The most recent data from Gallup suggest that 42 percent of Americans do not believe that humans evolved from other life forms. These data are outstanding given the overwhelming evidence in favor of evolutionary theory. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences has gone so far as to say that “the past and continuing occurrence of evolution is a scientific fact. Because the evidence supporting it is so strong, scientists no longer question whether biological evolution has occurred and is continuing to occur.” Esteemed biologist Richard Dawkins has even suggested that denying evolution is tantamount to denying the Holocaust. 

The problem is that a good many Americans do not fully understand evolution — even those who believe in it based off of scientific consensus. The problem is not that evolution is hard to understand; it is rather an intuitive theory in the abstract. No, the problem is the way evolution is represented in the media and in high school biology classes. 

There is a considerable pushback against evolution from religious conservatives who are under the erroneous assumption that one cannot believe in both God and Charles Darwin. It is well-known that Darwin was at the very least an agnostic, but there are a good number of evolutionary scientists who believe in God. The two beliefs are not as mutually exclusive as some would have you believe. 

The goal of this column is to address two of the most common objections that I hear hurled against the theory of evolution. Allow me to preface this discussion by saying that I am not a biologist. My understanding of evolution is very basic. I have taken only an introductory biology course and a course in the history of Darwinism. If you would like to know more about the minutia of this science, I encourage you to seek out actual biologists. I shall keep my discussion in layman’s terms. 

Objection number one: “Evolution is just a theory.” 

This seems to be the most common objection that is used against evolution, and it is understandable why that is. There are two senses of the word “theory”: the colloquial sense and the formal sense. Colloquially, people use the word theory to express an inkling or a suggestion, a rough idea. 

Formally, in science, a theory is defined by the National Academy of Sciences as, “A comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence.” It seems that the way theory is used colloquially is more akin to the scientific term “hypothesis.” This confusion is sometimes used invidiously to downplay the credibility of evolution. It was Isaac Asimov who said, “Creationists make it sound as though a ‘theory’ is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night.” 

Religious groups have used this dual-meaning confusion in an attempt to bring religion into the science classroom, under the slogan “teach the conflict.” As Christopher Hitchens pointed out, this logic would lead to teaching astrology in astronomy class and alchemy in chemistry. 

Objection number two: “If evolution is true, why are there still monkeys?” 

I have actually had this objection used against me, and I must say that I find it shocking. It shows such a lack of understanding of what the theory of evolution posits. Evolution does not say that humans evolved from modern monkeys. It says that humans and modern monkeys share a common ancestor. The two branches split, and just as humans evolved for millions of years, so too did monkeys. Every single species on Earth is equally evolved for its niche. 

This brings up a similar thought about evolution. I was in a class, not a science class, and a student suggested that if the dinosaurs had not gone extinct, they may have evolved human-like intelligence. And no one contradicted the student. People have a teleological view of evolution as the ladder of being. They believe that evolution has humanity as its end goal. Humans did not have to evolve. Human-like intelligence did not have to evolve. The conditions just so happened to be right at the right time to allow for this development. It is an egotistical error to say that humans are more evolved than monkeys. Both are equally well-suited for their place in their respective ecosystem. 

Evolution is simply a fact, like gravity and the heliocentric solar system. In the time that has passed since Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, no evidence has been found to contradict evolution, and a large amount of evidence has been found to support it. As stated earlier, scientists have ceased debating whether evolution is true. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the debate now revolves around “the mechanisms of evolution, how rapidly evolution can take place, and related questions.” 

Yet, evolution is being battled at every corner in popular discourse. In 2012, now-presidential candidate Ben Carson, a supposedly scientifically literate neurosurgeon, suggested that the devil inspired Darwin to develop the theory of evolution to trick mankind. Political commentator John Iadarola poked fun at this absurd claim by saying, “Satan gives you the ability to make a vaccine for HPV that stops some women from dying from cervical cancer; God is the one who tells you not to take it because it might turn you into a slut.” Albeit tongue-in-cheek, John makes a good point: Evolution has saved innumerable lives because modern medicine would be impossible without the theory of evolution. 

Despite the ravings of Christian fundamentalists, religion and evolution need not be opposed. Religion and science answer different human concerns. Thomas Huxley summarized this point quite well: “Genesis is honest to the core and professes to be no more than it is, a repository of venerable traditions of unknown origin, claiming no scientific authority and possessing none.”