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Kevin, what if there was a world where, instead of people, there were two types of beings; Giant steaks and Giant Carrots. Who would be in charge of this world? do you think a carrot could really stand up to a steak? nope, carrots are too bitch.

Matt, what if there was a zombie apocolypse and no one had guns and we all died? cause we didnt have guns when we really should.

Conor, what if there was no censorship in life? We didnt have to wear clothes and just cussed whenever we wanted to and we could  light up a bowl in class.

Evolution is the Only Theory for Schools

In The Classroom: Evolution Vs. Creationism

The battle between evolution and creationism has been around for hundreds of years. “Evolution is the biological process by which populations of organisms acquire new, advantageous traits, pass them on to subsequent generations, and sometimes create new species.” And creationism is the bible’s version of creation (Perkins). Today evolution is the only theory taught in most school science classes across the nation, but creationists have been pushing teaching creationism along side it. They argue that evolution has large flaws that can only be explained by a higher power. Although both theories have flaws, evolution is backed up with scientific evidence, where creationism is not. Science classes are for science. Creationists also argue that the world is far too complex to have evolved from a single cell, but just because something is unlikely doesn’t mean it won’t and didn’t happen. Lastly, what is creationism teaching? Each religion has a different story of how the world came to be. So it would be almost impossible to teach all of them, and unfair to only teach some of them. Evolution should be the only theory taught in school science classes because it is widely agreed on and has proven scientific evidence to back it up.

One reason evolution should be the only theory of creation taught in school science classes is that it has scientific evidence backing it. “Judaism and Christianity have long taught that God created Adam and Eve on a single day,” but Charles Darwin gave the theory that humans evolved from apes over millions of years (Lee). These two theories of human origins are completely different, but Darwin’s theory is scientifically proven.  Nearly a decade after Darwin proposed his theory, Francis Crick and James Watson discovered DNA, the complex biological code that makes up all life. After further study of DNA they came to find that monkeys and chimpanzees have very similar DNA to that of humans (Lee). By only allowing evolution to be taught in school science classes, it is not saying that creation is wrong, its just acknowledging that it has no scientific proof. Richard Feynman said, “If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It does not make any difference how beautiful your guess is. It does not make any difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is- if it disagrees with experiment it is wrong” (Young, Strode 37). Why should a theory with no scientific proof be taught in a science class? That is more for a history or religion class. If creationism and religion are being taught in science classes, students are no longer learning about science. Judge John E. Jones struck down a law in Pennsylvania requiring creationism be taught along side evolution. He explained that, "Darwin's theory of evolution is imperfect. However, the fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point should not be used as a pretext to thrust an untestable alternative hypothesis, grounded in religion, into the science classroom."(EDITORIAL) The small flaws in the theory of evolution should not be reason to replace it with a theory with no scientific evidence. Creation stresses chance, as if chance automatically ruled out evolutionary change (Young, Matt, and Paul K. Strode). To be taught in a science class, something must be proven and backed up with scientific evidence. Because evolution is the only theory backed by solid evidence, it should be the only theory taught in school science classes. 

Another argument of creationism is that the world is far too complex to have evolved from single celled organisms. In fact the odds against DNA assembling by chance are 10^40,000 to one (Hoyle). Just because it is extremely rare doesn’t mean it can’t happen. In his book, Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences, John Allen Paulos states, “Rarity by itself shouldn't necessarily be evidence of anything. When one is dealt a bridge hand of thirteen cards, the probability of being dealt that particular hand is less than one in 600 billion. Still, it would be absurd for someone to be dealt a hand, examine it carefully, calculate that the probability of getting it is less than one in 600 billion, and then conclude that he must not have been dealt that very hand because it is so very improbable.” Just because it was very improbable that something would happen doesn’t mean it actually didn’t happen. The argument that the complexity of the world can only be described through a higher power is not provable purely by discounting the likelihood of certain aspects of the theory of evolution. There is so much evidence supporting the parts of evolution that are taught in school science classes.

            One more reason evolution should be the only theory taught in school science classes is it is one theory with little variance on ideas, where as creationism can be broken into many different theories. Hindus believed that lord Vishnu grew a magnificent lotus flower, out of his naval, with his servant, Brahma, in the middle. Lord Vishnu told Brahma to, “Create the world,” so Brahma split the lotus into three parts; Heavens, Earth, and Skies. The Native American Omaha people believed that all living things were spirits floating through space, looking for a place to exist in bodily form. The earth was covered with water, but a burst of flame dried the water and land appeared. Then the spirits settled on earth. In West and Central Africa the idea of creation from a cosmic egg is common (Creation Stories). These are just a few of the hundreds of different creation stories.

There are so many different creation stories it would be impossible to teach them all in a science class along with evolution. It would be unfair to teach creationism without teaching all of them. 

            Although evolution has some flaws, it is backed up with evidence and is widely accepted by the scientific community. Creationism has no scientific support and therefore has no place in the science classroom. Also, creationism is much to broad a theory; teachers would be unable to fairly teach all the different versions. Because evolution is a theory with very little variance and a body of scientific evidence behind it, it should be the only theory taught in school science classes. Creationism and intelligent design should be left to the history and theology classes.

       

           

Works Cited

Badertscher, Eric, and Jill Ginsburg. "Point: Evolution Should Only be Taught as an Alternative Theory to Creationism." Points of View: Teaching Evolution (2009): 2. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.

“Creation Stories - Myth Encyclopedia - Mythology, Greek, God, Story, Names, Ancient, Tree, Animal, Snake, War, Norse, Hindu, Japanese, World, Chinese, Flower, Roman, Native American, Life, People." Encyclopedia of Myths. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ca-Cr/Creation-Stories.html>.

"EDITORIAL: Focus On Science, Not Ideology In Setting Education Standards." Tampa Tribune (FL) 27 Dec. 2007: Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 4 Dec. 2010.

Hoyle, Fred, and N. C. Wickramasinghe. Evolution from Space. London: J.M. Dent, 1981. Print.

Lee, Deborah, and Jill Ginsburg. "Counterpoint: Intelligent Design Means "Creationism" and Does Not Belong in Public School Science Classes." Points of View: Intelligent Design (2009): 3. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.

Paulos, John Allen. Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences. New York: Hill and Wang, 1988. Print.

Perkins, Sid. "EVOLUTION IN ACTION." Science News 169.8 (2006): 120. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 5 Dec. 2010.

Rich, Alex K., and Matt Donnelly. "Counterpoint: Evolution Should be the Only Theory Taught in Schools." Points of View: Teaching Evolution (2009): 3. Points of View Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.

Young, Matt, and Paul K. Strode. Why Evolution Works (and Creationism Fails). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 2009. Print.