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Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Controversy

Explore the controversy between scientists, theologians, philosophers, educators, and more regarding the theories of evolution, creationism, and intelligent design.

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Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Controversy

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  1. The Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design ControversyA controversy amongst scientists,theologians, philosophers, educators, legislators, judges, brothers, parents and studentsAFACCT Association of Faculties for the Advancement of Community College Teaching Annual Conference Presented January 12, 2006 by Dr. David Thorndill Professor of Biology Community College of Baltimore County http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/~dthornd1/

  2. Evolutionism - - - Creationism 1. All species change and have descended from another species 2. All life began with one (or a few) original species 3. Organisms have been on earth for billions of years. 1. All species have undergone only minor changes 2. All species were instantaneously created fully formed 3. The Creation of all species took place only a few thousand years ago.

  3. BIBLICAL CREATIONISM Literal interpretation of Genesis: six day creation of the earth and all species by God; great flood of Noah Bishop James Ussher (1630) calculated Creation took place in 4004 B.C. Georges Cuvier (early 1800s) proponent of geological catastrophism (young earth) Giraffe- God created the first giraffes 6000 years ago. Today’s giraffes have descended from them with few changes

  4. Methodology of the Sciences(Audesirk-Biology-Life on Earth) Scientific method Observation, hypothesis, experimentation Logical connections- inductive and deductive reasoning Scientific Theory-general explanation of natural phenomena Scientific Theories or Natural Laws that have very strong evidence and support Atomic theory, gravitational theory Cell theory, theory of evolution

  5. Unproven assumptions used in science(Audesirk-Biology-Life on Earth) Natural causality All events are caused by preceding natural events Uniformity in space and time The laws of nature work in all places and at all times Common perception People are capable of perceiving objects and events the same way

  6. THE JOURNEY to EVOLUTION Geological Uniformitarianism (old earth) James Hutton (1785) Theory of the Earth Charles Lyell (1830) Principles of Geology Alfred Wegener (1915) The Origin of Continents Evolutionary theories Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1809) Theory of Acquired Characteristics Charles Darwin (1859) On the Origin of Species , Theory of Natural Selection Modern Synthetic Evolutionary Theory (~1930) Synthesis of Natural Selection, Genetics,Mutations

  7. MODERN SYNTHETICTHEORY OF EVOLUTION Natural Selection (Darwin) All species have inherited variations Few offspring survive to reproduce Some variations have a better chance of survival Mutation DNA replication makes rare mistakes that may produce altered proteins and new variations Speciation A new species may develop through mutation and natural selection

  8. Modern Synthetic EvolutionThe evolution of giraffes from shorter ancestors Natural selection-Darwin Early ancestors of giraffes were shorter (perhaps the height of horses) but varied in height. Perhaps the taller pre-giraffes could reach more food and survived while the shorter ancestors often starved. Mutations Every generation rare, spontaneous mutations (changes) in the DNA of sperm or eggs produced some taller and some shorter offspring. Evolution Over many generations the combination of mutations and survival of the taller animals contributed to the evolution of giraffes to their present height.

  9. Challenges to the exclusivity ofDarwinian gradualism Goldschmidt-Hopeful Monster theory Gould, Eldridge, Stanley -Punctuated equilibrium Margulis-Mitochondrial and chloroplast symbiosis theory Crick-Extra-terrestrial origin of life Behe-Biochemical intelligent design

  10. Punctuated Equilibrium 1972-Stephen J. Gould and Niles Eldridge criticize the gradualistic evolution proposed by Darwin Fossils fail to show gradual changes from a species to descendant species Fossils show long-term stability of species structures (equilibrium) Descendent species appear abruptly in the fossil strata with new structures Species evolve in a jerky, non-gradualistic fashion

  11. Intelligent Design?

  12. Natural Photograph or Design?

  13. Intelligent Design (Behe) Design is evident when a number of separate, interacting components are ordered in such a way as to accomplish a function beyond the individual components Intelligently designed objects are irreducibly complex and have features that are different from naturally occurring objects

  14. Is this a: natural scene from nature? an edited or manipulated photograph ? 3. a designed or manipulated scene?

  15. Intelligent Design (Behe) Design is the purposeful arrangement of parts As the number or quality of the parts of an interacting system increase, our judgment of design increases and can reach certainty Inferences to design do not require that we have a candidate for the role of designer

  16. Irreducible Complexity (Behe) A single system composed of several well-matched, integrating parts that contribute to the basic function Removal of any part causes the system to cease functioning Complex biological systems cannot be produced gradually by natural selection

  17. Irreducibly complex biochemical systems which qualify for intelligentdesign (Behe) These biochemical systems are well understood Cilium, bacterial flagella Blood coagulation cascade Intracellular vesicular transport Immune system Biosynthesis of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)

  18. Darwin’s Black BoxThe biochemical challenge to evolutionby Michael Behe On a small scale Darwin’s theory has triumphed.(p.15) I have no reason to doubt the universe is billions of years old . . . and I find the idea of common decent fairly convincing. . . and I think evolutionary biologists have contributed enormously to our understanding of the world. (p. 5)

  19. Darwin’s Black Box The production of some biological improvements by mutation and natural selection-by evolution-is compatible with intelligent design theory. (p. 228) Although Darwin’s natural selection working on variation might explain many things, however, I donot believe it explains molecular life. (p. 5)

  20. Darwin’s Black Box It is entirely possible . . . (irreducibly complex biochemical systems) . . . were designed billions of years ago and they have been passed down to the present by normal processes of cellular reproduction. (p. 227) Scenario: Designer makes first cells four billion years ago. . . The cell containing the designed systems was left on autopilot to reproduce, mutate, eat and be eaten, bump against rocks and suffer the vagaries of life on earth. (p. 227)

  21. Controversial and rejected theories that science educators still discuss Creationism Catastrophism Acquired characteristics (Lamarck) Spontaneous generation Homunculus (sperm carries a miniature organism) Punctuated equilibrium Flat earth, spherical earth models Earth centered universe

  22. BIOLOGY TEXTBOOKS 1. BCCS 2. Johnson 3. Mader 4. Starr 5. Pruitt 6. Audesirk 7. Campbell 8. Momen (1942)

  23. Intelligent design of genesRecombinant DNA Products(Designer genes)Audesirk 7th ed.

  24. References and further reading Behe, M., J., 1996, Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution, New York, Touchstone, Simon and Schuster. Darwin, C., 1859, On the origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection Eldridge, N., 1985, Time Frames, The Rethinking of Darwinian Evolution and the Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium, New York, Touchstone, Simon and Schuster Eldridge, N. and Gould, S.J., 1972, “Punctuated Equilibrium: An Alternative to Phyletic Gradualism,” in Thomas J.M. Schopf, ed, Models in Paleontology (San Francisco: Freeman, Cooper. Genesis Goldschmidt, Richard B., 1940. The Material Basis of Evolution Gould, S.J., 1977, “The return of the hopeful monsters.”Natural History, 86:22-30. Hitching, F., 1982, The Neck of the Giraffe: Where Darwin Went Wrong. New Haven and New York, Ticknor and Fields. Huxley, J.S., 1942, Evolution, the Modern Synthesis. London, Allen and Unwin. Larson, E., J., 2004, Evolution, New York, The Modern Library. Schroder, G.,L., 1997, The Science of God, The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom Stanley, S., M., 1979, Macroevolution, San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Company.

  25. Evolution and Intelligent Design Websites http://www.lehigh.edu/~mjb1/mjb1.html Michael Behe’s website http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/rossuk/Behe.htm review list of Darwin’s black Box http://www.millerandlevine.com/km/evol/ Kenneth Miller’s webpage. Miller is a chief critic of intelligent design. http://www.talkdesign.orgAssessing the claims of the Intelligent Design movement from the perspective of mainstream science http://www.nabt.org/sub/evolutionNational Association of Biology Teachers. Web resources on evolutionary science. http://www.discovery.org/The point of view Discovery Institute brings to its work includes a belief in God-given reason and the permanency of human nature; the principles of representative democracy and public service expounded by the American Founders. See Stephen C. Meyer: Teaching the Controversy

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