Introduction - Intelligent Design in the public and Eugenie’s fight against it
Who is Eugenie Carol Scott?
Eugenie Carol Scott was born on October 24, 1945 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Scott became interested in science at the age of 10 when she read a book on anthropology brought home by her older sister. Evolution was not taught during her time in school, therefore Scott did not study evolution until she entered college (“What Inspired You”). She attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she received her BS and MS. To get her PhD, she attended the University of Missouri (Dean, 2013). Scott’s interests surrounding the debate between evolution and creationism grew after having attended an event her mentor James Gavan, a physical anthropologists, invited by Duane Gish, a leader in creation movement, back in 1974 to debate on the creation and evolution controversy (Dean, 2013; Scott, 2003). Scott had been an executive director for the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) for 27 years, fighting battles to keep creationism out of public classrooms (Dean, 2013).
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Robert Root-Bernstein and Donald L. McEachron, “Teaching Theories: The Evolution-Creation Controversy,” The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 44, No. 7 (Oct…1982). This article, written by Robert Root-Bernstein and Donald L. McEachron sheds light on the controversy of evolution vs creationism in schools and the validity of each being called a scientific theory. The work was created to answer the questions, “Which of these theories is truly scientific and which is a religious belief? Which should be taught in schools?” The article concluded in favor of evolution as a valid scientific theory that should be taught rather than creationism, but also mentioned the worth of understanding the latter.
“Today in Dayton, they are selling more books on evolution than any other kind and the bookshops in Chattanooga and other cities of the state are hardly able to supply the demand for works on evolution. The trial has at least started people to thinking.” (Lienesch, 2007, p. 168)
The “Roaring Twenties” was a time period known for its innovation. Skirts got shorter, teens got bolder, and Prohibition was in full swing. These changes also gave way to a time period full of religious conflict. “In [religious] minds, Prohibition had always been about more than alcohol. It represented an effort to defend traditional American values against the growing influence of an urban, cosmopolitan culture” (Gillon 152). Charles Darwin had published his book, The Evolution of Species, in 1859 and The Descent of Man in 1871, detailing the evolution of man from ape-like creatures. When A Civic Biology, a biology textbook containing information on evolution, was published in 1914, teachers around the country began using it in their courses. By the twenties, these books had sparked all sorts of new ideas regarding the origin of man as well as opposition due to the creature from which he claimed we evolved and to the disagr...
Sarfati, Jonathan D. Refuting Evolution: A Response to the National Academy of Sciences' Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science. Green Forest, AR: Master, 1999. Print.
The authority of the theory of evolution can be characterized by defining what qualifies as a scientific theory. Although there are several perspectives regarding what science is, they are based on the same premises. Karl Popper, a philosopher of science, claims that the process of “conjectures and refutations” is the method of science (46). In this process, a
Le Beau, Bryan F. "Science and Religion: A Historical Perspective on the Conflict over Teaching Evolution in the Schools." EbscoHost. MARHO, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. .
Since the time that teaching evolution in public schools was banned as heresy and taboo for contradicting the Bible, most public school systems today take an opposite approach in which creationism is seldom ta...
Genetic Engineering has recently become a contentious topic within medical and social circles. Controversial topics such as Sex Selection and Designer Babies are linked to Genetic engineering. They are destructive in every circumstance. Genetic Engineering is detrimental towards the individual and all posterity.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
Berra, Tim M. Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: A Basic Guide to the Facts in the
In a typical American high school, Mr. Doe, the science teacher begins his discussion on the theory of evolution. John, a student opposes the idea the humans came from apes and evolved. John believes that men came from God and that man was created in 6 days. Jane hears this and argues against John, “How could anything possibly be created in 6 days? This sort of project would take millions of years!” By using up all 45 minutes of class time discussing creationism and evolution, this is a metaphor to the eternal debate as to the origin of the human species. The question of how man came into existence is one of the great debates of this century. There is not enough evidence to support creationism, yet there is even less to support evolution.
Are any scientific theories true? If so why? If not why do we rely on them?
Gould, Stephen Jay. "Evolution as Fact and Theory." The Norton Mix. Editor Katie Hannah. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 110-119.
Natural selection is the gradual process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of the effect of inherited traits on the differential reproductive success of organisms interacting with their environment. It is a key mechanism of evolution.
Genetic modification is currently at the forefront of modern science and is being utilised in various fields such as medicine, agriculture and industry. Genetically Modified or transgenic organisms are organisms that have been genetically altered in a specific way for a particular purpose. It is now possible for scientists to exchange genes from one species of organism to another. This process is performed when certain characteristics of one organism are desired in another organism of a different species. For example a pig could be genetically engineered so that it will produce human insulin for those suffering from diabetes. Also, it is seen that it could be possible to cure certain allergies or diseases by replacing the genes responsible for causing the allergy or disease in one organism with that of a gene belonging to an organism that has a resistance to the specific allergen.