Meeting Abstract

S4-1.3  Friday, Jan. 4  Thomism and Science Education: History Informs a Modern Debate KONDRICK, Linda C; Arkansas Tech University lkondrick@atu.edu

There is no debate over the Theory of Evolution. Among the members of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB), indeed among biologists, the Theory of Evolution is a settled principal. Yet, in the larger context of human society, the issue is far from settled. This paper identifies the origins of this current conflict as a fundamental philosophical divide that began long before Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution. It pre-dates the inclusion of science in the curriculum of western universities. It is older than either Islam or Christianity. The conflict goes back to philosophical questions of essence. What are we, where do we come from, and how do we know? The root of the conflict emerged at the birth of Plato�s Akademia in 385 B.C. where the schools of Idealism and Realism first divided. The development of these competing schools is traced to a critical point in history when thy collided violently at the University of Paris in 1252. Here, Thomas Aquinas brokered a cease fire between these competing schools that allowed Natural Philosophy to be taught apart from Theology in the graduate curriculum. Through Aquinas� treatise, Summa Theologica, a new philosophical system, Thomism, evolved. This unique synthesis of Idealism and Realism, held elements of each, yet was far more than the sum of the two. The essence of this compromise is the core topic of this paper. The implications of this compromise were immediate, and long term. It allowed the devout to pursue an empirical science without risking heresy, thus opening the door for the Copernican Revolution. It provided the rationale for a compartmentalized view of science and religion. And more pertinently, today it offers a framework for bridging the gulf between science and society over the issues regarding the Theory of Evolution.