ABSTRACT
There is reason to be concerned about science education in America when most of the adult population does not believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. A Gallup poll held in honor of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday (February 6-7, 2009) found that only 39% of Americans say they “believe in the theory of evolution,” while 25% say they do not; 36% have no opinion either way. These attitudes are strongly related to level of education and even more so to religiousness. The problem is particularly acute at the high school level: 74% of those with a postgraduate degree believe in the theory and so do 53% of college graduates, but only 21% of those whose highest level of education is high school or less believe in evolution through natural selection.1 This is of concern for a variety of reasons. First, the theory of evolution is one of the most compelling and powerful explanatory models in the history of science. An understanding and appreciation of this major intellectual accomplishment is essential for scientific literacy. It also has important implications for personal health and wellbeing, such as helping to explain why vaccines work, as well as why patients should be careful to completely finish prescribed treatments of antibiotics, even if they feel better after only a few doses. Schools are generally successful at teaching basic literacy and numeracy: Why such trouble with science education, and in particular with this theory? At the very least we would hope that those who leave high school with a basic knowledge of science should understand the overwhelming evidence in support of natural selection. In addition, we would hope students would come to understand that this theory need not undermine deep religious beliefs about the origins of the universe as created by God that many also hold to be true.
