Evolution Denialism: How Mind, Culture and Emotions Affect Our Perception of Scientific Truth
There is no theory or view in the history of science that has been debated and criticized as much as the theory of evolution. Since 1859, when Darwin's revolutionary book, The Origin of Species, was published, religious groups, scientists and laypeople alike have been and still are putting forward positive or negative ideas about evolution. Some of them have even gone a step further and organized themselves to put their ideas into action, waging war against the idea of evolution as any scientific idea.
But why is the same tenacity of struggle not found, for example, in quantum physics? Isn't quantum physics, like the theory of evolution, just one of thousands of branches on the tree of science? Why is it that almost all the people we meet on the street have a view on evolution, but when confronted with questions about quantum physics, they "know their place" and remain silent? It is questions like these that lead us to investigate the reasons for such widespread rejection of evolution by people.
K. J. Garvey of the psychology department at the University of New England conducted a study to elucidate the underlying reasons for the rejection of evolution. He asked 62 university students to fill in some psychological scales. As a result of his analysis, Garvey's findings were in the expected direction:
Churchgoers and believers in God are more likely to accept biblical, not evolutionary, explanations for the origin of the universe and life.
Those who exhibit greater fear responses to biological threats (dogs, snakes, fire, etc.), medical threats (open wounds, corpses, blood, etc.), and social or moral threats (making important decisions alone, being alone in a foreign country, offending God, etc.) tend to accept the creationist view rather than the theory of evolution.
Those who feel more disgust in the face of unpleasant stimuli (e.g. drinking spoiled milk, stepping barefoot on a worm, seeing a human intestine after an accident, etc.) are more likely to accept creationism than evolution.
While Garvey's research provides significant insights into the reasons for the rejection of evolution, it is not enough. Perhaps a clearer explanation of the relationship between susceptibility to fear and disgust and belief in scripture and God will guide us as to how much we should value his research. Finally, it should be noted that why the theory of evolution, whose accuracy is supported by thousands of scientific papers, is considered so "unbelievable" by people outside of science deserves to be examined in depth.
Source:
K. J. Garvey. (2008). Denial Of Evolution: An Exploration Of Cognition, Culture, And Affect. ( https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2010-01935-005.html )
Comments