Science test

Church & State, Jul/Aug 2000 by Benen, Steve

The disclaimer approach is legally dubious. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a local Louisiana school board's requirement that teachers read a disclaimer to students saying evolution is not intended to "dissuade the Biblical version of Creation." In its Tangipahoa Parish Board of Education v. Freiler decision, the court ruled that the practice was aimed at the "protection and maintenance of a particular religious viewpoint" and was therefore unconstitutional.

(On June 19, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the Tangipahoa case. However, Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas issued a scathing dissent, suggesting that the disclaimer should be constitutionally permitted.)

A third creationist tactic has been utilized for decades. In one of countless examples, Rep. Ron Hood (R-Canfield) introduced a bill in the Ohio House of Representatives in May requiring that evolution be taught as theory, not fact.

The "just a theory" approach has been a staple of creationist arguments for the better part of the 20th century and remains one of the most frequently used arrows in the anti-evolutionists' rhetorical quiver. The tactic exploits misunderstanding of the scientific meaning of the word "theory" and shows how this confusion has served as the basis for many controversies surrounding evolutionary biology.

As part of an effort to educate teachers and parents, the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world's most respected institutions of scientific and engineering research, published "Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science." Among the many topics discussed in the guide is a refutation of the common error associated with the word "theory."

"The theory of evolution explains how life on earth has changed," the book explains. "In scientific terms, 'theory' does not mean 'guess' or 'hunch' as it does in every day usage. Scientific theories are explanations of natural phenomena built up logically from testable observations and hypotheses. Biological evolution is the best scientific explanation we have for the enormous range of observations about the living world.... Scientists can also use the word 'fact' to mean something that has been tested or observed so many times that there is no longer a compelling reason to keep testing or looking for examples. The occurrence of evolution in this sense is a fact. Scientists no longer question whether descent with modification occurred because the evidence supporting the idea is so strong."

Misunderstanding of evolutionary theory, coupled with persistent creationist criticisms, often translates into success for evolution's opponents in the arena of public opinion.

In 1982, Gallup released its most comprehensive national poll of Americans' beliefs about human origins. This study reported that 44 percent believed that "God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000 years." Meanwhile, 38 percent said that humans evolved over millions of years but that the process was guided by God, and nine percent believed that humans evolved from less advanced forms of life but that God had no part in the process.