Masci, Evolution Debate in the US Hall, The Fight to Keep Evolution Out of Schools World Population Review: Status of teaching evolution in the states(2022) Next Generation Science Standards-High School Videos: Historical Summary of the Scopes Trial Original Footage of the Scopes Trial.

 

If evolution is as established in the scientific community as the theory of gravity (which it is), why are people still arguing about it more than century and a half after Darwin proposed it? The answer lies, in large part, in the theological implications of evolutionary thinking. For many religious people, the Darwinian view of life - a panorama of brutal struggle and constant change - conflicts with both the biblical creation story and the Judeo-Christian concept of an active, loving God who intervenes in human events. At the most basic level, much of the opposition to evolution has involved its broader social implications and the belief that it can be understood in ways that are socially and politically dangerous. For instance, some social conservatives charge that evolutionary theoryserves to strengthen broader arguments that justify practices they vehemently oppose, such as abortion and euthanasia.

In many ways, questions about evolution have long served as proxies in larger debates about religious, ethical and social norms. While questions about evolution were not prominent in the 2022 midterm elections, they certainly have been in the past. Use the Masci and Hall articles as background for Supreme Court decisions about the teaching of evolution and creationism (intelligent design) in schools. Then look at the summary from the World Population Review. Are you surprised at how many states limit the teaching of evolution? Or require creationism/intelligent design to be taught simultaneously? Only 27 states have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards and one of those standards includes the teaching of evolution in high schools.

If you were in charge of an educational program in a public high school, what would you want taught to your students about evolution? What would you use as a legal basis for your choice if (when) parents challenge you--from either the pro or con evolution sides?

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