Evolution should be taught to all students
By Science News
Read the full article (PDF) | Vote on future topic | Search archives
May 29, 1926 | Vol. 8 | No. 268
Evolution should be taught to all students, says botanist
Instruction in evolution for all college students is advocated in a recent number of Science by Dr. John M. Coulter, formerly head of the department of botany at the University of Chicago and now associated with the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research at Yonkers.
There are at least three important reasons why evolution should be regarded as a necessary part of college training, Dr. Coulter says.
“It has revolutionized modern thought. Every subject today is being attacked on the basis of its evolution. Not only are inorganic and organic evolution being considered, but also the evolution of language, of literature, of society, of government, of religion. In other words, it is a point of view which represents the atmosphere of modern investigation in every field.
“It is persistently misunderstood. From the press, the lecture platform and even the pulpit, one frequently hears or reads amazing statements in reference to organic evolution. If it were made an essential feature of student training, there would be developed a propaganda of information instead of misinformation.
“It has revolutionized agriculture. The practical handling of plants and animals, in the way of improving old forms and securing new ones, was made possible and definite when the laws of inheritance began to be uncovered through experimental work in evolution.”