Title

Teaching Evolution & the Nature of Science via the History of Debates about the Levels at Which Natural Selection Operates

Author Info

William D. Stansfield, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoFollow

Recommended Citation

Published in The American Biology Teacher, Volume 75, Issue 2, February 1, 2013, pages 96-100.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2013.75.2.5.

Abstract

Students should not graduate from high school without understanding that scientific debates are essential components of scientific methodology. This article presents a brief history of ongoing debates regarding the hypothesis that group selection is an evolutionary mechanism, and it serves as an example of the role that debates play in correcting faulty ideas and stimulating new research in the pursuit of extending scientific knowledge.

Disciplines

Biology

Copyright

2013 National Association of Biology Teachers.