Should evolution be taught in schools?

Should evolution be taught in schools?

As a scientific fact?

I'm not talking microevolution as most creationist accept this.

Depends what school i suppose.

as a base curiculum for state run school, in this country i'd say yes. it's provable science.

really?

can stellar evolution be proven?
can abiogenisis be proven?

hell they can't even prove macroevolution

damn it... i KNEW that was the line you'd pick up on




in my view, in the heirarchy of truth, science takes place over religion - and this 'theory' is the most widely accepted then

this has nothing to do with religion well actually it does... evolution is taught as a "provable" science... when it isn't.... it's a faith

it stems from a more provable background then - while religion is about as crackers as it can be!

This is a huge question, and it is very difficult to prove that there are no situations in which something will not occur - we teach as fact that when you mix an acid and an alkali you get salt and water, although I can't prove that there's no situation anywhere in the universe in which something else happens.......salt + water is merely the best theory.

Around 50% of Americans believe the world to be less than 5000 years old. I can't prove that some deity hasn't fixed every single radioactive dating experiment, every single stellar observation and all the other spectacular multitude of evidence that thinks this is wrong (by a factor of a million), but what I can say for sure is that the evidence vastly, overwhelmingly supports the 5 billion year hypothesis.

Therefore you have a far better case for teaching 'as fact' the evidence based theory as opposed to bronze age mythology if something does have to be taught 'as fact', and I suspect going over all the theories of well demonstrated priniciples might be counterproductive due to the time it would take.

It's the same with evolution. It is by far and away the most convincing, most evidence based, most compelling and elegant explanation for the origin of improbable life that has ever been concieved. (by a vast distance) Any religous argument is crippled by the 'so where did your god come from then?' argument, to which evolution is not susceptible.

Perhaps it ought to be taught that some people disagree - but not many children are stupid, and present them the arguments and most can make intelligent decisions.

If you are to oppose the teaching of evolution as fact on the grounds that every single scrap of evidence could be fabricated, then you must also refute the teaching of anything religious or superstitious as fact.

I, for one, as a scientists, a rationalist and an evolutionist am happy for creationism and evolution to be discussed side by side, provided fair hearing is given to both, because there is only one logical and rational conclusion.

Joe: the points you raise are covered in detail in The Blind Watchmaker, should you wish to read further

No it's not.

Faith is the belief of something in the absence or near absence of evidence. A delusion is the belief in something with evidence to the contrary. Rationalism is belief in the most convinving explanation available, based on evidence.

The minute you bring me a more convincing, more evidence based theory of the origin of complex life, I'll be happy to ditch evolution.

When has any evolution other than micro been proven?

It hasn't been 'proven' as every single scientist who's looked at it could have been experiencing a hallucination, and every single instrumental reading could have been changed by god.

But you'll accept that its nothing more than guess work based on the observation of microevolution?

Religion is taught as a faith... I'm saying that maybe evolution shouldn't be taught as scientific fact...

You're thinking of a G-d as a being, an easier way of understanding your question is if I ask you where do your laws of nature come from?

Evolution doesn't come close to explaining abiogenesis?!?!?

Thats not what I'm saying... take stellar evolution.

Has man ever witnessed the birth of a star?

Re: Should evolution be taught in schools?

No.

And it isn't.

Re: Re: Should evolution be taught in schools?

it is....

Re: Re: Re: Should evolution be taught in schools?

It was called the theory of evolution all the way through my education, and I believe it still is.

I've said I'm happy for the evidence for creationism (bronze age myths) and evolution (fossil record, microevolution etc) to be laid side by side and for children old enough to understand the issues to be allowed to evaluate it for themselves.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Should evolution be taught in schools?

no evolution is taught as a fact; something like darwins evolution of natural selction is taught as theory while something like microevolution is taught as fact.

we're not talking about creationism, we're discussing evolution.

When disproving the world was flat they didn't have to prove it was square....

I'm asking you to justify your blind faith in evolution, you claim your a scientist and an evolutionist... I think the two are incompatible as one requires a blind faith

'Blind faith'? I said that the minute a better theory (ie a more evidence based one) is concieved I shall be happy to ditch evolution! I only believe it's the most likely explanation now as it's the most evidence based, and doesn't have to recourse to 'oh god just sort of appeared' type arguments, which seems to be the alternative.

Being an 'evolutionist' simply means you believe evolution to be the source of compelx life on this planet.