The play on which this movie was based was written in response to the 1950s McCarthy era in the U.S. with its attack on those perceived to view communism favourably. According to Jerome Lawrence, co-author of the play, it is not about science versus religion. The teaching of evolution is being used as a parable, a metaphor for any kind of mind control. The play is about the right to think.
That right is once again under attack, with new efforts to prevent teachers from discussing subjects that are deemed inappropriate or dangerous. The Republican-dominated House of Representatives in Florida recently passed two bills (known as “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop Woke”) that would limit discussion of racism, sexual orientation, and gender identity. [For anyone unfamiliar with the term “woke,” it is used to refer to those who have awakened to injustice and discrimination in society.] Interestingly those who are on the attack against science and rational thought often exhibit the same religious fervour that animated the prosecutor in Inherit the Wind. Consider the words of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis: “We need people all over the country to be willing to put on that full armour of God to stand firm against the left.”
I appreciate that teachers may well have biases, even unknowingly, and that we need to consider how old students should be before being introduced to certain subjects. But if young people are not to learn about important issues in school, where will they learn about these things? Obvious sources are from their parents or peers, or from social media with its vast array of misinformation – and none of these are satisfactory. Rather than restrictions on what can be taught in our schools, students should be exposed to a variety of perspectives on issues and encouraged to think critically and to come to their own conclusions as to what makes sense.