Evolution, Creationism, and Science
Basic Information
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Is evolution a science? Is creationism a science? What is science? Is there evidence for either? Religious fundamentalists often attack evolution, but rarely from a positions of really understanding what evolution is and how it works. Here you can read the basics on all of these issues - what evolution is, what creationism is, and what science is.
-->What is Evolution?
Evolution can be a difficult concept for people to come to terms with, especially if they do not have much experience with life sciences. Is evolution a fact or a theory? Or is it both? Does evolution explain the origin of life or not? These are important questions which people need to be able to understand and answer. Evolution is not a minor matter - it is, in fact, the cornerstone of all modern biology.Evolutionary Theory: Timeline
Chronology of events surrounding evolutionary theory. Events include those related to the development of evolutionary theory and the controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution and creationism in schools.What is Creationism?
Like evolution, creationism can have more than one meaning. At its most basic, creationism is the belief that the universe was created by a deity of some sort - but after that, there is quite a lot of variety among creationists as to just what they believe and why. People may lump all creationists together in one group, but it is important to understand where they differ and why.What is Science?
This is a very reasonable question, but unfortunately it isn't easy to provide a simple, definitive answer because there is no entity with the authority to define science. Coming up with a proper definition of science is not unlike coming up with a proper definition of other human institutions, like religion or family: there is so much going on that long, complex books are written in an effort to explain it all - and still people disagree.Evolution & Religion
Very often, it seems as though evolution and religion must be locked in a desperate struggle of life and death - and, for some religious beliefs, perhaps that impression is reasonably accurate. However, the fact that some religions and some religious dogmas are not entirely compatible with evolutionary biology does not mean that the same must be true for all religions or religion generally.Evolution & Law
Evolution is perhaps the only area of science which has been transformed into a legal issue on which courts around the country have had to render decisions. No one initiates lawsuits over the teaching of gravity, physics, chemistry, or any other part of the science curriculum. It's also highly unlikely to find heated legislative debates over the status of such topics in publics schools, and that makes evolution relatively unusual.
