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1. Why do you think Evolution is fact?
- Because it is the simplest theory that is compatible with the available biological evidence.
2. When did you begin to believe this, and why?
- When I began studying biology.
3. Why do you think many people today do not agree with this topic?
- That is a good way to put it. I think that some people don’t agree with evolution as a topic because it makes them uncomfortable with regards to their religious/philosophical beliefs. Some people are probably uncomfortable with the topic because it is the norm of their social group. Some people may not agree with it because they have been subjected to a forceful media campaign of misinformation on the topic.
4. Should schools be able to ban this topic from student learning?
- That would amount to religious censorship and would be detrimental to the well-being of the students, as well as to the intelligent management and further scientific development of the state or country in which it occurred.
5. Is Evolution more fact than theory or the other way around?
- Evolution is a fact to the extent that you are willing to believe the evidence of your surroundings (i.e., “evolution of life has occurred” is a fact equivalent to “flames are hot” or “gravity makes things fall down”). Evolutionary theory is also well-developed, as is gravitational theory or thermodynamics.
6. How do you promote Evolution?
- By making it clear that it is the only reasonable and rational view of biology, and that scientific progress in biology and medicine is highly dependent on understanding evolution.
7. What is your idea of Evolution?
- That would take longer than I have to explain. I teach courses on the topic. Do you have a more specific question?
8. Should everyone be able to believe what they want to, without being judged?
- Sure, why not? People make judgments all the time, though, no matter what I think, so you have to expect that in life you will be judged. If you try to argue for the spread of beliefs that are not based upon evidence, or try to force them on others, or act on them such that your possible good intentions lead to bad consequences for others that would have been avoidable, then you might reasonably be given a negative judgment.
9. Do people look down upon you for supporting Evolution?
- I don’t really know. Some people seem to get easily upset when discussing the topic (see #3). If they need an excuse to look down on me or others, I suppose that would suffice. I’m sure I could provide plenty of others.
10. What are your feelings on Evolution and its standing in today’s world as apposed to when it first came around?
- My feelings? I feel that it is incredibly interesting and that studying it will keep me occupied for a long time. I feel that its standing as an emotional flashpoint for non-scientists in the US is sometimes frustrating, although its standing worldwide is quite good. I feel that it is the “wedge” of a political/religious attack on science that is detrimental to the long-term standing and well-being of the US, and this is frustrating to me. When it first came around it was a radical idea that people (including scientists) had a hard time understanding and getting used to, although it spread to complete acceptance among biologists in a remarkably short period of time*. The details of our understanding of evolution (and biology as a whole) have changed dramatically since that time, so it is hard to imagine what I would have “felt” about evolution prior to the advent of genetics, cellular biology, and protein biochemistry.
David D Pollock, 2008
*Note: this refers to evolution itself. As James de Gregori points out, the acceptance of natural selection took considerably longer, partly due to the need to develop a good understanding of genetics.
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