The Worldview Aspects of Theory of Evolution in the Context of Controversy on Teaching Evolution in American Public Schools

• Authors: Bylica P.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

In the context of discussions on teaching evolution in USA the author is going to present the incompatibility of ideological implications of evolutionism with worldview neutrality of American public educational system, which is postulated in American constitutional ideal of state-church separation. He demonstrates that the theory of evolution has implications according to worldview because it answers on questions that are basic in every culture - questions of origins of life and human kind. He also demonstrates that reality and the constitutional ideal are inconsistent because the ideal is based on false, neopositivist concept of science. The author claims that philosophical assumptions of methodological and metaphysical naturalism are very important in contemporary science and evolution especially. He refers to contemporary philosophy of science to justify claim that philosophical influences on the content of scientific theories is quite natural. Yet, some American creationists still finds the relationship of science and philosophy as inappropriate. Some scientists, who claim that the theory of evolution is neural according to worldview, also believe in purely empirical picture of science. The simplified vision of science is a basis for courts decisions on teaching evolution and excluding creationist concepts from public schools. He agrees with Laudan that excluding creationists concepts from school curricula can be based on the inadequacy of empirical content of the theories. The author finds the courts argument on religious commitment of only creationists ideas and neutrality of evolution as unjustified.

Keywords

EN

CREATIONISM; EVOLUTIONISM; WORLDVIEW NEUTRALITY

Discipline

• SCIENCE_OF_SCIENCE: SCIENCE OF SCIENCE

• Publisher: Science Studies Committee, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Zagadnienia Naukoznawstwa
• Year: 2005
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 2(164)
• Pages: 167-179
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Bylica P.

• P. Bylica, Uniwersytet Zielonogórski, Instytut Filozofii, Al. Wojska Polskiego 71A, 65-762 Zielona Góra, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

05PLAAAA0037916