Summary of “Evolution and the origin of races”

The article Evolution and the Origin of Races by Eugenie Scott offers an overview of the

divergent views that exist between the majority of the scientific community which accepts the

theory of evolution of all life forms including humans and those known as “scientific

creationists” who have emerged to challenge the overwhelming evidence that lends legitimacy to

the this scientific consensus. In the first paragraph Scott explains that according to scientific

creationists all animals, humans, and plants were created in their unchanged present form

between 6000-20,000 years ago. Scientific creationists discard evidence opposing their views by

referring to them as hoaxes and fabrications of unscrupulous evolutionary scientists. Moreover,

they categorize fossils that prove links between homo sapiens and their ancestors as “just apes”

or “true humans.” In the next two paragraphs Scott discusses two case studies of hoaxes. The

first hoax the discovery of an alleged missing link known as the Piltdown Man. Over the years

the scientific community rejected the finding as a hoax. The second hoax known as the “Paluxy

River Man Tracks” were perpetrated by scientific creationists as false evidence for the

coexistence of dinosaurs and humans.

Comments: The education system of any society owes it to its citizens to transmit information

that is grounded in evidence especially when in subjects that are based on ascertaining an

objective truth such as the natural sciences. Adopting pseudo-science in the curriculum as

advocated by scientific creationists imperils the exercise of learning because it cheats students

from attaining important knowledge that is fundamental to a proper understanding of other

subjects. There is definitely room for learning mythological creation stories in the curriculum