In more than a week from now, Charles Darwin’s book “On the Origin of Species” “celebrates” 200 years since it was printed in 1809, February 12, but despite the two centuries that have passed, people still strongly and passionately argue about the theory.

There are two sides. The evolutionists, who believe that Mr. Darwin was right and who take into account the overwhelming evidence that backs the theory of evolution. On the other side there are the “creationists,” a.k.a. fundamentalists, who strongly believe that God made the world just as the book of the Genesis says. In the middle of these evenly-matched sides, there are those who believe in what they call “intelligent design.” They basically believe that life on earth is too complex to have just arisen out of nothing and without a supernatural "designer" to guide it along the way.

According to the most recent poll (mid-2007) on the issue, 49% of the people surveyed believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution, while 48% said they do not. More interesting is the fact that it seems to be a continuous trend, with the same number of people on both sides during the past 25 years. From a political point of view, two-thirds of Republicans do not believe in the theory of evolution, while almost all the Democrats and the politically-independent people agree with Darwin.

Probably the most passionate arguments on this theory occur in public schools because children are very easy to convince. Conservatives pushed for the banishment of evolution or at least wanted to be taught as a theory and not a fact.

The most recent argument on the evolution theory happened at a hearing before Texas' State Board of Education. The scientists and the conservatives argued over a rule under which science text books are required to cover "the strengths and weaknesses" of evolutionary theory.

The vote was narrow and it decided to delete the provision requiring to teach "the strengths and weaknesses" of evolution theory.

However, despite the controversy it stirred with his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin, a modest member of England's minor gentry, became a legendary figure, an icon of the twenty first century.