Replies

Never would I have thought that a balanced approach would be taken by the English.

It is indeed a balanced approach we have here--though not, I suspect, in the manner you intended.

Let me ping you to my posts #71 and #74 in this thread; it is very clear that few responders here have read beyond the misleading headline attached to the article when posted here. 'Creationism' is part of the history of science, though the material in the GCSE curriculum does point out it is still a political issue in the United States.

Here is a sample of GCSE Biology revision notes for students, from the BBC's website; it is not the ringing endorsement of creationism/ID that some seem to wish that it was.

------------------------------------------------

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/biology/variationandinheritance/3evolutionrev10.shtml

The theory of evolution and scientific debate

When Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution 150 years ago it was deeply controversial. Many people - including other scientists - were shocked or bitterly hostile to the idea. This was because:

* The theory of evolution of species undermined the religious belief in creation - the idea that god had made the earth and everything in it, just the way it is today.

* The thousands of millions of years necessary for evolution to take place contradicted current thinking about the age of the earth, which most scientists thought was only tens of millions of years old at most.

* The idea that species had evolved from earlier, different species contradicted people's instinctive assumption that organisms had always been the way they are now - that only apes can develop from apes and only humans from humans.

* The idea that humans were not created humans and could be related to some 'lesser' species was distasteful to some and considered blasphemy by others.

Just an unproven theory?

The debate on evolution continues even today. Anti-evolutionists point to the fact that the fossil record is incomplete and full of gaps, and to the existence of species such as the Nautilus mollusc or the Horseshoe crab which have not changed for millions of years. They argue it is just an unproven theory. Some fundamentalist religious groups, particularly in the USA, still campaign to have the study of evolution removed from the curriculum.

Scientists on the other hand, whilst agreeing the need to question any theory, point to the evidence supporting the idea of evolution.

* Geologists can now date rocks accurately, and confirm that the process of rock formation has been going on for 4.5 billion years - easily long enough to allow for the slow evolution of species by natural selection.

* The fossil record grows more complete all the time, and shows a clear sequence of change

* Advances in the science of genetics means we now have a thorough understanding of the mechanism of heredity and natural selection. Selective breeding by man of species such as dogs and many plants proves that changes in characteristics can be produced by genetic mutation and handed down.

The debate around evolution is a good example of how contentious science can be, and of how scientific evidence can be interpreted in different ways and used to support different points of view. The historical context in which a new scientific idea is proposed - eg the current state of scientific knowledge and prevailing religious beliefs - all help to determine whether the idea is adopted or rejected.

Discussion and debate is essential to science. What matters in science is to

1. Use the scientific method: first look objectively at ALL the evidence, then develop a theory that explains it as completely as possible, and

2. Keep an open mind to new possibilities, even when they seem to fly in the face of reason!