Darwin must stay in Indian school textbooks

Source– The post is based on the article “Darwin must stay in Indian school textbooks” published in “The Hindu” on 28th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of education

Relevance: Issues related to pedagogy and curriculum

News- The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) dropped Darwin’s theory from the examination syllabus for Class 9 and 10 students in the academic year 2021-22

Darwin’s theory explains the origin of human beings.

Why are the shortcomings in our approach to teaching Darwin theory?

The first thing that is neglected is the influence of other people on Darwin.

Darwin was strongly influenced by geologist Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology. Lyell studied glaciers, volcanoes and fossils, and proposed the concept of “gradual geological change”. Geological objects today result from minute changes accumulating over a period of time.

Lamarck, the French naturalist proposed his own theory of evolution before Darwin. It also portrayed evolution as a process that included accumulation of changes over time. Darwin seems to invoke the same Lamarckian theory of use and disuse.

Darwin was influenced by social beliefs of his times. Darwin’s theory was an extension of laissez-faire economics. The term was conceived by economist Adam Smith and developed by Thomas Malthus. It referred to self-interest and free competition in the marketplace.

Malthus also propounded a theory of population in 1798. He claimed that humans compete for limited resources until a catastrophic event leads to a decline in their population.

Darwin was greatly influenced by Malthus’ ideas of competition in an environment with limited resources. Thus, only those living beings survive that carry variations that give them an edge over others.

Another grave omission in the teaching of the theory of evolution is the consequent use of his theory both by others and Darwin himself.

For instance, Herbert Spencer’s idea of “survival of the fittest”, proposed in 1864, coalesced eventually into a philosophy called “social Darwinism”.

In his later book, The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, Darwin claimed that men have evolved to be naturally more intelligent since they have had to continuously use their mental power.

Why must students and teachers in school concern themselves with the above aspects of Darwin’s theory?

These examples carry crucial insights into science in both the historical and contemporary world.

Science is shaped by the social and cultural beliefs of its times, to which it also actively contributes.

These examples remind us that science is a messy affair that requires caution alongside curiosity, creativity and imagination.