Evolution Across Fields & Impact on Society 

Evolutionary biology contributes to our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. This is the reason that many science teachers, specifically those in the field of biology, emphasize the importance of teaching evolution in science courses. There are many people who do not believe in evolution, instead they accept other ideas on how life was created, such as  Creationism and Intelligent Design. These concepts surround the belief in higher power creating life. Oppositions to the theory of Evolution are not something taught in school because they are not falsifiable, meaning that they cannot be tested. The theory of evolution has a place in understanding and unifying the discipline of biology. Not only does evolution contribute to the discipline of biology, it crosses into other academic fields as well. The field of evolutionary biology specifically, combines a multitude of scientific disciplines, providing students with a broader understanding of the nature of science (Tidon & Lewontin, 2004). 

Although it is clear that evolution has a place in science, the coverage of evolutionary biology is limited in science classes. In a survey of teachers in an Indiana school district, 43% stated they “avoid or only briefly mention evolution in their biology classroom” (Rutledge & Mitchell, 2002). 

People who do not believe in evolution say that natural selection is an inefficient way to spread traits, humans show no traits that offer a survival advantage, and that molecular biology fails to prove the evidence for the “tree of life”. Evolution contradicts the belief of Creationism and many people only believe in Creationism and the idea that the universe and everything in it was created on a biblical account, not through a process of evolution. Further, people also believe in Intelligent Design as another theory for how humans were created. It is similar to Creationism, in the belief of a higher power creating life. These two theories contradict one another and have proved a real challenge in deciding on the correct version to teach others, especially children. To read more on these two topics you can look at the “Evolution's Role in Schools” subtab.

Many people, especially religious people, choose to not believe in evolution. They attribute the factors of their life to mythical beings. This is ok, as religion is a widely accepted practice. I think religion tends to butt heads with the topic of evolution. Evolution and religion are their own separate entities.