Let me say up front that I do not mean by this title that I learned all the biology I need to know in kindergarten. That is definitely not true. Rather, in alluding to the title of a famous book
1) Teachers know more than we do. There are individual exceptions, but this basic principle about our teachers, taken collectively, is presumably valid. It is even in the Bible, in Luke 6:40. So what should someone do in light of this principle if they cannot understand why the overwhelming majority of biologists, geneticists and other scientists find the evidence for evolution persuasive, there is a logical action to take. Read more books by biologists! Take remedial biology! The appropriate response to not following an educator’s argument is not to disbelieve it but to get some tutoring. Being willing to critically examine what a teacher says is a virtue. Assuming that the educated are generally wrong is not.
2) Don’t spend all your time looking at picture books. It may not matter that much in kindergarten, I admit it, but if you don’t start reading as advanced books as you are capable of reading, you will not keep progressing and will consistently be at a disadvantage. Similarly, if you spend all your time reading ancient literature and books by lawyers and hydraulic engineers instead of books by biologists, it won’t be surprising if you find yourself at a disadvantage in understanding the more academically challenging arguments and perspectives of experts in the field.
3) Your best friend today may not be your best friend next week. There was a time when physics was felt to be the enemy of faith and biology its ally – the former seemed deterministic, the latter seemed to provide evidence of design. Today, the tide has reversed significantly, and far more feel comfortable relating physics to religion and they do in the case of biology. Rather Orwellian in one sense, but it is a basic truth we learn early on.
4) You’ll understand this when you’re older. We all hate to hear that. But sometimes, even though we don’t like that answer, we can at least become aware that our minds often change over the course of a lifetime, and perhaps burn fewer bridges when we are still young.
5). Don’t pick your nose. This has nothing to do with evolution. Not everything that is important does. But it would be a shame to focus so much on evolution that we forget how many other things are important. Plenty of religious groups and associations have an official position on evolution, but have no official position on other important issues like torture.
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