Articles related to the creation-evolution controversy
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The following is a clearinghouse of articles which refer to terms often used in the context of the creation-evolution controversy:
Contents
Origins
The creation-evolution controversy often is cast as a controversy surrounding the origin beliefs. The following articles explain the basic terms endemic to this:
- Cosmogony is the philosophical question as to why the universe came to be.
- Teleology is the supposition that there is design, purpose, directive principle, or finality in the works and processes of nature. This is often invoked in the context of:
- *First cause arguments for the existence of God.
- *Cosmological argument for the existence of God.
- *Design argument for the existence of God and the oppositional Argument from poor design against the existence of God. Design arguments are also noted in:
- :*Watchmaker analogy argued most famously by William Paley assumes creation has a creator as a watch has a watchmaker.
- *ex nihilo beliefs in the creation of the universe from nothing.
- *God of the gaps arguments that claim that mysteries in science can be explained by invoking God.
- *Orthogenesis or the belief that life is developing because of a teleological purpose.
Evolution in context
The term evolution is often invoked by creationists to represent science in general, or specifically the scientific theories that are seen as directly opposing creationism. Additionally, the following terms related to evolution are often referred to:
- Microevolution, to describe the evolutionary processes that most creationists do believe have occurred and are occurring.
- Macroevolution, to describe the evolutionary processes that most creationists do not believe have occurred and will not occur.
- Modern synthesis, to describe the modern evolutionary paradigm of evolutionary biology (sometimes called NeoDarwinism) by the creationists.
- Evolutionism, to desribe any number of philosophical beliefs based on the theory of evolution.
- Darwinism is often referred to as a synonym for evolutionism, or when appended with the suffix "neo" it is used to describe current mainstream evolutionary biology.
- Lamarckism is an alternative to Darwinian evolution that suggested traits acquired during an organism's lifetime were inherited by offspring.
- Devolution is a concept that arises from fallaciously equating evolution with progress, a mistake made by certain students of Herbert Spencer. Creationists have been known to attack evolution by claiming that the Spencer ideal of "survival of the fittest" is an immoral marker of modernism as a precursor of Social Darwinism.
- The general principle of self organization explains how observed processes can allow for the natural development of complex and ordered features.
- The Origin of Species is the book that is considered the groundbreaking work that established the theory of evolution scientifically. Its publication and adoption by the mainstream community is seen by creationists as the beginning of the controversy.
Natural history
The controversy often takes the tone of creationists attacking various aspects of natural history (or evolution, within this context) with proponents of mainstream science claiming that there is evidence and theoretical infrastructure in sufficient amounts to answer creationist claims. The following disciplines and observations often appear in the context of the controversy:
Cosmology
- The Age of the universe is disputed by many Young Earth creationists.
- The Copernican principle is often criticised by creationists who see it as an affront to beliefs in special creation.
- The Anthropic principle is sometimes interpreted by creationists to be evidence for special creation.
Geology
The following subjects are often criticised by creationists:
- Uniformitarianism vs. Catastrophism. Creationists generally criticize the former while suggesting the latter was dismissed inappropriately by scientists seeking to remove the global flood from scientific study.
- Plate tectonics is often rejected by creationists due to rejection of uniformitarianism and the timescales involved.
- Geochronology is heavily criticized by Young Earth Creationists including the specific subjects of:
- *Historical geology, which is described using:
- :*The geologic time scale and fossil evidence supporting it consisting of:
- ::*Eons
- ::*Eras
- ::*Periods
- ::*Stages
- *Stratigraphy, which is the study of layering including:
- :*Rock layers and Lithostratigraphy
- :*Fossil record and Biostratigraphy, which rely on understanding from
- ::*Fossilization
- ::*The principle of superposition
- ::*The principle of faunal succession
- ::*Transitional fossils, which are sometimes claimed by creationists to be missing gaps, even given specific examples cited by mainstream proponents.
- :*Archaeological stratigraphy
- *Radiometric dating, including the following commonly used methods:
- :*Radiocarbon dating
- :*Uranium-thorium dating
- :*Potassium-argon dating and argon-argon dating
- *Paleomagnetic dating
- *Dendrochronology
- *Ice cores
- *Lichenometry
- *Varves
Evolutionary Biology
By far the most often attacked scientific discipline by creationists is evolutionary biology, including the related subjects of:
- Common descent
- Abiogenesis and chemical evolution research associated with it such as the Miller-Urey experiment
- Timeline of evolution, which is often completely rejected by creationists, who also refer to:
- *Cambrian explosion, claimed by creationists as a paradox that shows evolution is incorrect.
- *Mass extinctions, often claimed by creationists to be instead due to the flood described in Genesis.
Creationism
- History of creationism outlines its development
- Creation according to Genesis explains on what basis most creationists rely to explain their beliefs. This includes
(See also: Allegorical interpretations of Genesis)
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is a relatively new proposal that claims there is teleological evidence that can be observed in nature. Related issues include:
- Showing evidence for an intelligent designer
- The Intelligent design movement with its associated programs:
- *Teach the controversy
- *Wedge strategy The following are considered by advocates to be evidence for intelligent design:
Philosophy of science
Arguments are sometimes taken from subjects within the philosophy of science. These include:
- Methodological naturalism as an underlying assumption of science. Additionally, the following philosophies are sometimes assoiciated with it:
- *Materialism — the belief that the observable physical universe is all that exists.
- *Reductionism — the belief that everything that exists is reducible to simple physical processes and laws.
- *Rationalism — the belief that explanations in order to be correct must be logical.
- *Positivism — the belief that the scientific method can be used to inquire about any subject.
- *Existentialism — the belief that existence is the only prerequisite for reality.
- *Natural philosophy — an approach to understanding the universe built on scholasticism rather than empiricism, sometimes considered the precursor to modern science.
Philosophy of religion
Arguments are sometimes taken from subjects within the philosophy of religion. These include:
- Religion and science and Faith and rationality
- Natural theology
- Theology
- Fideism — the belief that faith is the only justification needed for one's religion. This is often seen as being directly in conflict with creationist ideas that the one can make sensory observations that confirm one's religion.
- Apologetics and evangelism — the practices of certain religious people who are intent on providing justification and conversion opportunities to their respective faith. The controversy is sometimes claimed by creationists to be an opportunity for this.
- Theistic realism vs. Philosophical naturalism — the creation-evolution controversy can be summarized philosophically as a dispute between those two perspectives.
- Modernism vs. Antimodernism — an allusion to issues facing contemporary religions about how to accommodate the modern world. Sometimes the creationist are accused of being the latter.
- Biblical literalism and fundamentalism — often claimed to be the basis of creationism.
- Theism vs. Atheism/Agnosticism — often claimed by creationists to be the real conflict behind the controversy.
- Deism — a perspective that allows for a first cause deity that doesn't act in history. A popular position of Enlightenment scientists.
- Scientism — a quasi-religion that developed in the nineteenth century which sought to elevate scientific understanding to the status of an idea to be worshipped. Creationists have been known to criticize evolution as being scientistic.
Creation-evolution controversy
The controversy itself occurs in the public arena, most visibly in the United States. It has been especially noticeable in the context of:
- Culture wars
- Public education which has led to poitical and legal action in the United States:
- *Scopes trial — A trial in 1925 which pitted evolution against creationism.
- *Epperson v. Arkansas — Supreme court ruling which invalidated laws that prohibitted the teaching of evolution in the classroom.
- *Edwards v. Aguillard — Supreme court ruling which invalidated laws that required equal time for teaching creationism and evolution.
- *Kansas evolution hearings — A series of hearings and rulings by the Kansas School Board over whether evolution should be taught in the context of the controvesy.
- *Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District — Federal Court ruling which found that Intelligent Design is not appropriate for inclusion in science classrooms and is essentially religious in nature.
- Appeal to authority, especially related to certain creationists who have questionable academic credentials.
- Argument from ignorance, an informal fallacy claimed to be a major tactic employed by creationists when they attempt to cast doubt on modern science.
- Asserting guilt by association. In particular, creationists are known to criticize evidence for human evolution because of the famous Piltdown Man hoax with the implicit message that major paleontological discoveries about hominid evolution are frauds.
- Bad science. Some of the work of creationists are criticized by their opponents as being based on shoddy research or poor scientific understanding.
- Naturalistic fallacy, a fallacy related to the is-ought problem that critics claim is employed by creationists whenever they argue that evolution is wrong because it inspires immorality. (For example, creationists often claim that the moral issues surrounding Social Darwinism and eugenics cast doubt on evolutionary biology.)
- Quote mining as a means to promote the idea that there is active controversy over "evolution" in the scientific community.
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