Leiden Declaration on Evolution and Religion

We, religious and secular biologists, philosophers, historians of science, teachers and theologians, participants of the Lorentz workshop 'Distinguishing Science and Metaphysics in Evolution and Religion' 2018 in Leiden, Netherlands, declare that:

1. the scientific theory of evolution, as it has been developed over more than one and a half centuries, currently provides the best explanation for the diversity, distribution, history and ongoing change of life on earth;
2. this theory provides a unifying framework in biology, essential to understand living organisms, with applications in medicine, computer science, ecology, agriculture et cetera;
3. this theory should be taught at both public and religious secondary schools, in a way that distinguishes it from atheistic or religious interpretations;
4. scientists, philosophers and religious believers have disagreed on the topic of evolution in the past and still sometimes do today, but these disagreements are not intrinsic to either evolutionary theory or religion per se;
5. we should respect the distinct roles of science and of metaphysics (including religious and secular worldviews): metaphysical claims should not overrule established scientific conclusions; likewise the natural sciences should not be misused to make metaphysical claims;
6. where friction or disputes occur, attempts to engage in respectful dialogue seem the best way forward;
7. we will seek to address unwarranted claims made in our own discipline about other disciplines and commit ourselves to further respectful exchange.