Introduction
During the entire history of humans, religion and science have been opposed to each other, providing different perspectives on the same issues. This also regards the topic of the creation of the world. The adheres to the theory of divine spark and pays special attention to the ability of organisms to adapt to various conditions and the complexity of their structure. They claim that these specialties can only be explained by the fact that the world has been designed by an intellectual creature. However, science offers another option in this respect, namely the theory of evolution advanced by Charles Darwin implies the gradual development of the organisms from simple forms to more complex ones. In present-day developments, the latter appears to be more popular and convincing for a vast majority of people. Darwin’s theory is also taught in all educational institutes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review the arguments of both perspectives and decide whether creationism may present an appropriate alternative to evolutionism.
Evolutionism
Approximately in the middle of the 19th century, Charles Darwin advanced the theory of evolution in the book The Origin of Species. His ideas and their modern improvements present the base of evolutionism. Darwin’s theory implies two major principles, and the first one regards all present-day life. All the organisms, which exist in the modern world, are not the product of separate creation, and all of them are connected via a common family tree. Therefore, it is possible to find a common ancestor for two organisms while observing their and their relatives’ past.
After getting acquainted with the first position, a logical question follows regarding the appearance of new characteristics during the process of evolution. In case all the organisms are related to each other, a broad variety of species requires further explanations (Deloria, 2016). Consequently, the second part of Darwin’s theory appears to be a logical supplement to the first one and implies natural selection, which is an essential part of life for all species. This thesis is intended to rationalize the appearance of new characteristics and their spreading among organisms and give reasons for the disappearance of old characteristics (Deloria, 2016). The strongest point of this idea is the fact that it has a great number of applications. Genetic mutations present the reason for the diversity of organisms on the planet, and their impact can be perceived in the long run.
These days, the ideas of Charles Darwin with modern corrections are fundamental for biology and other sciences. Scientific knowledge and evolutionism imply the presence of evidence for each thesis. Science is impossible without logical explanations and cause-effect links. The knowledge is acquired via experiments, explorations, and in-depth analyses, which are intended to support or contradict a particular position. According to Sagan (1997), science is not the body of knowledge and presents a way of thinking. Thus, this approach involves skepticism, which is essential for constructing, evaluating, and understanding arguments (Raymo, 1998; Sagan, 1997). In addition, science indicates core assumptions, which present the base for further explorations, and is determined to achieve absolute truth. Consequently, the events, which cannot be explained from the perspective of logic, are beyond the reach of scientific cognition.
Creationism
As has been mentioned above, creationism implies a theory that supports the idea of intelligent design. It should be noted that there are numerous contradictions within creationism, especially regarding the different points of the features of the living world. For instance, adherers disagree on the age of the earth. Some of them believe it is relatively young, and its age is approximately 10,000 years old (Deloria, 2016). Others claim that according to the newest geological figures, it may be considered ancient (Deloria, 2016). There are also different perspectives on the aspect of the process of creation. Some supporters suppose that there is a single designer for all the organisms on the planet, while there are adherers that share Darwin’s theory to some extent and believe in a common ancestor (Deloria, 2016). Furthermore, other aspects, which cause multiple debates among creationists, also exist. In general, almost all the views are common in the assumption that God is the designer of all the creatures on the earth, and he is responsible for starting the process of evolution, which can be characterized by mindlessness.
As for the arguments supporting this theory, the most frequently repeated one implies some bewilderment. An illustrative example of this argument could be the claims of the invalidity of evolutionism, which are based on the inability to provide appropriate evidence for events and processes in the distant past with considerable certainty (Deloria, 2016). Another aspect, which contributes to decreasing the credibility of creationism, is discussions on the topic of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The supporters highlight that this law does not include the process of creating order from disorder, and this fact is also applied to natural processes. Therefore, the position of adherers in respect involves the belief that the aforementioned law contradicts the statement that life appears from non-life. However, it is essential to take into consideration that the Second Law of Thermodynamics regards only a closed system and does not provide information on other systems.
Thus, it may be concluded that this approach does not imply achieving an absolute truth. In general, unlike science, creationism is based on beliefs, which are not supported by precise evidence (Raymo, 1998). This theory does not involve strong and undeniable arguments, and people are free to adhere to such theses, which respond to their spiritual requests. Therefore, beliefs, various cultural practices, and sacred truths present the primary way of acquiring knowledge in the context of creationism (Raymo, 1998). It does not imply logical explanations for theses, and belief is the core paradigm for this approach.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be covered that creationism implies a significant variety of forms, and for this reason, this approach includes multiple perspectives on the same subjects. The assumption that God made all the organisms on the planet the way that they are perfectly adjusted to the environment does not have sufficient argumentation. In addition, the version that God influences the traits of the creature of the world to some extent, cannot be tested at all. Furthermore, there are numerous positions within creationism, and they tend to contradict each other. It is also worthy of being highlighted that creationism does not advance convincing arguments opposing Darwin’s theory of evolution.
On the contrary, evolutionism implies a comprehensive picture in respect of the creation of all the organisms on the planet. It is supported by strong arguments, which supplement each other. In addition, this theory can be applied to explaining other events in nature. Therefore, it is evident that evolutionism is significantly stronger than creationism in the context of argumentation and structuration. However, scientific knowledge is impossible without evidence, and the theory of evolution cannot be tested in practice. In case of further scientific progress, there is a likelihood that this theory may be changed. In addition, science still contains some gaps, which cannot be explained from the perspective of logic.
This way, it is possible to assume that logic is not capable of giving reasons for every event in the world. Furthermore, it may be hypothesized that people’s minds cannot cognize all the laws and principles of living in the entire world. In this respect, creationism appears to be more convincing, as it is based on beliefs, which are impossible to be evaluated from the perspective of logic.
References
Deloria, V. (2016). Evolution, creationism, and other modern myths: A critical injury. Fulcrum Publishing.
Raymo, C. (1998). Skeptics and true believers: The exhilarating connection between science and religion. Walker Publishing Company, Inc.
Sagan, C. (1997). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. The Random House Publishing Group.