Biology - Unit 4

B I O L O G Y 4 . 1
1.What are some problems with the theory of theistic evolution?
2. What aspects of the Christian worldview were foundational to the development of science?
3. Define the following topics: teleology, DNA, spontaneous generation, Second Law of Thermodynamics, and gene pool. How do they relate to the debate over origins?
4. According to Walter Brown, what should we see in the fossil record if evolution is true?
5. What problems does the theory of punctuated equilibrium avoid? What problems must it face?

B I O L O G Y 4 . 2
6. What is the Islamic view of creation?
7. According to Islam, how many days did creation take?
8. According to Islam, did creation happen in literal days or longer periods of time?
9. Do Muslims believe that the universe displays design?
10. Does Islam incorporate a belief in evolution?

B I O L O G Y 4 . 3
11. What do the Humanist Manifestos I and II state about humanity’s origins?
12. Why must “modern” science rule out creation? Does this reasoning pose a problem for evolution as well? Why or why not?
13. What is spontaneous generation? Why is this theory important to evolutionists?
14. Define the following topics: natural selection and struggle for existence (or survival). How do they relate to the debate over origins?
15. Upon what six planks does Secular Humanist biology rest?


B I O L O G Y 4 . 4
16. Why was Charles Darwin’s work so important to Karl Marx? What connection does Friedrich Engels make between Darwin and Marx?
17. Where did Engels place his faith and was there any way to persuade Engels against spontaneous generation?
18. Why do Marxists ultimately deem Darwinism as inconsistent with their worldview?
19. What form of evolution does Marxism embrace?
20. What stunning indictment does Stephen J. Gould make against the fossil record? How does this relate to his theory of punctuated evolution?


B I O L O G Y 4 . 5
21. What is the main evolutionary concern for Cosmic Humanists? What is this approach called?
22. How do Cosmic Humanists view science? In what ways do they believe it has been harmful? Do they believe science supports their ideas about reality?
23. How does the evolutionary view of Cosmic Humanism differ from the evolutionary theory purported by Marxists-Leninists and Secular Humanists?
24. How is John White’s version of the Second Coming different from the one described in the New Testament?
25. What is the Gaia Hypothesis? How does this hypothesis undermine the Darwinian ideal of survival of the fittest?

B I O L O G Y 4 . 6
26. What are three prominent theories of evolution? Why are many Postmodernists unwilling to endorse any particular theory of origins?
27. What is Paul Feyerbend’s opinion of how science works?
28. How does Thomas Kuhn describe the nature of scientific investigation?
29. What do evolutionary Postmodernists believe about man’s role in the process of evolution?
30. Although Christians acknowledge that scientists have biases and presuppositions, what reasons are given for believing that true knowledge about reality is possible?