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CREATIONISM & EVOLUTION.   Term Paper ID:22599 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines conflicting beliefs & theories & debate over proper role of each in educational system.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines conflicting beliefs & theories & debate over proper role of each in educational system. Paper Introduction: School systems are struggling with the dilemma of whether or not to teach creationism as an alternative view to evolution theory. If, as many scientific creationists believe, God's message is important in defining the content, aims, and conditions of educational practice, then creationism does belong in the classroom. However, those who propose that creationism is not science, and that "creation science" is a misnomer, are opposed to the intervention of religion into the public educational program; after all, public educational programs should be separate from concerns of the church. Despite separation of church and state, religious ideologies are hardly ever without consequences for the practice of education. Fundamentalist Christians who support a creationist theory will differ from liberal Christians who have no problem Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. A recent creation science convention in Calgary concerned differencesin theory among those who are all "creationists," in principle. His first argument isthat "we have abundant, direct, observational evidence of evolution inaction, from both field and the laboratory" (381). However, those who propose that creationismis not science, and that "creation science" is a misnomer, are opposed tothe intervention of religion into the public educational program; afterall, public educational programs should be separate from concerns of thechurch. This point should not be lost on educators whopersist in "either-or" thinking about the creation of the universe. Evolutionary fact, explainable by a theory,should remain in the science classroom. Numbers, the William Coleman Professor of the Historyof Science and Medicine at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, thetopic is not purely academic. Evolutionists could be termed "rational," or "secular" (a termpreferred by creationists), humanists. Rational humanism andreligious orthodoxy are two ideologies that have their counterparts inschools. According to one conference participant inParker's coverage of the convention: Our real purpose is to counter-balance the overwhelming emphasis on evolution [i.e., blind fluke] in the schools, and to inform teachers and parents there is a scientifically defensible alternative to evolution. Schoolboards should give curriculum space to creationism as another world view,and ardent humanists should be content with the fact that evolution is anirrefutable scientific fact, irreducible by the will of mankind. Suchcreationists differ in their explanations as to how life first appeared, inall of its diversity, on earth. Whatley,John, ed. inIntroduction to the Essay as Literature: Course Reader. In otherwords, more than one theory may help explain a single scientific fact. In his essay, Gould notes that "our confidence that evolutionoccurred centers upon some general arguments" (381). Creationists believe that only life can comefrom life. Those who say that only Darwin was right, andthat creationism is really "anti-science," will be at total odds withadamant creationists; somewhere in the fray are the scientific creationistswho use scientific terminology to prove that only life can come from otherlife. (McArthur 1 8) When Numbers refers to flood geology in the above passage, he isreferring to a theory restricting the history of life on earth (and in someaccounts the history of the entire universe) to no more than ten thousandyears. As Elliot W. Theories are structures ofideas that explain and interpret facts. School systems are struggling with the dilemma of whether or not toteach creationism as an alternative view to evolution theory. However, owing to the diversecultural population of most of today's public schools, there should be aplace for creationism, also--in a social studies class. However, at Calgary's First AllianceChurch, they were united on one point: creationism must be presented asfact in the public schools. The phrase scientific creationism came into use in the early 197 safter a U.S. Creationists could be termedfundamentalist Christians, or more favorably, adherents to religiousorthodoxy. On the other hand, evolutionists, who hold that everything canbe explained by material and motion, believe that life comes from dead dust(the big bang theory). "Let There Be Heat." Alberta Report 21 (47) (1994):34-35.----------------------- 8 It could bepresented as a different world view, one based more on a personal beliefsystem rather than scientific fact. Supreme Court decision in 1968. In addition, educators should be aware that "many paleontologists arenow admitting in print that the fossil record has not yielded what CharlesDarwin predicted it would over a century ago" (34). One final note concerning challenges to evolutionary theory is inorder. As Numbers explains in an interview: In the early 197 s, creationists made a conscious and concerted effort to repackage Price's flood geology--biblical creationism, if you will--as creation science, or scientific creationism. Weare the total of innumerable, minute evolutionary changes, not all of whichcould be perfectly suited to us as humans. He was raised as a creationist, and he has areputation as a fair-minded scholar--one who could, with credibility,reconcile theology with science. (34) According to Parker, "a constant subtext all weekend was that themistake that God and science are mutually exclusive has wrecked havoc onWestern civilization" (34). However, creationists argue thatevolution is "only" a theory, and the debate continues. He refutes scientificcreationism as nonsense, and breaks down the arguments (of creationists)contrary to evolutionary fact. As for the imperfectibility argument, Gould states, "An engineer,starting from scratch, could design better limbs in each case" (382). "The New Creationists." American Heritage 45 (7)(1994): 1 6-112.Parker, Shafer, Jr. "Evolution as Fact and Theory." Rpt. Gould emphasizes repeatedly that evolution is a fact, explainable bytheories--many of which are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Works CitedEisner, Elliot W. The Educational Imagination. This was simply biblical creationism stripped of all references to the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and Noah's flood. New York: McGrawCollege Publishing Company, 1994.Gould, Stephen Jay. For Ronald L. "The essence of evolution is mutations," as one Calgary participantput it (34). A look at primitiveman reveals that humanoids of today have evolved from a decidedly different-looking ancestor. Fixing them with such labels is not trivial, because bothgroups have a place in the public educational forum. Toparaphrase Einstein, God may not, in fact, shoot dice with the universe."The "blind fluke" theory of creation may, in fact, be no less defensiblethan the "big bang" theory of creation, which proposes that everythingliving came out of nothingness--life from inanimate dust. A look at evolutionary theory will nowprove beneficial. The fact that we are stillcarrying around the vestiges of our ancestral past--appendixes, wisdomteeth, and body hair--are indicative that, at least in this atomic glimpseof time, we are imperfect. If such is the case,can educators in the public schools selectively perceive the fossil recordat the expense of their students' knowledge? This solution is not likely to pleaseradical secular humanists, and even less likely to please radicalcreationists, yet it is the only central ground one can take. Parker maintains,"Despite episodic press hype, scientists have never found a fossil halfwaybetween fish and amphibian or reptile and bird" (34). In "Evolution as Fact and Theory," Stephen Jay Gouldpresents the theory of evolution as a scientific fact, in response to thosewho present "scientific" views of creationism. Facts do not go away whilescientists debate rival theories for explaining them" (38 ). Perhaps there is a place for both creationism and evolutionary theoryin the public school system. After the court's 1968decision which overturned the 1928 Arkansas law banning the teaching ofevolution, it became increasingly clear to creationists that they would getinto the public schools of America only by advocating an alternativescientific theory. He states that thestructures with which he types his essay are from the same bones common torats, bats, porpoises, and any other mammal one would care to name--as wehumans share a common ancestor with other mammals. Despite separation of church and state, religious ideologies arehardly ever without consequences for the practice of education.Fundamentalist Christians who support a creationist theory will differ fromliberal Christians who have no problem reconciling their religious liveswith evolutionary theory. Eisner of Stanford University puts it, "There areconsortia and organizations whose primary mission is to expand and improvethe practice of schools embracing [both] ideological positions" (82). In other words, the imperfections of nature (contraryto the creationists' view) reveal evolution. If, as manyscientific creationists believe, God's message is important in defining thecontent, aims, and conditions of educational practice, then creationismdoes belong in the classroom. Evolutionary theory is based on the principles expounded by CharlesDarwin, whose theory of natural selection explains how species are in acontinual process of adaption to their environments. Burnaby, B.C.: Simon Fraser University, 1995.McArthur, Benjamin. HowDarwin's theory of natural selection operates (how insects adapt themselvesto more highly potent insecticides--how insects grow in size and number inresponse to a limitless feeding area of a single crop--how the fossilrecord shows trends of punctuated adaption) is dependent upon theory, whilethe fact of evolution remains constant. The over-riding difference between creationists and evolutionistsconcerns the origin of life. Gould insists that if one looks at the world without the blinders ofcreationism, it will be apparent that evolution is a fact. Althoughevolution is explainable by a theory, that theory is explainable by facts.As Gould says, "Facts are the world's data. Gould gives several examplesof the imperfectibility of nature to prove his point. The difficulty for evolutionists is that most mutations aredestructive, not even allowing the mutated animal to survive. If one accepts flood geology, one can take the genesis story--aswell as the story of Noah and the universal flood that destroyed most oflife on earth--literally. The factthat rare, useful, and transmissible mutations may allow better survival isnot considered by the creationists. Gould's second argumentis that "evolution lies exposed in the imperfections that record a historyof descent" (382). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.