Creationism or Evolution? the Dilemma Remains
Creationism or Evolution? The Dilemma Remains
Since the advent of philosophical thought, man has questioned the genesis of our existence. Before the enlightenment, society was accepting of a deity-based existence as the answer to all of life’s questions. In this belief, God created the world and everything in it in seven days. It wasn’t until Darwin’s Origin of Species became popular among many scholars that people began to change their perspectives on the miracles of life. Before the discovery of DNA, Darwin argued that the visible similarities and slight differences between animals of the same species pointed to a hereditary connection for these animals, which he claimed was evidence of the species evolving from one form into another in response to environmental pressures. Darwin’s theories on the evolution of nature sparked a firestorm of debate that continues to rage today (Lofaso 1). People’s extreme differences of opinion on this issue have caused a division in society for the past century. This division is deepened by the question of whether evolution should be taught in public schools. In fact, the debate that inevitably accompanies this question has been the basis of many political arguments, court cases, and changes in legislation. These arguments are indicative of a paradigm shift from a creation-based belief system in public education to an evolution-based one. As with many disagreements founded in a belief system, however, this debate is not over. In fact, in recent years, proponents of creationism have once again launched an assault on the teaching of evolution in schools. We are, quite possibly, in the midst of another paradigm shift. The history of the evolution/creation debate is long and complicated. Although Origin of Species was published as far back as 1859, in most states, educators were not allowed to teach the theory of evolution in public schools until a century later (Horder). In a country that is often characterized as strongly
Since the advent of philosophical thought, man has questioned the genesis of our existence. Before the enlightenment, society was accepting of a deity-based existence as the answer to all of life’s questions. In this belief, God created the world and everything in it in seven days. It wasn’t until Darwin’s Origin of Species became popular among many scholars that people began to change their perspectives on the miracles of life. Before the discovery of DNA, Darwin argued that the visible similarities and slight differences between animals of the same species pointed to a hereditary connection for these animals, which he claimed was evidence of the species evolving from one form into another in response to environmental pressures. Darwin’s theories on the evolution of nature sparked a firestorm of debate that continues to rage today (Lofaso 1). People’s extreme differences of opinion on this issue have caused a division in society for the past century. This division is deepened by the question of whether evolution should be taught in public schools. In fact, the debate that inevitably accompanies this question has been the basis of many political arguments, court cases, and changes in legislation. These arguments are indicative of a paradigm shift from a creation-based belief system in public education to an evolution-based one. As with many disagreements founded in a belief system, however, this debate is not over. In fact, in recent years, proponents of creationism have once again launched an assault on the teaching of evolution in schools. We are, quite possibly, in the midst of another paradigm shift. The history of the evolution/creation debate is long and complicated. Although Origin of Species was published as far back as 1859, in most states, educators were not allowed to teach the theory of evolution in public schools until a century later (Horder). In a country that is often characterized as strongly
Cited: "50th Anniversary of the Space Age." National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 24 Oct. 2007. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/SpaceAge/>. Horder, Katy "Intelligent Design." Intelligent Design. Discovery Institute, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. <http://www.intelligentdesign.org/whatisid.php>. Linder, Douglas O Lofaso, Anne Marie. "The Constitutional Debate Over Teaching Intelligent Design as Science in Public Schools." American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (2005): 1-24. Print. Matzke, Nicholas J Newport, Frank. "Four in 10 Americans Believe in Strict Creationism." Four in 10 Americans Believe in Strict Creationism. N.p., 17 Dec. 2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/145286/four-americans-believe-strict-creationism.aspx>. Word Press. "Why Evolution Is True." Why Evolution Is True. N.p., 17 Feb. 2012. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/more-creationist-craziness-in-alabama-good-news-elsewhere/>.