Discussions on Evolution

Once your students have a grasp of the concepts of evolution, it may be time to open the classroom up to intelligent and rational discussion about the theory and some of the controversy that surrounds it. Though, it is probably a good idea to know your students well enough to determine whether they are ready for such a discussion. If you are not prepared and they are not prepared, this discussion can go wildly off tangent and end up doing more harm than good.

The first step is being prepared to answer questions about misconceptions. One way to start this phase of the discussion is to have students write their questions or opinions on a note card to be turned in before the day of the discussion, which gives you time to prepare for what they will throw at you.

Probably the most common question or statement relates to Intelligent Design, as this seems to be the more modern push to introduce religious beliefs into the science classroom. Intelligent Design is similar to Creationism, with one major difference – ID does not claim any particular god or religion – it only states in a general sense that life must have been created by an “intelligent designer”

The problem is that the same problems that plagued Creationism as a valid scientific theory also apply to the new version. The problems go to the very core of science itself and how we define science and scientific theory. So, lets review that one again – Scientific Theories must:

1. Be testable and falsifiable ( You must be able to imagine some evidence or data that could prove your theory wrong.)

2. Explain natural phenomena

3. Be useful for making predictions

4. Not be absolute (theories are changeable if new data or observations are found)

Both intelligent design and creationism do not satisfy the basic requirements for being a theory. Furthermore, they rely on a supernatural event to explain natural phenomena. That’s the biggest problem of all, you can never test, predict, falsify …you get the idea. Supernatural beings just don’t follow the laws of nature, that’s why they are supernatural. Science can never prove or disprove the existence of an entity that is outside the laws of nature – and because of that, science remains silent on questions of faith and belief.

Now, that being said, we should be sensitive to students’ BELIEFS, which are absolutely valid. Just because it doesn’t qualify as a science or a theory does not make a belief or a faith wrong. It is very important as educators that we make this distinction, and also point out that evolution and religion are not necessarily incompatible. You may also want to mention that many scientists have religious beliefs – and that it is a myth that all biologists (evolutionists) are atheists.

There are some excellent resources on the web regarding evolution and intelligent design, including one of my favorite resources that showcases a trial in the United States where a judge ruled that ID could not be taught as a science or as an alternative to evolution. The video and resource files can be found at “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial“. More general resources about evolution and the nature of science can be found at PBS’s evolution site, which includes a section on religion.

The National Center for Science Education also has a good amount of resources on evolution and religion and can even help you if your district or school board has questions about intelligent design and its validity as a science.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/afagen/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0