CSRS Talk: Nov 13th

Title: True or false? The world was created in six days.

Thursday, Nov 13th at 4:30pm in David Turpin Building A104

Abstract: Did humans evolve from previous species or were they created by God when the earth and all its creatures were made in six days? According to a recent poll, "51% of Americans, 22% of Canadians and 17% of Britons think God created human beings in their present form within the last 10, 000 years" (Angus Reid, 2012). There is continuing pressure by some to have creationism taught in schools, either in place of or alongside the theory of evolution, accordingly dismissed as "just a theory".

In this presentation I will outline a few highlights from the long and complex history of debates over the truth of creationism. As it turns out, the question of whether some belief can be "true for religion" but "false for science", and vice versa, has a very long history. Specifically, I want to focus on those who have tried to maintain, in some way or another, the truth of creationism as well as certain seemingly incompatible scientific truths, such as the Aristotelian doctrine of the eternity of the world or the theory of evolution. My question is this: How is it possible to hold apparently contradictory beliefs that are both held to be true?