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Nearly Two-Thirds of Doctors Skeptical of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

Backing for naturalistic explanation of life not as solid as once thought

SEATTLE, WA – A recent poll by the Louis Finkelstein Institute for Social and Religious Research finds that 60% of doctors reject Darwinism, saying that they do not think humans evolved through natural processes alone. Only 38% of the doctors polled agreed with the statement that “Humans evolved naturally with no supernatural involvement.” The study also reported that 1/3 of all doctors favor the theory of intelligent design over evolution. (Complete poll results are available online at: http://www.hcdi.net/polls/J5776/.)

The Discovery Institute in Seattle, the leading think tank and research facility on the theory of intelligent design, anticipates that far more dissenters of Darwin’s theory of evolution will go public in the near future.

“Of course most doctors are skeptical of Darwinism,” said Dr. Robert Cihak, MD, a senior fellow and board member of the Discovery Institute, and medical columnist for JewishWorldReview.com. . “An eye surgeon knows the astonishing intricacies of human vision intimately, so the vague, just-so stories about eye evolution don’t fool him. And the eye is just one of countless organs and interdependent systems in the body that defy Darwinian explanation.”

The poll is further evidence of the growing scientific controversy surrounding Darwinian evolution, a controversy that some Darwinian supporters claim does not exist.

“Evolution meaning change over time indisputably occurs, but evolution meaning the origin of all species from a common ancestor is a wild and fanciful speculation and should not be taught as science, much less as fact,” said Dr. Jane Orient, MD, president of Doctors for Disaster Preparedness and past president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. “Schools should teach mathematics, logic, and scientific methods. Students should make careful observations and learn to design and carry out experiments. Darwin’s theory of evolution is more a topic for history or philosophy.”

When the survey respondents were asked the question about whether they believe intelligent design should be allowed to be taught in schools along with Darwinian evolution, 50% of the respondents answered yes.

“Discovery Institute advocates a ‘teach the controversy’ approach to the theory of evolution,” added Cihak. “School boards shouldn’t mandate the teaching of intelligent design. What teachers should present is not only the scientific evidence for Darwin’s theory but also the evidence which challenges it. More and more scientists and doctors find evolution scientifically inadequate, and the controversies over this ought not be hidden from students.” 

Dr. Cihak is Senior Fellow and Board Member, Discovery Institute; past president, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS); board member for Doctors for Disaster Preparedness; and a columnist for www.NewsMax.com and www.JewishWorldReview.com. He earned his M.D. degree at Harvard Medical School (1962-66), and did postgraduate medical training and academic work as a surgical intern at Stanford Medical Center (1966-67), diagnostic radiology resident at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston (1967-70) and Assistant Professor of Radiology, U. New Mexico Medical School, Albuquerque, (1970-71). He then practiced diagnostic radiology in Aberdeen Washington until his retirement in 1994.

Discovery Institute

Discovery Institute promotes thoughtful analysis and effective action on local, regional, national and international issues. The Institute is home to an inter-disciplinary community of scholars and policy advocates dedicated to the reinvigoration of traditional Western principles and institutions and the worldview from which they issued.