DEFINITIONS

DEFINITIONS:
EVOLUTION

One very important one which we will be using the rest of the day is evolution. Now, how do we define evolution? A lot of scientific fields use the concept of evolution, so the definition has to be broad enough to encompass all of them. Just look at this panel today. We have a physicist, a geologist, a biologist and an anthropologist. What definition is going to be suitable for all of these fields?

EVOLUTON
Change Through Time

What unites all these scientific fields is the idea of evolution as change through time. A lot of textbooks, and a lot of science frameworks around the country, and a lot of district frameworks, will talk about "change through time" and it is a little "wink, wink, nudge, nudge", to get away from using the "e" word.

EVOLUTON
Not all "change through time" is evolution: What about Cycles? (water cycle, energy flow...) Revolution of Earth around Sun? Metamorphosis? Growth?

If you have to do that in your district, fine, but you need to know, and you need to tell your colleagues, that all change through time is not evolution. Don't be confused by the euphemism. Cycles are not evolution. Planets change their position around the sun yearly; this is change through time; this is not evolution. Metamorphosis and growth are not evolution.

BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTON
Living things are related through common ancestry Living things have changed since they shared a common ancestry

So you have to at least have in your own mind, even if you have to use a euphemism, that evolution, in this broadest sense is cumulative change through time. This is a little bit of a distinction that is useful to keep in mind.

CONTINUE