Social Effect of Evolutionary Theory

Social Effect Of Evolutionary Theory

The social effects of evolutionary thought have been considerable. As the scientific explanation of life's diversity has developed, it has often displaced alternative, sometimes very widely held, explanations. Because the theory of evolution includes an explanation of humanity's origins, it has had a profound impact on human societies. Some have vigorously opposed acceptance of the scientific explanation due to its perceived religious implications (e.g. its implied rejection of the special creation of humans described in the Bible). This has led to a vigorous conflict between creation and evolution in public education, primarily in the United States.

Read more about Social Effect Of Evolutionary Theory:  Evolution and Ethics, Evolution and Religion, Evolutionary Theory and The Political Left, Evolution in Relation To Social Darwinism and Imperialism, Popular Culture

Famous quotes containing the words social, effect, evolutionary and/or theory:

    “That children link us with the future is hardly news. . . . When we participate in the growth of children, a sense of wonder must take hold of us, providing for us a sense of future. Without the intimation of concrete individual futures, it is hardly worth bothering with social change and improvement.”
    —Greta Hofmann Nemiroff (20th century)

    “Self-denial is not a virtue: it is only the effect of prudence on rascality.”
    —George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)

    “The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.”
    —Stanley Weiser, U.S. screenwriter, and Oliver Stone. Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas)

    “Everything to which we concede existence is a posit from the standpoint of a description of the theory-building process, and simultaneously real from the standpoint of the theory that is being built. Nor let us look down on the standpoint of the theory as make-believe; for we can never do better than occupy the standpoint of some theory or other, the best we can muster at the time.”
    —Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)