As an enviromental science teacher, how would you respond to someone who tells you (a) that he or she does not

Question

As an environmental science teacher, how would you respond to someone who tells you (a) that he or she does not believe in biological evolution because it is “just a theory”? How would you respond if another student states, (b) we should not worry about air pollution because through natural selection, the human species will develop lungs that can detoxify pollutants? In your responses, be sure to provide factual evidence from earth’s history

Answer 1

A THEORY, in science, means the process of;

(a) hypothesis,

(b) observation, and

(c), conclusion (to explain results in b).

Let the certainty of the subject matter be the criteria, exclude mythology and scripture; science is the issue. Digression is out of order, and distracting.

Your request for known factual human development of physical attributes responsive to environmental pressures, is an interesting puzzle. I don't think any exist.

Examples of tools, pharmaceuticals, and transportation are not human biological responses in the sense you posed.

Answer 2

a) Anything that has no proof is a theory and theories should be encouraged over meagre beliefs as theories lead to the truth by process of elimination while fixed beliefs don't lead to answers as they aren't open to scrutiny and can severely hinder development.

b) Humans won't develop detoxifying lungs but rather only life that has the capacity for surviving pollution will continue to exist and devolop to create different surroundings while other life will just die off. Our brains will develop with the knowledge to be able to eliminate air pollution rather than developying the lungs to cope with it

Answer 3

I feel the best teachers show by example, and a gentle kindness that understands the different levels of knowledge.

I would respond with how you feel, but don't discredit their ignorance. Embrace it. Understand their viewpoints.

Lead by example.

Remember that the best breakthroughs have come from asking the difficult questions. --- The world is flat- :)

Answer 4

A) Tell them to properly research the definition of theory in a scientific context before you can have an intelligent conversation. No "theory" ever shows up in the first place without at least a single fact to initiaite it. Remember that "theory" and "theology" share the same root word.

B) According to natural selection, it is MUCH more likely that pollution will favorably select for organisms that can already metabolize or survive in pollution. It is very, very unlikely that humans will just develop pollution-happy lungs. This idea belies a severe misunderstanding of the processes that evolution describes.

Answer 5

You shouldn't comment on the matter to discount the persons religion and try not to sound condescending.  All you can do is point out that the evidence to the contrary is not accepted by science and is most often written by people who are selling things for profit to a large receptive audience.  Tell him, if he is interested in learning all sides, he should learn the scientific evidence and he can interpret it himself once he has learned the evidence.  

Ignore the air pollution garbage except that he is obviously being tought these things by nuts.

Answer 6

I would start by not pushing ideas that only the government will back you up on. A theory is proof of nothing, it is a best guess! Pushing lies and half truths as facts is about as low as you can go, evolution or intelligent design are both theories and should be discussed, but I wouldn't dare questioning someone on their beliefs. I might say good for you for having an opinion of your own and not swallowing everything people tell you is the truth. If you weren't there to witness a fact you can not speculate it is a fact. As for air pollution goes it isn't going to go away no matter what we do! In our life time anyway.

Answer 7

to student a) explain to them what a scientific theory is-and tell them that by calling it a theory they is saying that it was proved.  Also, tell them that they don't have to believe in it, but they still have to pass the test. to student b) you could talk about coal miners.  Towns that have coal mines typically have generation after generation working in one, and still their lungs aren't any better off.Their lungs are worse than smokers.

Answer 8

a. is the problem one. you will end up in a religion argument which is not worth your career. you have to write off people who can not look at facts and accept them. However gently point out it is well documented mankind has changed in the last 2000 years, we have grown taller, softer, and weaker, as well as our brain size has increased, per records written from the past. We are changing for the better or worse.

b. person needs to look at answer a. even if we could "develop lungs that can detoxify pollutants" it would take far too long for use to change at the current rate of pollution. Again I would not knock the free thinking of quick evolution on s students part, however it is not piratical.

Answer 9

Guess the only thing is to put your foot down.

Had a (Australian) Uni Microbiology lecturer who had to fail anyone who'd only quote the bible to support any argument about Microbiology.

A (Australian) History lecturer (aame Uni) made an announcement at the start of each Semester that he would not tolerate any attempt to derail his lesson with Bible quotes.

Answer 10

a) explain the difference between "theory," "fact," and "truth." Might throw in "faith, "belief," and "opinion" just to be perfectly clear. Do respect your student's point of view. You can teach them but you can't change their minds unless they are open to change.

b) Simply point out how genetic adaptations aren't always going to happen just because the environment changes. Relying on genetic mutation is a vastly greater gamble than playing Russian Roulette 5 times a row with a six-round barrel. We have better odds of surviving the gun then a poison atmosphere because our genes mutated just so.

Answer 11

I would tell (a) that gravity is also just a theory. Have them go jump off the roof and see what happens.

And I would tell (b) that evolution takes tens of thousands of years whereas pollution has become a serious problem in just 150 years and is getting worse by the minute.

Answer 12

It wouldn't be a  biological solution, but commercial.  In east Asia, people wear masks to filter out the smog.  You can walk around in a bio hazard suit with a compressed filtered air tank although it wouldn't be fashionably chic and would also be uncomfortable, especially when there is global warming.

Also because of global warming, there would be less drinkable water as people get greedy (take more showers, buy more pools, use the swamp cooler and water misters to stay cool, wash their car more because the cars get dust on them quicker) which would lead to water rationing like LA is experiencing now and back to the once a week showers in the 1960s and earlier.

Three things prevent a biological solution:

1. Soot is physical and gets in the lungs and stays there.  A person can't cough hard enough to get the soot out.  The more soot in the air, the less oxygen a person can take in.  It's known as black lung disease.

2. Chemicals from the polution can enter the blood stream.  These chemicals can cause cancer (which has no biological immunity) and reduce oxygen to the blood  which can cause brain damage among other things.

3. Biological adaptation takes time while pollution compounds itself like compound interest.  The polluton would grow much faster than humans could evolve.

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Now evolution has several meaning and there are several types.

There is the set in motion type:  Thing of somebody creating a virtual reality program with rules built into the program.  With the best artifical program, the creatures inside believe their world is the only world that exists and can prove it beyond a doubt.  That's only because they can't see our world or the programmer that created the program in the first place.  They could never build a space craft or another type of device to see our world.  They would have to use faith to see our existance.  You shouldn't bother with that.  Just like those computer creatures you or your students could never prove there is or isn't a programer that has created the environment around us.

Focus on evolution that exists in our time.  Evolution means change and talk about that.  Talk about that TB patient that is in quarantine because he has  a medically resistant disease.  Talk about new chemicals being needed to combat pests in the farms and at home as creatures became immuned to the former chemicals.  Tell them about how genertically engineered crops can affect te plant life around them.  Tell them about the black and white moth study as the black moth population grew as the soot from poplution hid them better and when the pollution was cleaned up the ration changed and evened out.  Tell them about exctinctions of animals humans saw (like the Dodo bird) and how evasive species like the African killer bee or the red army ants have changed the environment around them (that's also part of evolution/change).  They don't need to know about the dinosaur as much as for them to take the medication the proper way to prevent a super disease.

Answer 13

There is nothing more theoretical than god - no evidence for him whatsoever; certainly he does nothing to prevent evil in the world! However, heaps of evidence for evolution: fossil record included. If we're not related to chimps; why do we have body hair that erects when we're angry or frightened, body odour, testicles in a little skin bag outside our body, varicose veins, wisdom teeth, cancer, etc, etc. doesnl;t sound divine to me. What does your student think of dinosaurs? Humans have themselves evolved dogs and cats in very quick time by artificial selection into many different breeds -  why should nature not do the same - why do white mice only survive in captivity? cause when the white gene expresses itself in nature (its recessive so its pops up) the mouse gets eaten by a predator cause its visible: natural selection. people who dont beleive in evolution are like who beleive the earth is flat - irrelevant relics of religious superstition. By the way we cannot know anything for sure - everything is a theory. (see Kuhn, Kant, Spinoza, Popper, Feyerabend, Wittgenstein, etxc). Second, if an evolutionary pressure is too great or applied too rapidly we cannot evolve to combat it: if you keep blasting mice with shotguns they will not evolve into super armored mice they will die - likewise humans cannot survive a rapid increase in air pollution - evolution happends over millenia not a few generations. Neither will the rest of the worlds biota evolve. it will all suffer.

Answer 14

A) If evolution is a theory, then why do you look like your mom and dad....   well at least you mom anyway.

B) We may become extinct along the way as well. By the way, how will we develop those lungs if you don't believe in evolution?

Answer 15

I would lead by example and grow a set of external pollutant-detoxifying lungs right before the students' eyes.

Any questions?