ESA Position » Statements:
Evolution
The Ecological Society of America notes with serious concern the Kansas State
Board of Education ruling and similar efforts in other states regarding the
teaching of evolution and the teaching of religion in science classes. Efforts
to weaken the quality of science education should be resisted. Science
education is more important than ever before as we prepare students for our
increasingly complex world of environmental challenges and technological
advances.
ESA Resolution on Science of Evolution
Evolution is a widely accepted scientific theory that all living things have
shared ancestors from which they have diverged. It is one of the most
fundamental building blocks in science, touching nearly every other discipline
including those that directly effect humans, such as medicine and agriculture.
Evolutionary science allows us to determine not only how and why living things
have become the way they are today, but also what processes are currently
acting to change them. Thus, evolutionary biology is vital to our enhanced
awareness and prediction of the future of life on earth. Understanding why and
how some species change when faced with new challenges is critical to the
sustainability of ecosystems upon which humans rely.
Science teaching must include evolutionary biology, which is the core of our
understanding of life on Earth. Scientific disciplines such as biology,
ecology, and geology cannot be taught with scientific integrity if evolution is
not included. The National Science Education Standards recognize the importance
of evolution in teaching students to understand the natural world.
Religion-based teachings are not scientific theory. The scientific theory of
evolutionary biology has been repeatedly tested and validated. While scientists
may debate the mechanisms that drive evolution, they agree that the empirical
evidence for it is undeniable. Science has been greatly successful at
explaining natural processes, leading to a better understanding of the universe
and enormous benefits to society. Science classes should focus on science and
not religion.
Adopted by the ESA Governing Board of the Ecological Society of America, November 1999
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The Ecological Society of America is the country's primary professional organization
of ecologists, representing over 9,700 scientists in the United States and around
the world. Since its founding in 1915, ESA has diligently pursued the promotion
of the responsible application of ecological principles to the solution of environmental
problems through ESA reports, journals, research, and expert testimony to Congress.
For more information about the Society and its activities, visit the ESA website
at http://www.esa.org.
