Background: A number of well-qualified, respected scientists and scientific organizations claim that evolution is a fact. Other qualified, respected scientists and scientific organizations disagree. Different opinions are also held by individual citizens, school boards, and even courts. To make things even more complicated, there is more than one definition for evolution. It can refer to minor changes in living things over time, or it can refer to Darwin’s idea that major changes in living things gradually occurred over millions of years.
Evolutionary position: Two prestigious scientific organizations, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the Institute of Medicine, recently published the 3rd edition of a booklet entitled Science, Evolution, and Creationism. The authors of the booklet state their belief that Darwin’s version of evolution is a fact.
NAS believes that evolution is a fact and that it accounts for all the different forms of life on Earth. The major goals of their publication are to help students become more familiar with the evidence supporting evolution and to convince them that most scientists consider evolutionary facts to be the basis for modern biology. (National Academy of Sciences & Institute of Medicine. 2015)
Furthermore, NAS takes the position that there are no controversies among scientists about the truth of evolution. They insist that Darwin’s idea of “descent with modification” is true, because evidence for it is both overwhelming and compelling.
NAS insists that alternatives to evolution such as creationism and intelligent design are not scientific and should not be part of the science curriculum in public schools. (Read on to see why creationism and ID are not considered scientific.) They believe that scientific challenges to Darwinian evolution from Intelligent Design scientists should not be allowed in public school science classrooms. They write, “Because of this immense body of evidence, scientists treat the occurrence of evolution as one of the most securely established of scientific facts. Biologists also are confident in their understanding of how evolution occurs.”
They admit that many individuals and religious organizations do not believe evolution is true. However, NAS authors believe evolution should be presented in public schools without any criticism, without any alternative explanations, and without opportunities for students to analyze or evaluate evolutionary ideas.
Evolution is a part of the field of science. So before evolution can be defined, the term science must also be clarified. It turns out that finding a definition of science that fits all fields of science is very difficult.
The National Science Teachers Association states that “Science, by definition, is limited to naturalistic methods and explanations and, as such, is precluded from using supernatural elements in the production of scientific knowledge.” (NSTA, 2000.) Such definitions for the terms science and evolution have been used by courts or schools to justify not teaching the possibility that God supernaturally planned, designed and created the heavens, life, and humans.
Alternative Answer: “Is evolution a fact?” is meaningless unless the term evolution is defined. The NAS booklet used the term evolution loosely, but eventually it was linked to the term “descent with modification.” For students in public schools, biology texts and biology curricula apply Darwin’s concept of descent with modification as the official explanation for how living things originated. This concept means that somehow the first living cell appeared on earth. Then gradually over millions of years it divided and redivided. As this occurred, new species of plants and animals gradually appeared. Students are told that all evolutionary changes are the results of random natural events. This is a conflict for many Christian students who believe that God planned, designed, and created all living things in the beginning.
Suppose someone is asked if they believe evolution is true. A good answer must take into account the definition of evolution. Here is how a Christian might answer this question.
If evolution is being defined as minor changes that occur in living things over time, then I believe that evolution is a fact.
If evolution means that all living things (or once living things) originated from a common ancestor over millions of years ago, then I do not believe evolution is a fact.
If evolution means that the first living things formed from random natural processes in a watery environment and then all subsequent living things originated from this common ancestor over millions of years as the result of random natural processes, mutations, and properties of matter and energy, then I emphatically reject such an idea as false!
Similar reasoning has prompted more than 800 PhD level scientists from around the world, many from prestigious universities and academies, to sign a document known as A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism.
Without mentioning specific beliefs, the scientists are stating their skepticism of Darwinian evolution as it is taught in many schools and universities and the need for more examination. The dissent reads,
“We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”
“There is scientific dissent from Darwinism. It deserves to be heard.” (Discovery Institute, 2001).
The kind of definitions adopted by organizations such as NAS and NSTA automatically prevents science classes from considering the possibility that a supernatural God designed and created living things including humans. It is important for parents and students to realize that not all PhD scientists believe Darwin’s version of evolution is a fact. Certainly the claim that “there are no controversies in the scientific community about the truth of evolution” is false.
One of the newest fields of science is known as Intelligent Design (ID). Most ID scientists have PhD degrees in scientific fields. Darwinian evolutionists have classified ID as non-science or religious for only one reason: it includes the likelihood of purposeful, planned, supernatural design rather than random natural events. Much ID research focuses on the mathematical improbability of certain conditions or structures resulting from chance, time, natural processes, and properties of matter and energy. These scientists show it is impossible for a living organism to have risen from a group of random nonliving chemicals. They also analyze complex structures in living things and point out that large numbers of chemicals have to work together in order for each structure to function. Known as irreducible complexity, they show that many structures will not work unless all the essential chemicals evolved at the same time. (Meyer, 2009)
Steven Meyer also argues that living cells contain coded intelligent messages, which would never appear in living cells from random, unguided natural processes. Stored, retrievable, useful information can only come from an intelligent designer, much like an intelligent computer programmer is essential in order to design a machine that can collect, retrieve, and use information. It would be impossible for random natural events to produce living cells that have the ability to acquire, store, or use information that gives specific life-sustaining orders to the cells.
Science can also be defined by its characteristics. Scientists generally agree that science is observable, testable, repeatable, predictable, falsifiable, and tentative. (Eflin et al., 1999) This is a problem for historical evolutionary scientists who try to reconstruct the past. They must begin with assumptions about what happened in the beginning, because there were no eyewitnesses to observe what happened, and the first events in the past are not repeatable.
The two things most difficult for evolutionary scientists to do are observe (directly or indirectly) events that supposedly happened millions of years ago and to repeat these hypothetical events. It will never be possible for scientists to observe what happened in the beginning or to repeat the first events. Although changes in living things over time can be considered a fact, the evolution of all living things from a common ancestor, based on random unplanned events, will never be a fact.
Texas educators are preparing for another fight over this issue. In 2008, after months of contentious hearings, the Board of Education approved standards which encouraged students to analyze and evaluate controversial topics such as evolution and climate change. A new group of Board members believes evolution is a fact. They want to do away the standards that call for critical analyses and evaluations of evolution. Another part of the Board does not believe evolution is a fact. They are in favor of allowing students to analyze and evaluate the claims of evolutionary ideas. What Texas decides to do about these standards is sure to affect other states as well.
Notes/References
Discovery Institute. 2001. Retrieved from www.dissentfromdarwin.org.
Eflin, J.T., Glennan, S., & Reisch, G. (1999). The Nature of Science: A perspective from
the philosophy of science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36 (1) 107-116.
Meyer, S.C., Minnich, S., Moneymaker, J., Nelson, P.A., & Seelke, R. (2007). Explore
Evolution. Melbourne & London: Hill House Publishers.
National Academy of Science & Institute of Medicine. 2015. Science, Evolution, and
Creationism, 3rd edition.
National Science Teachers Association (2000). The Nature of Science—A Position
Statement of NSTA. Washington, DC.
Recommended Readings
Meyer, S.C., Minnich, S., Moneymaker, J., Nelson, P.A., & Seelke, R. (2007). Explore
Evolution. Melbourne & London: Hill House Publishers.