Transcript Introduction to Biotic Evolution: A Case of Cancer

Introduction to Biotic Evolution: A Case of Cancer
Bosiljka Glumac
Geology Department, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts
• Consider:
– An idea by Leo F. Laporte (GSA Today, April 1998) from a letter written in response
to Eugenie C. Scott’s article “Creationism and Evolution: Still Crazy After All These
Years” (GSA Today, January 1998):
• “I have found that focusing on the underlying epistemologies of different
realms of knowledge – science, religion, the arts – is more instructive for
students as a way for their discovering what is more likely credible and useful
with respect to certain aspects of human experience. Thus, one should rely on
the epistemology of science for the removal of a cancer; religious belief might
console after the death of a loved one; and the arts can enrich aesthetic
experience.”
• Questions/Comments:
– Is this a useful approach to introducing the controversial topic of biotic evolution?
– Different or other useful approaches and examples?