Evolution and its understanding - Essay Example

of Evolution and its understanding Evolution is the history of the changes that took place in the world from the beginning of life on earth to the present condition that man and other life forms find themselves in. in a certain sense, one may refer to it as the biological and geographical history of the world. The millions of changes in the world that have followed the origin of life can then be considered to constitute the history of life and evolution. Evolution is a very important branch of biology as it is a scientific history of the world. It enables a location of man on the earth and is hence different from all those histories that may seek to locate history in spiritual modes. This would then be a negation of history itself. What evolution does is to enable a historical understanding of life and its various manifestations that we see on earth. Apart from this, it also makes possible an understanding of the differences between science and religion. It however, may be difficult for a person to understand evolution due to a variety of reasons. This paper shall look at how to make such a person understand the complexities of the concept of evolution and the controversies that surround such a concept. According to TheFreeDictionary.com, evolution refers to a “change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.”(FreeDictionary.com) The roots that man and the other creatures with which he shares the world have need to be explored to understand the significance of the ways in which man has evolved. This may appear to be a strange idea in the light of the common conception that a scientific history of the world does not have any historical or sociological bearing. However, this is not true as the scientific history of the world decides to a great extent the trajectory that societies of mankind have followed in the past. This then according to Wysong can be seen from the fact that a large part of the actions that man performs is usually attributed to the general nature that man possesses. This is then considered to be a biological trait and can then be attributed to the manner in which the very origin of man as a species took place. It is very important in the light of such claims that there be a very soundly created history of mankind which can then form a set of resources that one can go back to so as to analyze the veracity of such statements. Evolution can then be explained as something that is scientific as it is able to explain the physical and chemical bases of the formation of life on earth. It can be explained, as Clark Larsen puts it, a “change over time” (Larsen). It is the most rational explanation as to the origin of life on earth and refutes to a great extent those explanations of the origin of life that are based on the interventions of the supernatural. While the existing models of evolution may not be able to account for every single question that a person may have regarding the origin of mankind and other forms of life on earth, it is definitely the most plausible explanation that can be offered at this point in history. The fact that it exists in contradiction to many of the central tenets of many religions must not hinder one from seeing the scientific nature of the theories of evolution. The beneficial nature of such a rational approach as far as the understanding of society is concerned is something that needs to be looked at and analyzed with great care and rigor. Believing in evolution necessarily may not lead one to believe evolution. By believing evolution, one would be asserting one’s belief in the scientific theories of evolution that is often considered to be a part of the heading of evolution. These would then mark out that person as a supporter of scientific rationality and the idea that the beginning of life was in unicellular organisms that then evolved into larger organism that then differentiated into more and more complex organisms. To believe in evolution would refer to a belief in a system of change that characterized the progress of mankind to its present position. This could then have been aided by any other force other than nature. It could be a supernatural force that may have enabled a particular form of progress and made possible a particular trajectory as far as the development of mankind is concerned. The debates regarding creationism can then be seen in this regard. While it may seem unlikely that a theory like creationism would attract a large number of followers, it is true that at this point of time there are a large number of people who are followers of the theories of creationism. Creationism holds that it was god who had created the universe in the beginning. A scientific explanation is thus challenged and ruled out in favor of the power of god (Wikipedia). This would then not be a scientific method of organizing the universe and its contents. Such theories often present themselves in opposition to evolution in its scientific avatar and look upon it as a challenge to the authorities that it represents. This is significant as there is a significant realignment of political forces here. This is not to say that the views that are held by those that do not believe in evolution are wrong. This is also not to say that those views are correct. To take a concrete stance on this issue would be a mistake and would mean not leaving any room for change and progress. To accept the right of another person to hold another set of views is the basis to any sound democracy. To allow people to maintain their own views and not press for a consensus would then be the best way forward. The reason why a large number of people are unable to understand the scientific theories of evolution is because of this narrow mindedness. They feel that they would be better served in a situation where they would not even know the tenets of evolution as a science. This can then be considered to be the effect of a situation where there would be an excessive control of religion over a certain section of the population. It would also mean that the church would exist in opposition to the forces of science. There would then be the existence of the classic dichotomy of science and religion. This would also mean that the forces of rationality would exist in opposition to those of religion which would then forbid its followers from entering into a dialogic process which could then be a creative and constructive one. The absence of this dialogic process would then be an indication of a dominant social institution that prevents people from following their own minds and making an informed choice following the above-mentioned dialogic process. This is not however, to privilege any one ideology or system of belief. Evolution can then be considered to be a belief system that is scientific in its orientation. Since the time that Charles Darwin proposed a system of evolution that was scientifically sound but open to critique, evolution and different aspects of it have always been under the scanner. Different social forces such as religion and the state have come into conflict with ideas of evolution. However, this has also meant that there has been a greater willingness on the part of the scientific community to look into the ideals of evolution that it had created itself. Works Cited Larsen, Clark. Our Origins: Discovering Physical Anthropology. New York: Norton, 2010. Print. “Creationism”. Wikipedia. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creationism “evolution”. TheFreeDictionary.com. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/evolution Read More