Two worlds in conflict: Creationism & evolution in Argentina

Abstract

Argentina’s institutional and cultural landscape is defined by a persistent tension between its constitutional Catholic identity and a secular, rationalist tradition rooted in positivism. This ideological conflict has manifested primarily within the educational system during two distinct historical phases. In the late 19th century, liberal intellectuals utilized Darwinian evolution and paleontological evidence to challenge clerical authority, leading to the establishment of secular educational policies. Conversely, the 1990s saw a resurgence of religious influence through the Federal Education Act, which resulted in the systematic removal of evolutionary proponents like Darwin and Lamarck from national curricula and a strategic softening of biological evolution concepts. Contemporary barriers to the advancement of evolutionary science include limited government funding, the expansion of fundamentalist religious groups, and a rise in pseudoscientific discourse catalyzed by socio-economic instability. Despite these institutional setbacks, the continued discovery of fossil records and active scientific publication indicate that the creation-evolution controversy remains a central, unresolved component of the Argentine socio-political discourse. – AI-generated abstract.