The Scopes “Monkey” Trial riveted nations across the world in 1925. In the case, Tennessee high school teacher John T. Scopes was accused of teaching the theory of evolution in his classroom—a violation of state law. The trial sparked a debate between religious beliefs and scientific understanding, and the highly publicized case fueled public discussions on several issues.
Some of these issues—such as the role of science experts in a democratic society and the importance of science teaching in schools—are heated topics today. Discussions continue around the role of science in illuminating fundamental questions about what it means to be human and the relationship between evolutionary science and religion.
With 2025 marking the 100th anniversary of the Scopes Trial, Dialogue Vanderbilt is continuing those conversations with a series of programs throughout the spring that examine how evolutionary concepts are crucial to understanding our world and tackling existential challenges like pandemics, climate change and food insecurity. The Scopes Centennial series will dissect this often misunderstood science and examine modern challenges to its teaching from scientific, religious and legal perspectives.
The first public event for the series will be on Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. at Langford Auditorium with internationally renowned evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. Dawkins will be in conversation with David French for the Vanderbilt Darwin Day lecture exploring the role of science in illuminating fundamental questions about what it means to be human and the current impact of evolution on our politics, society and the world.
Dawkins was the first Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford from 1995 until 2008. He is the internationally bestselling author of The Ancestor’s Tale, The Selfish Gene, The God Delusion and critically acclaimed scientific articles. Dawkins is an influential public intellectual who has argued for science and reason in mediums from scholarly articles and podcasts to sold-out audiences at venues around the world.
French, a graduate of Harvard Law School, is a columnist for The New York Times. He was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. A former constitutional litigator and a past president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression, French is also a New York Times bestselling author whose most recent book is Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. French is also a former major in the United States Army Reserve, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. He is an Open Dialogue Visiting Fellow at Vanderbilt this semester.
Other Scopes Centennial programming includes a conversation with John Jones, president of Dickinson College, who was the federal judge who issued the ruling in the Dover Panda Trial, as well as a reading of a play about the Dover Panda trial by John de Lancie, the actor who played Q on Star Trek.
For more information on upcoming events in the Scopes Centennial series, visit the website.
