Case Study on Evolution Theory by Charles Darwin

In his book, Darwin attempted to explain the intricacies of life forms: that life somehow evolves, through the changing of certain traits, through a systematic process known as natural selection.

The problem with Darwinism, according to most religious sects, particularly Christian ones, is that Darwin's theory of evolution negates the hand of a Creator, and generally implies that species change gradually over time, a trait that most Christians would find objectionable, since Christians hold true to the tenets of the Genesis account of the bible, that life forms are created whole, and do not change through the passage of time.

Since the first publication of Darwin's maiden book in 1959, Evolution, as a scientific theory, has undergone numerous revisions. Like most scientific endeavors, the theory of evolution has been systematically refined: with the advent of genetics, carbon testing, geological evidence and the discovery of more fossils, scientists have consistently reviewed and churn out more intriguing discoveries.

These refinements in evolution, however, can give the general illusion that scientists do not hold a common ground with regards to the origins of life, and that within the scientific community; evolution is considered voodoo, or fairy tale science, which, as we shall find out, is probably the nexus of the arguments to discredit evolution in public schools.

Certain elements of the evolutionary theory, such as the precise time which the first life occurred, and how dinosaurs and other species died out, may have been discussed and dissected, with varying conclusions. The skeptic would point to this disambiguation, and claim that evolution does not hold enough credibility to be acknowledged as fact, and that evolution on is own is merely theory.

The argument that evolution is mere theory stems from a distorted view of science: A scientific theory, unlike the usual sense of the word, is a far more significant issue than just mere theory.

Scientific theory, in essence, refers to a scientific field that, in essence, has been validated to be true, although its basic mechanisms have yet to be fully established by mainstream science.

For example law of gravity, can also be theories when taken more generally. The law of gravity is expressed as a single mathematical expression and is presumed to be true all over the universe and all through time. Without such an assumption, we can do no science based on gravity's effects. But from the law, we derived Einstein's General Theory of Relativity in which gravity plays a crucial role. The basic law is intact, but the theory expands it to include various and complex situations involving space and time.

In short, evolution is both a scientific fact and theory. What scientists dispute and dissect are the mechanisms and precise details that may have taken place. The basis of the evolutionary theory itself has remained an undisputable tenet of modern biology, at least within the orthodox scientific community.