Shift: Creation to Evolution
Various issues in science are often debated for long periods of time that often extends over generations and historical eras. In general, very little progress is made on the issue until a single scientist proposes or discovers something that breaks through the wall and leads to a epiphany across the scientific and surrounding community. One major example of such a paradigm shift in scientific understanding in history was the shift in belief from Creationism to Evolution as the main explanation for the existence of biodiversity following Charles Darwin’s release of On the Origin of Species. Darwin’s theory and the shift that resulted was not localized to the world of science and evolution. It was a direct attack on the religious community, stirring up controversy and sending shockwaves throughout the world, but the establishment of Darwinian Evolution as the universal and correct theory allowed for a flurry of scientific discovery and the development of more theories. All in all, the paradigm shift stemming from Darwin’s theory of evolution encompassed social and cultural changes along with its inherent scientific ones.
Tracing the shift:
Creationism
- Origins in the Bible
- Religious belief that the universe and life originated from “specific acts of divine creation”
- Term “creationist” was not used until Darwin described those who objected evolution as such
- Genesis creation narrative (Genesis 1-2) – God creates the Universe over six days, Adam and Eve etc.
- Genesis flood narrative – Noah’s Ark story, basis of Creationist geology.
- Prior to evolution: Young Earth Creationism
- After Evolution: Gap Creationism, Progressive creationism, intelligent design, theistic evolution (evolutionary creationism).
Evolution
- Initial proposal – pre-Socratic Greek philosophers Anaximander and Empedocles
- Medieval – All things have an intended role to play in a divine cosmic order
- Pre-Darwinian – rejected Aristotelian approach, and instead sought explanations in terms of physical laws, but still contained aspects of divine plan
- Darwin – variation within species leads to natural selection and survival of the fittest, resulting in evolution.
- All life on Earth shares a common ancestor which lived approximately 3.5-3.8 billion years ago.
Ethics
- Principle of survival of the fittest explains and justifies differences in wealth and success among social classes
- Francis Galton (Darwin’s cousin) and eugenics (Social Darwinism)
- Holocaust
- Thomas Huxley: Evolution and Ethics debunks Social Darwinism
- Led to justification of imperialism and colonialism. Concepts of evolution justified exploitation of “lesser breeds” and existence of “superior races”
Religion
- Various responses: some condemned any claims that biodiversity is the result of evolution, but some groups such as Unitarian church and liberal Anglican theologians accepted it.
- Religions adopted theistic evolution viewpoint: essentially God provided a divine spark that ignited process of evolution.
Conclude: Science follows a cycle of trust and mistrust.