I suspect that the modern synthesis is taught in schools for largely practical and logistical reasons. It would take a lot of time, effort and expense to replace all the text-books. Then there's the justification that it's better to teach children the 'basics' rather than confusing them with complexities. When it comes to resistance to change at higher levels, it's got a lot to do with fear of allowing a "divine foot in the door" as Richard Lewontin succinctly put it. While many evolutionary biologists see flaws in neo-Darwinism and be looking for alternatives, there's really no foreseeable replacement theory that would explain away the "appearance of design" quite as neatly. It's possible to suggest that agency is a factor in evolution without necessarily invoking God of course, but it cracks that door open.
No, no and no! There is no excuse for staying with an origin story that denies us free will. By default we come believing in free will. That's nothing to do with God, it's a part of us. It's insane to make that connection. People who do that have no right to say that, to deny God, we have to deny consciousness. Mixing up God and mind is their problem, not ours.
I suspect that the modern synthesis is taught in schools for largely practical and logistical reasons. It would take a lot of time, effort and expense to replace all the text-books. Then there's the justification that it's better to teach children the 'basics' rather than confusing them with complexities.
When it comes to resistance to change at higher levels, it's got a lot to do with fear of allowing a "divine foot in the door" as Richard Lewontin succinctly put it.
While many evolutionary biologists see flaws in neo-Darwinism and be looking for alternatives, there's really no foreseeable replacement theory that would explain away the "appearance of design" quite as neatly.
It's possible to suggest that agency is a factor in evolution without necessarily invoking God of course, but it cracks that door open.
No, no and no! There is no excuse for staying with an origin story that denies us free will. By default we come believing in free will. That's nothing to do with God, it's a part of us. It's insane to make that connection. People who do that have no right to say that, to deny God, we have to deny consciousness. Mixing up God and mind is their problem, not ours.