SHOULD EVOLUTION BE TAUGHT IN PUBLIC SCHOOL? 1
ShouldEvolution Be Taught In Public School?
Why should evolution be taught in public school science classes?
The study of science plays an important role in making sure that thedevelopment process of living organisms is traced back in the historywhen it evolved. Facts that have been proven are learnt in evolutionand they should be taught in science classes so that people can knowntheir origin and development stages that took place before theyevolved fully. For instance, heritable traits are characteristicsexperienced by living organisms, and thus, they can be explained wellby evolution. This paper will give a clear incite on why evolutionshould be taught in public school science classes.
One of the reasons why evolution should be taught in public schoolscience classes is based on the fact that evolution is a scientificfact that has been proven. For instance, species change gradually astime goes on whether they are related or not. The genetic variationof living organisms affects the characteristic of the speciesphysically, and as a result, it gives some of the species anadvantage as compared to others. There is need to teach evolutionsince students need to get the evidence of controversial issues thatoccur naturally. According to Charles Darwin in the theory of naturalselection that has been provide, it is true that individuals thathave the best suited attribute in the universe will survive forexample, they are going to find their basic needs, being resistanceto certain diseases and sometimes avoiding predators that threatentheir lives (Darwin, 2009). This implies that the species are goingto reproduce and the genes are going to be passed from one generationto another. The living organism that cannot adapt to the environmentimplies that it will not survive, thus their genes will not be passedto the next generation.
From the natural selection theory as indicated by Charles Darwin, itis true that for survival of human beings, they must adapt to theenvironment in which they are living on. This indicates that theymust be resistance to various diseases and avoid predators. Thenatural selection theory is a scientific fact that is associated withhuman being and other living organisms for their survival in theuniverse. For human being to remain relevant and outdo their rivals,they must deploy the theory of natural section. Consequently,evolution should be taught so that human being can understand thevarious survival tactics in the environment. Due to the currentclimate changes around the globe, it is important for livingorganisms to adapt to the environment in which they live, thusavoiding the predators (Darwin, 2003). For example, the peppered mothexisted in 1700s had pale whitish color and black sports. Thiscoloring played a significant role in making sure that they couldhide in the pale colored trees. Peppered moths with dark colour wereeasily seen by the predators in the pale trees. Afterward, industrialrevolution was being experienced and the industries started producingsoot that was sustained in the trees and in the buildings. This madethe pale whitish moths to be easily spotted by birds. The darker oneswere camouflaged because of the soot sustained in the trees and inthe buildings. The change of the environment made the darker moths tobe the most common in the environment while the pale moths were rarersince they were easily spotted by the predators. This is a provenfact that for living organisms to survive in a harsh environment,they must adapt to the environment therefore, easily to reproduce asthe time goes on.
In the world we are living today, there is need to ascertain thatevolution is taught in public school science classes based on thefact that evolution has detailed information concerning biologyhence, producing students who are scientifically minded. This makesthe student to have skills such as critical thinking when it comes toissues related to genes of an individual. For example, the issue ofinheritance indicates how different species evolved, thus one has toreconsider the DNA sequence in their related family of origin. Inreal sense, critical thinking makes the student to be alertscientifically, thus they are able to differentiate differentspecies. For example, when the DNA and some of the genes of certainspecies are similar, it is an indication and evidence that thespecies are sharing ancestors, which is an indication that theirorigin is easily indentified. In the public schools, science classesspecifically in the biology classes, students are taught how toidentify the DNA of individuals, which explains the family genealogy(Fisher, 2010). For instance, in case of an accident where anindividual dies and his body cannot be recognized by his or herfamily, DNA must be done so that his or her family lineage can beknown. This is implies that for a fair result to be obtained, thereis need to have the concept of evolution so that he or she can stateand balance the facts that are shown in the DNA process and give anargument that is going to solve the issue. This implies that if onedoes not have the concepts regarding to evolution, it will be hard todifferentiate the DNA structure of different species in the universe.Evolution being a science that is taught in public schools impliesthat the student will give a clear argument and think critically whendealing with issues related to how living things have commonancestors (Nei, 2013).
The next reason why evolution should be taught in public high schoolscience classes is to equip the student with knowledge on howpotential species can increase their numbers in the ecosystem. Forinstance, human being after evolving from the primates, it isimperative that they evolved and as time went on, they were fullydeveloped to human beings who are capable of making rationaldecisions. After evolving fully, human beings have been increasingsince they have been siring offspring that are related to theirgenealogy (Williams, 2008). The potential to reproduce makes thespecies family to increase, thus there is need to make sure thatstudents are taught how they can reproduce and increase their numbersin the universe. After the species increase, it is imperative thatthey are going to work for a common goal in the universe. As theirnumber increases, the ecosystem responds on how they can balance sothat they can survive since the predators also increase. The issue ofnatural selection is repeated again where the survival for thefittest theory is used.
When the species number increases, competition increases either interm of basic need and food among other. For example, the climatechange that is being experienced currently makes the ecosystem to beharsh and thus human being and animals are unable to survival in theecosystem. In the ecosystem, there are some giraffes that have longand short necks and due to climate change, the shrubs are likely todie or blossom depending on the weather change. If the shrubs thatare low lying in the ecosystem die for a long period, it is anindication that the giraffes that have short necks will be unable toget food. The starvation period will make the giraffes with shortneck to keep on stretching, and with time, the generations ofgiraffes that are going to exist in the ecosystem are going to havelong neck. This implies that the giraffes that are going to exist inthe ecosystem will use the survival for the fittest theory for it toget the food. The evolution theory when taught in science classeswill make the student to think critically hence, when thecompetition is stiff in the ecosystem, they have to outdo theirrivals by using the tactic of survival for the fittest (Wilke, et al,2001).
Evolution should be taught in public school science classes based onthe fact that one will survive depending on the tactics used in theecosystem. Teaching of evolution enlighten student on how practicalskills can be applied in the ecosystem so that the goals outlined andscheduled can be obtained with the set deadline. Evolution is ascience fact and it has been proven and this is the reason some ofthe giraffes are going to have a long neck so that they can get foodfrom the high-lying shrubs. So that a living organism can survivalfreely in the universe, it needs to have survival tactics forexample, it has been proved that camouflaging is one of the survivaltactics that is used by living organism to avoid predators and it hasreally worked thus, science is proven beyond reasonable doubts.
Evolution should be taught in public school science classes based onthe fact that it gives a clear understanding of nature and thosepeople who live in the universe. In the creation story, the universewas obtained by God creating the universe hence, it does not givedetailed information concerning how the nature was created. In theevolution theory, matter is paramount in the creation of the naturesince the neutrons, protons and electrons that are explained well inthe chemistry gives a hint on how the universe was created. Thefossils that existed in million years ago kept on expanding as timewent on till the universe was created. This implies that evolutionshould be retained in school curriculum since it gives evidence onsome issues, which are complex to explore. In the creation theory,the Bible states that God created the universe by stating let be theuniverse and it was obtained (Berkman, Pacheco and Plutzer, 2008). Onthe other hand, the evolution theory is based on the evidence thatcertain matter decomposed and as time went on, the universe wasformed.
The next reason why evolution should be taught in public scienceclasses is because evolution is a science that is backed with varioussciences such as physics, biology and astronomy. For instance, in theproduction of oil that is as a result of decayed fossils has beenproved hence, the petroleum extracted currently is as a result ofdecayed animals and plants. The carbon emission that is beingexperienced in the world has resulted due to increased amount offossils, thus the climate change has been experienced globally. Thegreenhouses gas has been proved to emanate from the fossils thus, itis important to teach evolution in public schools so that energy canbe obtained using other methods that are not likely to be hazardousto human beings and living organisms in the ecosystem (Archibald,2007). So that the environment can be preserved from such hazardouscarbon gases, it is important for student to be taught on how toavoid the extraction of fossils and come up with other sources ofenergy, such as wind and sun among others. This indicates that thereis need to teach evolution in public schools since they are going tobe equipped with proper education regarding the extraction of energyand how they can preserve the environment. The creation perspectiveshould be taught separately in the classes so that student will notconfuse between the scientifically proven theory and religiousunproven information.
In the world we are living today, schools are suppose to teachrational and other scientific thought so that they can equip thestudent with analytical and critical thinking and since evolution isan issue that needs rational and critical thinking it should betaught in public schools science classes (Archibald, 2007). Eventhough everyone one has his or her own beliefs being either thecultural and faith-based beliefs, it is important for the curriculumto be designed in such a way that it will teach student proventheories and do away with the unproven ones. For example, in theevolution, fact that has been proven states that humans being evolvedfrom the primates and gradually become human beings that can makerational decisions. On the other hand, the creation of unproventheory states that humans being were created by God on sixth daywhich is proved by the bible. Evolution gives the steps that tookplace for the primates to fully develop to human being. This is afact based on human being originated from the family of primates, andwhen research is conducted, it indicates that primates can makedecisions but not rational decision. It is imperative that there is afoundation that is based on the science and thus student have thatscientific thought about evolution which gives traces of evidence.The bible gives the Christian beliefs about human beings thus, ithas not yet been proved that human being were created or evolved.This implies that there is contradiction in the creation theorytherefore, unproven facts should not be taught in science classes,rather due to Christian faith, it should be taught in religiousstudies. After human being evolved to the current man, reproductioncontinues since human beings sire offspring that have similar traitsand they resemble their ancestors, as the genes are hereditaryacquired (Archibald, 2007).
Evolution should be taught in public school science classesespecially in biology studies. Biology studies cannot make sense ifevolution is not embraced since evolution is a scientific explanationthat bases its argument on life. The proven facts explain thesimilarities that exist in life. It also gives a clear explanation onchanges that are experienced in the population and new life that havebeen developed. Failure to teach evolution in the science classes orcompromising to religious beliefs implies that the students will notbe aware of the fundamental and scientific concepts that explain theentire natural world. Evolution is a unifying fact that gives thestudent the go ahead to keep on conducting research hence,scientifically, they are able to prove the misleading information inthe entire natural world.
Notably, teaching evolution in the science classes gives a student apractical value which is beyond the understanding of the world. Forinstance, in the principle that is underlie in the improvements ofcrops, livestock and generally farming, evolution plays a significantrole in making sure that agriculture is improved. The naturalselection method of controlling pesticides in the farms has resultedto pest being resistance (Loxton and Smith, 2010). Due to thisresistance, new technology has been designed so that crops can beprotected from various diseases and insects. So that the issue can bedealt with appropriately, evolutionary biology is applied, thusconserving the environment. Bacteria are being used by the scientiststo ensure that environment that has been toxic is cleaned where theinformation is borrowed from the evolution concept. Due to thecompetition of natural resources, various species have to adapt tothe climate changes so that they can survive. As a result, the methodof natural selection plays an important role in protecting thespecies that are facing threat of extinction. This is only provedscientifically in the biology class, which is backed up by evolution.The scientific concept cannot be understood by individuals who arenot aware of evolution since they do not have any informationconcerning the natural world.
The next reason why evolution should be taught in public scienceclasses is because evolution is the central factor that is consideredwhen students want to advance in medicine. Evolution is used byphysicians to study and make sure that human illness is treated. Theconcepts applied by therapists, such as mutation and adaptation playa major role in making sure that pathogens are combated forinstance, influenza. The evolutionary biologists have been workingtoward the genetic variation which has indicated that there is riskincrease of diseases such as heart diseases. The evolutionaryrelationship that exists among the species allows the scientists andphysicians to choose the organism that will enable them to test andstudy various diseases, such as cancer and HIV. Scientists hasengaged the use of natural selection as a new method of identifydrugs that are able to detect and treat lifestyle diseases, such ascancer and blood pressure (Loxton and Smith, 2010).
Evolution shouldbe taught in public school science classes since it helps the studentto learn scientific inquiry. This is because evolution allowsstudents and scientists to gather information and analyze it, testthe hypotheses and come up with a solution that gives an explanationof natural phenomena. Science has been embraced in the 21stcentury based on the fact that it has lead to scientist and studentwho has engaged in science to make informed decision regarding toinnovation, creativity and competitiveness in the entire workplace.For example, in the natural selection theory which allows the speciesto hide from predators so that they can survive in the environmentcan still be used in the workplace to make sure that competition willeliminate certain competitor in the market by introducing a qualityproduct that is unique in the market and meets the expectation of theconsumers. Therefore, evolution should be taught in public schoolscience classes since it is a science that has been proven and hasfacts to explain why the nature is behaving in certain way (Geikie,2009). If evolution is not taught in science classes, it means thatthe fundamental principle of biology, medicine and other scienceswill be deprived hence, they will not understand the scientificknowledge of certain issues that are experienced in the ecosystem.
The natural world has been changing due to various factors such asgreenhouses gases among others, which have resulted to speciesadapting to the environment in which they live. Industrialization hasresulted to production of greenhouses gases. The carbon produced andman activities have made the ecosystem to change, making it hard fordifferent species to live in that ecosystem. It is important to teachevolution in science classes based on the fact that human activitiesare taught and their effect is taught in depth hence, possible topreserve the future generation. For instance, the industrializationthat took place in 1700th century made the peppered mothsto adapt to the change of the environment, which was accompanied bythe soot (Staubach, 2005). For the survival of moth in the ecosystem,the darker moths survived since they were not easily spotted by thebirds, but the pale ones become rarer in the ecosystem since theycould not withstand the nature of the ecosystem. This implies thatstudent should be taught evolution since they will be able tomaneuver in the ecosystem (Rutledge and Mitchell, 2002).
Even if technology is advancing as time goes on, evolution should betaught in public schools science classes. This is because theecosystem needs proves and evidence that will make the students toembrace science classes. For example, the production of oil will beeliminated as time goes on and the energy that will be used to drivemachine is sun and wind, thus the fossils fuel will be eliminatedwhich implies that the fossils fuel will not have place in thecurrent world and it will be forgotten. This indicates that thenatural world activities will lack meaning to the people, thus thereis need to ascertain that evolution is retained in the curriculum sothat past information can be learnt by the young generation(Freedman, 2003). Even if the creation story has informationconcerning the creation of different species in the environment, itdoes not prove it scientifically hence, it is not reliable toscience students and scientists based on the fact that science isconcerned with theories that should be proved and thus give studentsconcepts to justify where they come from and where they are headingto.
Conclusion
Evolution in science classes should be embraced since it is afundamental principle of studying living organisms and medicine.Failure to teach evolution implies that scientific research that isimportant to student will not be done hence, science will not meananything to student since its history and origin will have beeneliminated. Natural phenomena are explained by evolution since it isa science which gives facts why the nature is behaving in such way.In the creation theory, there are no facts and proven theory thatindicates how the earth was created and the evolution of human being,thus it is hard to study a man and the environment. Scientifically,the evolution of the man has been expressed and taught in scienceeducation. After learning evolution, man has been a creative creaturewho uses evolution to remain competitive in the environment. Thescientific knowledge that is taught in the sciences that are taughtin public schools leads to innovation and creativity, making itpossible to test various hypotheses that give an explanation ofnatural phenomena. The information gathered and analyzed gives thescientists the go ahead to think about nature in terms of evolutionand concludes that evolution gives the evidence of nature and speciesthat exists. Technology on the other hand should not be left outsince as the time goes on everything will be technologicallyexplained hence, for individual to remain relevant in the ecosystem,they should be creative and innovative. The survival of the fittestin the natural selection theory plays an important role in thescience and this is the reason why some of the species are few in theecosystem while others are increasing as time goes on. For thesespecies to be accommodated in the universe, it implies that some ofthe species has to be eliminated in natural way so that the basicnecessity will be easily available.
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