Analysis of Creationism in the United States from Scopes (1925) to Kitzmiller (2005) and its Effect on the Nation´s Science Education System

Front matter

Annals of the History and Philosophy of Biology Volume 19 (2014)

Analysis of Creationism in the United States from Scopes (1925) to Kitzmiller (2005) and its Effect on the Nation’s Science Education System

QA Universitätsverlag Göttingen

Contents

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Beyond Borders: post-Kitzmiller, free-choice learning and creationism

Comment: Creationism and Intelligent Design: Dogmatic concepts that will NOE SO a WAY ann ee ee RR Een 337

Foreword

It may strike some as odd that a biologist would commit herself to writing a doctoral dissertation about the history, development and effects of creationism — a topic that seems much more religious than scientific. And in truth the process of writing this thesis required a lot of research outside of the normal realms of a biological study. No time was spent in a laboratory or observing animals in the wild. Instead, the majority of time was spent on activities very distanced from the realms of biological study such as combing through judicial rulings, analyzing governmental policy descriptions, dissecting biblical passages and watching documentaries. For most, this does not sound like a particularly scientific endeavor and in fact, some of the most useful books on this topic were not found in the library branch for biological sciences but instead in the theological branch in the section on dogmatism. Thus for many, the study of creationism may seem like an irrelevant topic for a scientist to pick up — one possibly left best to the humanities. So why would a biologist want to devote so much time to studying an evangelical ideology — when there are so many more important issues a biologist can address such as endangered species, cancer, climate change, shrinking bee populations, etc.? However, when one truly understands how scientific progress occurs, it becomes apparent that this may be one of the most important topics for a scientist to examine.

It is important to understand that for each successful geneticist, ecologist, microbiologist, zoologist, etc. to be able to make their contribution to society and human history, they first had to first invest years into the study of biology, of which evolution is one of the most key components. The geneticist of today did not need to discover the concept of genes, chromosomes or heredity — no instead, they were the beneficiaries of decades of knowledge gathered around the world since Mendel’s discovery became public in the early 1900s. This passage of knowledge, discovery and understanding of the natural world from one generation to the next occurs through systematic science education that begins before an individual even chooses a major at university.

This foundation of science education is concentrated during the years a student is in high school. While quality science education during this time can provide all students and thus the upcoming general populous with a thorough understanding of how science works and what the most important discoveries have been — possibly even encouraging some students to become a part of the global scientific endeavor — poor science education serves not only to discourage students from pursuing the sciences at university but can also leave students with a complete misunderstanding of what science is and unable to recognize true scientific progress from pseudo-scientific claims. This is particularly true when creationist ideas are presented in the science classrooms as alternative theories to evolution.

Once one understands how all scientific progress and success relies wholeheartedly upon the education of future scientists — it becomes clear why the analysis creationism is completely necessary as it poses a direct threat to the foundation of science education. The inclusion of these ideas in science classrooms, especially when presented as equally valid alternatives to evolution, is the most efficient way to confuse young minds about the true nature of science. Because these concepts fundamentally invoke supernatural powers to describe processes that occur in the natural world, it leads to an immediate loss of science literacy and a diminishment of the overall quality of science education.

This thesis focuses specifically on this topic, science education, without any intention or motivation of discussing the validity of religion in society, the presence or lack of God in the universe or any other metaphysical issue. The main point is to illustrate the history, development and pervasiveness of creationism in all of its forms since the introduction of this type of fundamentalist propaganda could impair science literacy in a radical and long-term manner.