The theory of biology and the education of biologists: A case study

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Abstract
A set of questions on evolutionary theory and the philosophy of biology was given to students of zoology at three levels: third-year undergraduates (23); fourth year, honours (13); graduates (25). Answering was voluntary. The responses were assessed independently by a zoologist, an educator and a philosopher. None of the students failed conventional courses, but each author ‘failed˚s nearly half the students; sixteen were ‘failed˚s by all three authors. There was little evidence of a general, critical understanding of the concept of natural selection. About two-thirds of students accepted natural selection as an axiom or dogma. About half understood ‘tautologous˚s. Most students regarded physics and biology as fundamentally similar, and more than half held all biology to be ultimately reducible to physical science. Very few understood the significance of refutable propositions in science. We suggest that these findings reflect a general trend, related to the specialisation of biological teaching; and that teaching deficient in theory both influences research strategies and also impairs the ability to cope with questions of social importance.

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