A day for Darwin

Stephanie Strauss / contributing writer

A student-led discussion about creationism and evolution will be held today as a part of JMU’s first "Darwin Day."

Darwin Day, which celebrates the life and work of Charles Darwin, is sponsored by JMU Freethinkers Club.

Associate biology professor Christopher Murphy will address how evolutionary thinking has changed the way humans view living organisms at 5 p.m. in Taylor Hall, room 400.

A student-led discussion on the controversial topic, "Should creationism be taught in schools?" will be held at 7 p.m. in the Airport Lounge.

"One of the gifts of a college education is to learn about the great ideas that have shaped our civilization," Murphy said. "Charles Darwin’s work on evolution certainly qualifies for this distinction, as his work was very influential from a number of perspectives."

"In the time since Darwin, the concept of natural selection has matured as a scientific theory, and now provides a very useful framework for understanding nature and solving important practical problems," Murphy added. "Darwin’s ideas on evolution have also had a profound impact on Western thought concerning the role of divine and natural causes in nature."

Freethinkers vice president senior Maggie Ardiente said, "We’re putting this event on after hearing from other free-thought groups at other universities and how much success they had with Darwin Day. This is our first time celebrating Darwin Day, and we hope to celebrate it every year."

Ardiente said there are a lot of myths about evolution, and that events during Darwin Day are designed to clarify any questions people may have.

"When it comes to how the world was created, people have very strong feelings about it," Ardiente said.

"We hope students will gain a greater understanding of his impact on the scientific community, and we hope that those with misconceptions about the theory of natural selection will have the ideas clarified," Freethinkers president senior Mike Taft said.