Faith, Not Science
by Piper Wallingford
In November 1859, Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species. This single book redefined humanity's understanding of the natural world simply because it did not separate or elevate humanity. The Origin of Species, however, challenged more than the understanding of the world’s order; it challenged the Judeo-Christian religion. If Genesis was not accurate, then religious doctrines were fallible.
In 1926, the state of Tennessee brought a claim against John Thomas Scopes, a substitute teacher who intentionally defied the law by teaching evolution in a high school. At the time, the state allowed only for the teaching of creationism, or the biblical story, as an explanation for the origins of animals and humans. Since then, the teaching of evolution has become more accepted, but there are still legislative acts that try to bar evolution from the classroom.
In 2005, parents in Dover, Pennsylvania demanded that the school board rethink the policy on the teaching of evolution. The school board required teachers to explain the ideas behind intelligent design and point out gaps in Darwin's theory. While creationism was not allowed in schools, intelligent design was a reworking of the same principles. Intelligent design allows for a supernatural explanation of the creation of life, but does not specifically name the Judeo-Christian god as the creator.
While each of these examples inspired outcry, the basic conflict is not how life was created, but how humans fit into this scheme. If humans were created by a god of being, it is faith. If humans evolved from ancestral primates, it is science.
The basic mechanism of science is the scientific method. In order to be accepted, a hypothesis must be tested and evidence for its validity must be found. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming: the fossil record. The fossil record shows the emergence, evolution, and disappearance of species, including humans. But even outside of the fossil record, there is evidence for human evolution.
The forces of evolution are what account for the differences in humans today. Skin color, for example, is the result of geography. Dark skin protects against ultraviolet radiation from the sun. This is why dark skin evolved at the equator and in the southern hemisphere: areas that receive more sunlight. In areas that receive less sunlight, light skin also evolved as an environmental adaptation. Sunlight is essential to the production of vitamin D. Having light skin allows people to synthesize vitamin D with a lesser amount of sunlight.
Another example of human evolution is the ability to digest milk. In most animals, the ability to consume milk ends after childhood. However, some human populations are able to drink milk throughout adulthood. Most people are lactose intolerant. But the populations that are able to consume milk have a history of herding and domesticating cows, goats, or other animals. While the majority of lactose tolerant people are of European descent, the trait evolved independently in four separate locations: Europe, East Africa, the Middle East, and Southern India. Limited food resources in these areas meant that milk digestion was beneficial, and the trait was passed on through the generations.
However, it is not just evidence that makes evolution scientific. Rather, it is the fact that it can be tested. An argument for intelligent design is that "evolution is only a theory." Gravity, using that logic, is also a theory. A theory means that an idea is testable and can be proven wrong. If hominid fossils were found next to dinosaur fossils, then our hypothesis of evolution would be disproved. Disprovable hypotheses are the foundation of science.
Creationism and intelligent design can be neither proven nor disproven. They defy the scientific method because they rely on faith. Faith is belief without proof or evidence. Creationism and intelligent design are not necessarily wrong, but they are not science and do not belong in a science classroom.
