2008 Woodie Awards
Evolving Debate: Intelligent Design in Classrooms?
Professor Scott Kirkton: Biology Department
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Sci/Tech
When I make the pilgrimage to see my family each Christmas, I can count on three things: 1) a never-ending game of ping pong with my younger brother, 2) returning a well-intentioned gift, usually a sweater and 3) having my father-in-law state his opposition to evolutionary theory. One might think that after more than ten years of this debate, my father-in-law and I might have resolved the issue; however, it starts anew every December. As a biologist, I know that evolutionary theory is the keystone of biology and medicine; yet, I am constantly surprised by how few Americans believe in evolution. A 2006 poll found that only 40% of Americans agreed with the statement, "Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals." In contrast, most Western countries had 60-80% of their populations agree with that statement. In fact, at a debate last May, numerous Republican Presidential candidates admitted they do not believe in evolution. Why don't more Americans believe in evolution? More importantly, why should those of us who agree with evolutionary theory care what others believe?
In 2006, the United States Department of Education found that US high school students were falling behind some Asian and European countries in science and math education. Furthermore, the National Science Foundation has suggested that the low number of scientifically literate adults could threaten our economy, government policies, and national security. Science education improves with each advancement, such that we no longer believe or teach about "spontaneous generation" or an "earth-centered solar system." Yet, in public high schools throughout the country, some individuals want to water-down biology education by either not teaching evolutionary theory or including "Intelligent Design" to the curriculum. Both cases hinder science education.
Why is teaching evolution so important to biology education? Simply put, evolutionary theory is the unifying idea of biology. It has two main points: 1) all organisms are related by descent with modification from a common ancestor and 2) an organism with heritable adaptations produces more offspring than others leading to changes in a population over time. To many, these ideas seem sensible and natural. For example, we can alter how a population of animals or plants looks with selective breeding, such as creating a new dog breed. We can also see how dogs are similar to other canine species, such as wolves or coyotes, suggesting that each species is not a separate entity but closely related.
In 2006, the United States Department of Education found that US high school students were falling behind some Asian and European countries in science and math education. Furthermore, the National Science Foundation has suggested that the low number of scientifically literate adults could threaten our economy, government policies, and national security. Science education improves with each advancement, such that we no longer believe or teach about "spontaneous generation" or an "earth-centered solar system." Yet, in public high schools throughout the country, some individuals want to water-down biology education by either not teaching evolutionary theory or including "Intelligent Design" to the curriculum. Both cases hinder science education.
Why is teaching evolution so important to biology education? Simply put, evolutionary theory is the unifying idea of biology. It has two main points: 1) all organisms are related by descent with modification from a common ancestor and 2) an organism with heritable adaptations produces more offspring than others leading to changes in a population over time. To many, these ideas seem sensible and natural. For example, we can alter how a population of animals or plants looks with selective breeding, such as creating a new dog breed. We can also see how dogs are similar to other canine species, such as wolves or coyotes, suggesting that each species is not a separate entity but closely related.
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