ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Greetings,

Please consider the following as my attempt to explain the role of science
and science centers in the education about evolution. It may be too long and
wordy. Feel free to offer editorial suggestions. Phil Edgerton, The Health
Adventure, Asheville, NC.


Science is a body of knowledge that can be seen to have been built of
"stepping stones". Theories, which are postulations based on observed
phenomena and the observer's knowledge and experience, are tested by
experimentation and by seeing whether the theory conforms with other
observed facts. The theory is then subject to review and testing by other
authorities in the field. After a period of this testing and comparing the
theory is provisionally accepted (or rejected) and enters the scientific
realm as one of the "stepping stones". One of the keys to this accumulated
knowledge called science is that it can be proven wrong by new theories
which fit the particular case better or by consideration of other related
new knowledge. Science has some long-lasting theories and some that change
more rapidly. Sometimes these new theories are so revolutionary they can
have far-reaching effects on the whole body of knowledge. Einstein's Theory
of Relativity is one of these. The Theory of Evolution is another.

On the practical level science has proven to be one of the most powerful
creators and predictors in history. The technological "wonders" we take for
granted today came into being by the application of scientific thought.
Science is responsible for the demise of many ineffective or dangerous
practices through history. Consider the world before the "germ" theory of
disease was accepted! Recall how we landed humans on the moon!

Naturally science is not the end-all of human enquiry. There are many
philosophical and religious concepts science will never be able to deal
adequately with. The quest for meaning and relevance has always been as
strong in human history as trying to understand the physical world.
Philosophy, art, and religion are the proper areas of enquiry to complement
what science does. On a deep level the fields don't have to be at odds.

 The Theory of Evolution fits the description of scientific knowledge. It is
a long-lasting, consistent, and so far scientifically irrefutable
explanation of phenomena that fits into the scientific paradigm. It is a
unifying concept in biology and is strengthened by the fields of physics,
geology, and mathematics. Is the Theory subject to extension or modification
like all others? Of course! But that would properly be done by the methods
of science. As science centers we would indeed be remiss if we didn't do our
best to explain and strengthen everyone's understanding of current Evolution
theory as an important part of understanding the world.

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