Define theories and explain how they differ from ideas found in religion and philosophy. Next, use these definitions as a foundation for the contemporary debate about evolution, “intelligent design” and the separation between church and state in U.S. schools.
What will be an ideal response?
Varies. Theories are a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena. Two features distinguish them from religion and philosophy: Ability to explain and predict the phenomena in question; Ability to produce testable and thus falsifiable hypotheses. Whereas religion can be defined as: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. Whereas philosophy can be defined as: a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means. Evolution can be defined as: the historical development of a biological group (as a race or species) and is most popularly associated with Charles Darwin’s work from the 1850s. “Intelligent Design” came into use after a late 1980s Supreme Court case. “ID” can be defined as: a belief that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. Separation of church and state is a long tradition in the U.S. in order to ensure the secularity of government and at the same time insure individual religious freedom for its citizens.
You might also like to view...
Which of the following is symbolic behavior?
a. the use of amulets b. yawning c. coughing d. bristling with anger
First generation Japanese immigrants to the United States are known as ________
a. Issei b. Sansei c. Nisei d. Kibei
Rebecca is of the opinion that very few families, either in the past or in the present, can be called self-sufficient. Which of the following is an accurate statement that supports Rebecca's opinion?
A) Families have prospered since the 1970s because of their savings and individual enterprises. B) A majority of people who have reached retirement are leading comfortable lives despite not being eligible for Medicare and Social Security. C) Many individuals in the middle class are likely to have collected unemployment payments after being laid off. D) The government provides no tax cuts for middle-income and affluent families.
Compared with married women, cohabiting women are __________
a. much younger than their partners b. several years older than and earn more than their partners c. more likely to be financially dependent on their partners d. less likely to be sexually abused