Back pain
I think this is a very well written paper.I am not enforcing the opinions in the paper or anything.
It's just a well written paper, in my opinion. I didnt write it.
Dont read it, Do read it.
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Ian Waterman
Multicultural Education
One aspect of culture is and will likely always be religion. It permeates governments around the world, commonly divides children into ideological sects at a vulnerable age, and provides the impetus for war between nations. These are problems most clearly exemplified by radical Islam and Evangelical Christianity. What I listed above is quite relevant on a world scale, but the issue I will tackle in this paper is the overriding fear to properly teach evolution in schools across America.
Our own president has made a conscious decision to reject the theory of evolution; a stance he has made public. The reaction has been hundreds of millions of children, and their families, who now feel justified in there ignorant beliefs, and their right to impose this abortion of scientific thought on others. Science teachers across America, from the elementary level through high school (and even some colleges), feel pressure from administrators, and parents alike, to qualify evolution as just another "theory" or ignore it altogether. The word theory is perhaps the most misused term in the English language. In popular vernacular it is often used in place of the scientifically appropriate term, "hypothesis." A scientific theory is such because it provides the best explanation for natural phenomena that are known to occur. In this sense, evolution is a fact and evolutionary theory is the best explanation for it. The United States is rare in this sense, as many other nations have long since accepted the theory of evolution. When Charles Darwin published his controversial book "Origin of the Species" the Christian church was immediately threatened by the implications. Legal battles were waged before the theory of evolution was embraced as acceptable material. This was in the 1930s. And now our nation has seemingly regressed to a state similar to this time.
Not only has our current president buoyed these anti-evolution sentiments, but other factors are in play as well. To fully understand evolution is difficult. It requires mental gymnastics of many individuals who are too lazy to conduct them or are already blinded by their own religious indoctrination. The deeper one reads into the issue, the more complex the puzzle becomes. It will always be easier for individuals to dismiss it and turn to the bible for a mythological explanation. This is especially true when a child is told from day one to dismiss Darwinian evolution. Why not allow the child to figure it out for themselves? Are religious parents fearful that this child will accept evolutionary theory and reject baseless claims of creation in the bible?
Science has provided nanotechnology, nuclear power and placed a man on the moon, yet a number of people feel that it has somehow completely missed the mark on evolution. It is always frustrating as a biologist to know that a significant proportion of the population despises your line of work and teaches their children to follow suit. However, I still hold the potentially naïve hope that, in the future, evolutionary theory will be met by a nation of critical thinkers with open minds instead of blind opposition.
Suggested reading if this topic interests you:
"The Selfish Gene"
-Richard Dawkins
