NOVA Episode on Evolution

On his blog reason and reverence, Stephen Merino gives a rave review of PBS’s “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial.” This episode of PBS’s NOVA science program describes the recent trial in Dover, Pennsylvania, where school board members tried to push creationism and intelligent design into the public high school’s science classes.

The documentary covers multiple aspects of the Dover trial, including the local personalities involved, the legal history of challenges to teaching evolution, and the science of evolution.

Stephen gives a vivid description of how “awe-inspiring” it can be to learn about science, and he emphasizes that scientific knowledge can part of one’s religiosity. He reflects,

My wife, educated as a biology teacher, is definitely among those that accept the theory of evolution and the belief that we are sons and daughters of God. That’s OK with me. Personally agnostic, I still find beauty and wonder in the story of evolution and origin of man.

Frankly, evolution is just as awe-inspiring and spiritual as any religious account of creation could be. It tells us where we came from and how.

At a time when students are not fully taught evolution, and many of us live generally disconnected from nature, it is easy to forget how amazing the natural world really is.

I saw the documentary online after reading Stephen’s piece, and the science parts were very well-done (which makes sense, given that science is the primary focus of the NOVA series).

If, like me, you missed the piece when it aired on TV, you can watch it here. The online video is divided into “chapters” — to see the scientific explanations of evolution, watch chapters five and six.