On its face, Inherit the Wind is about a debate between creationism and evolutionary theory. Most characters in the play start out with strong feelings one way or the other; some maintain their convictions, and others start to change their minds. The people of Hillsboro are, by and large, very threatened by Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. They feel that the theory of evolution is incompatible with the Bible, which states that God created the world in just seven days and implies that the world is only around 6,000 years old. If Bert Cates teaches his students about evolution, they might stop believing in God, lose their sense of morality, and get confused about how the world really works. The people of Hillsboro feel so strongly about this issue that Bert thinks they are imagining him sprouting devil horns on his head. 

Drummond does not attempt to completely dismantle creationism during Bert’s trial. Instead, he tries to open up room for doubt and questions. Instead of dismissing evolution out of hand, he suggests that the first “day” of creation might have lasted for millions of years. He points out that the Bible omits certain details, and says that trying to fill in those details with science is not necessarily counter to religious thinking.