Impact of Evolutionary Theory on College Students' Outlook-On-Life

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate from a social science perspective the extent to which students held a positive or negative outlook-on-life through the lens of the theory of evolution. The working concept of outlook-on-life was defined as the way in which students individually perceived the following six general aspects of life: meaning and ethics, spirituality, social issues, self-determination, altruism and selfishness, and hope and well-being. Using a descriptive studies approach, data from 145 undergraduate college students from a wide variety of majors were collected. Quantitative data were subjected to a correlational analysis, and qualitative data were subjected to an interpretive analysis. The findings of this study revealed a mild relationship between students' outlook-on-life and the way in which they viewed the theory of evolution. Those students who viewed the origin of biological life as supernatural expressed that they would have slightly more difficulty in finding purpose or maintaining hope, well-being, and close relationships if they accepted the theory of evolution. Students who held a natural view of the origins of biological life indicated that they would have less difficulty. Additionally, while students seemed to be mostly unconcerned with evolution's impact on outlook-on-life, they demonstrated what may be interpreted as a somewhat superficial level of personal engagement with evolutionary theory.