1993:92-93.

"Evolution." New Encyclopedia of Science. 1985 ed.

Fix, William R. The Bone Peddlers: Selling Evolution. New York: Macmillian, 1984.

Moore, Ruth. Evolution. New York: Time, 1964.

Nelkin, Dorothy. The Creation Controversy: Science or Scripture in Schools.New York: Norton, 1982.

Rohr, Janelle, ed. Science & Religion : Opposing Viewpoints. Minnesota: Greenhaven, 1988.

Shapiro, Robert. Origins: A Skeptic's Guide To The Creation Of Life On Earth.

New York: Summit, 1986.

Waechter, John. Prehistoric Man: The Fascinating Story Of Man's Evolution. London:

Octopus, 1977.

Warburton, Lois. Human Origins: Tracing Humanity's Evolution. California:

Lucent,1992.

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