Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Todd F. Simon / The debate over human origins was a prominent fixture of U.S. news coverage during the first decade of the 21st century. During this period, U.S. news media featured regular portrayals of an all-out culture war between supporters of biological evolution and advocates of so-called “rival theories” of human origins. In the end, this war would cost American taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees, confuse science students, divide communities with unparalleled animosities, and alter public policy at the city, county and state level. While there have been previous content analyses performed on U.S. newspaper coverage of evolution and its primary challenger, an idea called "intelligent design," these analyses have tended to be somewhat informal (Mooney & Nisbet, 2005) or lacking (Martin, et al., 2006). The following study addresses these gaps in the literature. Using content analysis, the following study examines hard news coverage of intelligent design presented in 12 U.S. newspapers of varying circulation size and storytelling influence. A final sample of 421 newspaper articles originally published between the years 2000 and the end of the year 2009 is analyzed herein. Results demonstrate that U.S. newspapers initially framed intelligent design as primarily a religious / unscientific concept, but that intelligent design was increasingly framed as a scientific / unreligious concept leading up to, during and after the landmark 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover trial. Additionally, this study finds no significant differences in framing intelligent design as a religious / unscientific or scientific / unreligious concept by dedicated science reporters and non-science reporters.

This thesis defends two arguments. First, it is argued that new atheism and Protestant fundamentalism in Britain and America share a common historical root in the English Reformation and its aftermath. This common historical root gave rise to two presuppositions instrumental in their genesis: a literal, univocal, and perspicuous understanding of Scripture, and a disruptive and substitutionary conception of divine activity in nature. Second, it is argued that these two presuppositions continue to structure both forms of thought, and support a range of shared biblical, hermeneutical, and theological beliefs. In advancing these arguments, a number of substantive conclusions regarding atheism, Protestant fundamentalism, and the lineage of Protestant thought in Britain and America are reached. First, it is argued that, while lacking detail, popular comparisons between new atheism and Protestant fundamentalism are cogent. Second, it is argued that atheism in Britain and America grew out of intellectual and social problems within Protestantism. Third, it is argued that Protestant fundamentalism was itself a response to the same train of problems that gave rise to atheism. Fourth, it is argued that new atheism is not an areligious movement but an atheological one, which finds it necessary to engage in the task of theology in order to reject the existence of God and the truth of the Christian faith. Fifth, this study casts doubt on the self-understanding of both Protestant fundamentalism and new atheism, showing that Protestant fundamentalism is not truly biblical, nor new atheism scientific, but that both are indebted to presuppositions that neither can properly justify, and which render both self-contradictory.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-10-04T13:56:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Carla Torresan_.pdf: 780786 bytes, checksum: 58491309a3bdb6d3143b601c68d4daee (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-04T13:56:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carla Torresan_.pdf: 780786 bytes, checksum: 58491309a3bdb6d3143b601c68d4daee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-16 / Nenhuma / O presente estudo tem como objetivo analisar como os mitos sobre a origem do ser humano se fazem presentes em livros didáticos do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental e que tensionamentos são produzidos entre os interesses de grupos religiosos relacionados a esses mitos e a função da escola na transmissão do conhecimento. Os aportes teóricos que lhe dão sustentação encontram-se, principalmente, nas contribuições de Inés Dussel e Walter Kohan acerca da função da escola, a partir do debate gerado com as ideias de Jan Masschelein e Marteen Simons. O material de pesquisa consiste em: a) documentos, que tratam direta ou indiretamente sobre a origem do ser humano, tais como projetos de lei, leis e decretos sobre o Ensino Religioso e, em alguns casos mais específicos, sobre o ensino do Criacionismo nas escolas; b) matérias jornalísticas e entrevistas que tratam desse tema e de experiências pedagógicas em escolas públicas e privadas, envolvendo o ensino do Criacionismo; c) treze livros de História destinados aos professores referentes ao 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental, que integram o Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD) de 2017. A discussão desse material possibilitou problematizar a função da escola na transmissão do conhecimento, evidenciando a forte atuação da bancada religiosa do Congresso Brasileiro, da atualidade, no campo político. Essa bancada, de modo organizado, tem criado tensionamentos na instituição escolar, na tentativa de alterar o currículo escolar, para atender a seus interesses. A análise dos textos, imagens, exercícios e orientações destinadas aos professores mostra que os livros examinados privilegiam os conteúdos relacionados ao Evolucionismo, que é considerado como ciência, diferenciando-se das demais explicações, que são identificadas como mitos. O Criacionismo é abordado de modo secundário e é dado pouco (ou nenhum) destaque a outros mitos sobre a origem do ser humano. Os autores que abordam outros mitos, usualmente, os apresentam como curiosidades, ou como sugestões, para que sejam trabalhados pelos professores, demonstrando um encorajamento ao embate entre ciência e religião. A análise do material de pesquisa permitiu a identificação de uma atitude de resistência: a escola busca resistir às pressões externas que atuam principalmente por meio de movimentos religiosos organizados no campo político, visando introduzir conteúdos religiosos dentre aqueles a serem por ela transmitidos, e essa resistência está expressa nos livros didáticos. / The research aims to analyze how the myths about the origin of the human being are present in textbooks of the 6th year of elementary school and that tensions are produced between the interests of religious groups related to these myths and the role of the school in the transmission of knowledge. The theoretical contributions that support it are found mainly in the contributions of Inés Dussel and Walter Kohan on the role of school, from the debate generated with the ideas of Jan Masschelein and Marteen Simons. The research material consists of: a) documents, which deal directly or indirectly with the origin of the human being, such as law projects, laws and decrees on religious teaching, and in some specific cases, on the teaching of creationism in schools; b) journalistic materials and interviews that deal with this subject and pedagogical experiences in public and private schools, involving the teaching of creationism; c) thirteen history books for teachers referring to the 6th year of elementary education, which are part of the National Textbook Program (PNLD) of 2017. The discussion of this material made it possible to problematize the school function in the transmission of knowledge, evidencing the strong performance of the religious bench of the Brazilian congress, nowadays, in the political field. This group, in an organized way, has created tensions in the school institution, in an attempt to change the school curriculum, to serve its interests. The analysis of texts, images, exercises and guidelines for teachers shows that the books examined privilege contents related to evolutionism, which is considered as science, differing from other explanations, which are identified as myths. Creationism is approached in a secondary way and little (or no) emphasis is given to other myths about the origin of the human being. Authors who approach other myths usually present them as curiosities, or as suggestions, to be worked on by teachers, demonstrating an encouragement to the clash between science and religion. The analysis of the research material allowed the identification of an attitude of resistance: the school seeks to resist the external pressures that act mainly through religious movements organized in the political field, aiming to introduce religious contents among those to be transmitted by it, and this resistance is expressed in textbooks.

Public acceptance of evolution remains low in the United States relative to other Western countries. Although advocates for the scientific community often highlight the need for improved education to change public opinion, analyses of data from a national sample of American adults indicate that the effects of educational attainment on attitudes toward evolution and creationism are uneven and contingent upon religious identity. Consequently, higher education will only shift public attitudes toward evolution and away from support for teaching creationism in public schools for those who take non-“literalist” interpretive stances on the Bible, or to the extent that it leads to fewer people with literalist religious identities.

Dr. Joseph Baker, Assistant Professor of Sociology at East Tennessee State University, was a guest speaker for the ETSU Natural History Museum's Darwin Day celebration on February 9, 2013.

Space exploration continues to expand humanity’s understanding of the universe. And, while Americans have widely favorable attitudes towards efforts to explore outer space, certain religious beliefs appear to be associated with more negative attitudes towards space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. The current study explored the role of religion and creationism on attitudes towards space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. Priming techniques were used to test whether increasing the accessibility of religious and creationist concepts led to more negative attitudes towards space exploration and beliefs about extraterrestrial life. Participants (N = 230) encountered an explicit prime of religion, creationism, or a control prior to completing a word fragment task and measures of attitudes towards space exploration and beliefs about extraterrestrial life. The results of Bayesian estimation and hypothesis testing did not support the prediction. However, exploratory analyses indicated very strong evidence of atheists having more positive attitudes towards space exploration and beliefs about extraterrestrial life than theists. These findings suggest that while priming religion and creationism did not appear to influence reported attitudes, attitudes towards space exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life may differ based on belief in god.

<p>Det här arbetet är en undersökning om hur religion och vetenskap behandlas i biologiundervisningen inom de frivilliga skolformerna med inriktning mot gymnasiet. I undersökningen används kreationism och biologism som exempel på förhållandet mellan religion och vetenskap. Arbetet börjar med en litteraturstudie som förklarar vad kreationism och biologism är, samt vad skolans styrdokument säger om dessa begrepp i biologiundervisningen. I den andra delen redovisas en enkätundersökning om hur biologilärare från sju olika skolor i Östergötlands län ser på evolution, kreationism och biologism samt på kreationismens och biologismens roll i undervisningen. </p><p>Kreationism är en antievolutionsteori som grundar sig på att en ”kapare” har skapat jorden och allt liv på den. Biologism är en tilltro till biologiska förklaringar, där biologiska fakta blandas med ideologiska övertygelser och personliga värderingar. Exempel på det är när ett är i naturen överförs till ett mänskligt bör. </p><p>Denna studie visar att evolutionsteorin är väsentlig i undervisningen. Lärares förhållningssätt till begreppen kreationism och biologism är beroende av den enskilda lärares inställning. Undersökningen visar att kreationism är inget som lärarna vill lägga undervisningstid på utan den kan användas som exempel på olika tolkningar av vedertagna teorier. Biologism anses av några lärare vara viktig att nämna då historien präglas av feltolkningar och för att förhindra framtida felaktigheter. En annan åsikt är att biologism inte är en vetenskap och därför inte skall tas upp i undervisningen. Två av lärarna ansåg att biologism inte är något problem och behöver därför inte diskuteras. </p><p>Skolans styrdokument anvisar lärare att ha evolutionen som grund i biologiundervisningen och att undervisningen ska vara icke-konfessionell. Skolans undervisning ska därmed inte innehålla religiösa bekännelser utan förhålla sig objektiv till religion. </p><p>Styrdokumenten kan även tolkas som att kreationism ska tas upp om den behandlas objektivt, detta för att förklara och behandla trosuppfattningar samt ideologier som skiljer sig från evolutionsteorin. Detta för att läraren bör främja ett kritiskt och öppet förhållningssätt till olika sorters ideologier och religiösa värderingar. </p><p>Enkätundersökningen visar a) att vissa lärare förnekar biologism, b) att flertalet lärare anser att kreationism inte hör hemma i biologiundervisningen, och c) att det finns lärare som uppmärksammar biologism och aktivt försöker påvisa problematiken med den. Innebörden är att det finns lärare som inte enbart bortser från förhållandet mellan religion och vetenskap, utan också förbiser värdet av elevers kritiska granskning av olika uppfattningar.</p>

Det här arbetet är en undersökning om hur religion och vetenskap behandlas i biologiundervisningen inom de frivilliga skolformerna med inriktning mot gymnasiet. I undersökningen används kreationism och biologism som exempel på förhållandet mellan religion och vetenskap. Arbetet börjar med en litteraturstudie som förklarar vad kreationism och biologism är, samt vad skolans styrdokument säger om dessa begrepp i biologiundervisningen. I den andra delen redovisas en enkätundersökning om hur biologilärare från sju olika skolor i Östergötlands län ser på evolution, kreationism och biologism samt på kreationismens och biologismens roll i undervisningen. Kreationism är en antievolutionsteori som grundar sig på att en ”kapare” har skapat jorden och allt liv på den. Biologism är en tilltro till biologiska förklaringar, där biologiska fakta blandas med ideologiska övertygelser och personliga värderingar. Exempel på det är när ett är i naturen överförs till ett mänskligt bör. Denna studie visar att evolutionsteorin är väsentlig i undervisningen. Lärares förhållningssätt till begreppen kreationism och biologism är beroende av den enskilda lärares inställning. Undersökningen visar att kreationism är inget som lärarna vill lägga undervisningstid på utan den kan användas som exempel på olika tolkningar av vedertagna teorier. Biologism anses av några lärare vara viktig att nämna då historien präglas av feltolkningar och för att förhindra framtida felaktigheter. En annan åsikt är att biologism inte är en vetenskap och därför inte skall tas upp i undervisningen. Två av lärarna ansåg att biologism inte är något problem och behöver därför inte diskuteras. Skolans styrdokument anvisar lärare att ha evolutionen som grund i biologiundervisningen och att undervisningen ska vara icke-konfessionell. Skolans undervisning ska därmed inte innehålla religiösa bekännelser utan förhålla sig objektiv till religion. Styrdokumenten kan även tolkas som att kreationism ska tas upp om den behandlas objektivt, detta för att förklara och behandla trosuppfattningar samt ideologier som skiljer sig från evolutionsteorin. Detta för att läraren bör främja ett kritiskt och öppet förhållningssätt till olika sorters ideologier och religiösa värderingar. Enkätundersökningen visar a) att vissa lärare förnekar biologism, b) att flertalet lärare anser att kreationism inte hör hemma i biologiundervisningen, och c) att det finns lärare som uppmärksammar biologism och aktivt försöker påvisa problematiken med den. Innebörden är att det finns lärare som inte enbart bortser från förhållandet mellan religion och vetenskap, utan också förbiser värdet av elevers kritiska granskning av olika uppfattningar.

Evolutionary theory in the scientific curricula of public education has been scrutinized by religious societies for the better part of a century around the globe. Although Darwin’s explanation of the mechanism of evolution—the process of natural selection—is widely accepted by scientists in the United States and other industrialized nations, the U.S. has lagged behind these other countries in accepting evolutionary theory in public school curricula. The debate of what to include in textbooks and classroom lessons is one of America’s most controversial issues. The creationist worldview of life’s origins has been incorporated into science curriculum as a direct challenge to natural selection and evolutionary theory, stretching the interpretation of the First Amendment and the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution under the guise of academic freedom. The debate has reached the U.S. Supreme Court on more than one occasion. Each landmark case has resulted in the Court’s decision to keep public school science courses free of theistic explanations of the origins of life or creation of species, most specifically humankind. The battle has continued and gained momentum in recent years, even in light of the Court’s decisions. The idea of intelligent design (ID) is the latest attempt by creationists to explain the existence of life, and many state boards of education and school districts throughout the country are considering the adoption of new science curricula that include ID as an adequate alternative to evolutionary theory. In the recent federal case Kitzmiller v. The Dover Area School District Justice John E. Jones, III ruled that ID was not a science at all, and instead was a religious belief violating Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Intelligent design is considered by scientists to be pseudoscience posing as scientific principle. The scientific perspective is that unsubstantiated pseudoscientific principles create misconceptions and have a deleterious effect upon science education. It is argued herein that educational leaders must play a role in preventing cases of pseudoscience arising in public school curriculum, thus strengthening the ability of our country to produce knowledgeable scientists.

This dissertation uses the public career of Harvard evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould to examine the place of evolution in American culture from 1960 to 2002. Gould was a professional paleontologist and public science writer who rose to fame through his participation in a series of American controversies over biology and society. Prior to the 1980s, Gould publicly disagreed with other biologists over the relationship between liberalism and scientific research. As a New Left activist, Gould advocated caution over public pronouncements on evolutionary explanations of race and sex. His opponents believed that science could provide objective standards for understanding human difference. This thesis shows how the resurgence of creationism in the context of the New Right brought a new community into dialogue with these generally left-oriented academics. Evolutionary scientists and writers solidified a new evolutionary orthodoxy in their attempt to close ranks against the political, social and intellectual threat of creationism. Gould's intellectual and political struggles with the rise of this Darwinian orthodoxy demonstrate the impact that the American public had on the terms of debate within professional evolutionary biology. By studying the impact of public religious controversy on scientific knowledge production, this dissertation brings a fresh perspective to histories of both American evolutionary science and American cultural formation. / History of Science