The creationist theorists have devised a tactic to include disclaimers in science texts. The disclaimers usually contain misconceptions aimed at discrediting scientific theories regarding the origin of life. Some people argue that the failure of creationists to have the theory of creation taught in science classes along with the evolution theory has led to the use of disclaimers as a way to discredit the theory of evolution.
In the current scenario, the effort to discredit evolution is apparent from phrases such as “Evolution also refers to the unproven belief that random, undirected forces produced a world of living beings.” Such statement shows a deliberate effort by the people who do not believe in evolution to undermine the teaching of science in schools.
Another misconception is in the statement “No one was present when life first appeared on earth”. It is an undeniable fact that there was no person present when life first appeared on earth. However, it is noteworthy that evolution does not concern itself with the origin of life but rather its scope is about the development of life. The deliberate effort to depict the evolution as being about the origin of life by the disclaimer is an unfortunate yet deliberate mistake that is aimed at misleading learners about the scope of evolution theory from an early age.
Further, the disclaimer states that evolution is a “theory, not fact.” The fact of the matter is that depicting evolution as a theory portrays evolution as a systematically prepared knowledge based on abstract thinking, a hypothetical idea, and an organized statement of principles.
The interference with the scientific education and in particular evolution shows measured political and religious interests that determine what students learn. By demeaning evolution through terming it a “theory, not a fact”, school boards appear to validate the alternative theory of creationism despite the fact that the disclaimer does not expressly state it. Further, the school boards use such disclaimers as a warning because some scientists provide evolution in a manner that seeks to explain the origin of species, which is misleading. The fact that some people find the evolution theory as ‘controversial’ also prompt school boards to issue cautionary messages in form of disclaimers to make the students aware of possible ‘controversies’ regarding evolution.
Work Cited
ANTH 2301 Spring 2014 Assignment 1.pdf - HCC Learning Web. n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
Miller, Kenneth. Dissecting the Alabama Disclaimer, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.millerandlevine.com/km/evol/disclaimer.html>.
The Associated Press. Alabama School Board Votes to Keep Calling Evolution 'Controversial'.
LiveScience, 11 Nov. 2005. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/480-alabama-school-board-votes-calling-evolution-controversial.html>.
