Posted on 07/08/2008 11:48:40 AM PDT by neverdem
Huh?????? A woman changing her name is a behavioral activity. One species evolving into another is biological, for want of a better word. Talk about your apples and oranges-thus my “huh?”
I’ll keep it simple then. Some of the apes evolved down the path that became humans. Others evolved into modern apes. Others probably evolved down other paths or died out.
The point is species don’t evolve en masse.
The point is species don’t evolve en masse.
The point is you cannot prove that or even show it as a reasonable probability.
Why? What caused some to evolve but not others. And what is the scientific proof for why this happened?
This occurred during a time of changing conditions in Africa. Some 6 million years ago, the forests were shrinking and the grasslands expanding. That put selection pressure on the ape-like critters living nearest the edges of the forests; some had to adapt to the grasslands. The critters in the main forest areas were doing just fine and needed to change little.
Given time, and continued shrinkage of the forests, the groups along the edges needed to adapt to the grasslands or die out. At least one group, from which we are descended, did adapt.
So, the groups that remained in the forest evolved slowly, becoming the apes we know today. The groups at the edges were forced to adapt to new conditions and eventually, after many adventures, became modern humans.
By the way, science does not deal in proof, but in evidence. This is what the evidence currently suggests. If more evidence is found which suggests some changes in current theories, science will make those changes. This is the exact opposite of religion, which adheres to dogma in spite of evidence to the contrary.
If you have any other questions about this let me know. I studied it pretty intensely in graduate school and still remember a few of the details.
Do you just make stuff up or what? Its hard to take you seriously. My kids and I got quite a laugh out of it though.
If you learned this at graduate school, God help us all.
I don't know why you would consider this a laughing matter. The information I provided summarizes the results of research in a number of different fields, obtained over many decades, by a large number of dedicated scientists.
You asked a question, perhaps thinking you had a magic bullet to prove the theory of evolution false. I took the time to provide a serious answer, and all you can do is laugh?
If you learned this at graduate school, God help us all.
Perhaps you should read and take to heart this post from last May.
“I don’t know why you would consider this a laughing matter. The information I provided summarizes the results of research in a number of different fields, obtained over many decades, by a large number of dedicated scientists. You asked a question, perhaps thinking you had a magic bullet to prove the theory of evolution false. I took the time to provide a serious answer, and all you can do is laugh?”
+++++++++++++
Just so you aren’t completely discouraged, He-Whose-Totem-Howls-at-the-Moon, I appreciated the time you took to provide an answer and even learned something from it. Maybe you were just a touch too light and humorous, though, using the word “critter” and all, and Line Star Lil missed the point under the jocularity.
Anyway, it seemed to me like a perfectly fine summarization of current scientific opinion on human origins.
It looks like my own attempts at humor could use a little more work. That should be “Lone Star Lil.”
At least when I was in graduate school.
And its science, not fiction. Nor is it dogma.
Common sense IS evidence, IMO! Bob
Which is one of the reasons why evolution makes more sense than ID. Where is the sense in developing multiple iterations of man only to have them die out? Why not do it right the first time?
TexasKate: Statements like this are what demonstrate that "Creationists" have absolutely no clue what they're talking about. If you had ever bothered to simply read a book on the topic, you would see how silly this question is. Do you even have a high-school level science education? It does not appear that you do.
You should take some advice that my parents raised me with: It's never a good idea to talk about something you know nothing about.
And, try reading a book every now and then, it will save you from embarrassing yourself with such inane statements.
You provide no facts to back up any statements you make. Just ridicule and name calling-which is typical of those who don’t have facts to support them.
By the way, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in education and presently am teaching 5th grade science! So I guess I know a little bit about the subject.
The common ancestor of humans, chimps, gorillas and the other great ape species is extinct. But keep in mind that the theory of evolution does not require the parent species to go extinct. A sub-population of an existing species can be separated geographically (say, by the collapse of a land bridge) and gradually evolve into a new species, while the rest of the population of that species continues to exist.
Proof please. Everything you state is just conjecture. In order to believe it, one must have faith that such a thing is true. Hmm, ok to teach evolution which requires faith but not ID? Double standard????
Please no more comments unless you provide me with scientific proof. Otherwise ID is just as possible as any of you or anybody else’s theories. The one that makes the most SENSE, however, would be ID, hands down. That’s why so many of you evolutionists are fighting tooth and nail to keep it out of the schools. And your intolerance for other theories is quite tiresome.
You asked why, if we evolved from apes, apes still exist. I explained that to you. What more are you looking for, or do you not understand the explanation? What about that explanation does not make sense?
It's not my job to provide you with facts that you are obviously ignorant of. Like I said, if you had ever bothered to learn something about evolution, you would know the answer to your earlier question.
The fact that you would even ask why there are still "apes" reveals that you are seriously misinformed about the theory of evolution. I'm not trying to sound harsh here, but you must realize that this is simply a fact, and your statements reveal your lack of a basic science education on this topic.
Of course, I'm sure you'll try to dispute this, but you must understand that I am NOT a person who believes in truth relativism. When you statement is factually incorrect, it is incorrect - There are no two ways about it. You might as well try to argue with me over whether the Pope is Catholic.
As for your claim to be a 5th grade science teacher (of which I am skeptical), if my children were in your class, I would have them pulled from it. We have a serious problem in our schools these days of math and science teachers who are not qualified to be teaching their subjects, and you would clearly be an example.
When I send my children to school, I want them to attend a science class where the teacher is actually interested in teaching science, rather than promoting political agendas.
The strategy that she is using is a variant of the Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels' dictum that "If you tell a lie often enough, it will eventually become the truth."
For TexasKate, however, she has altered the Goebbels strategy to more along the lines of "If you keep asking basic questions about evolution (even after they've been easily answered), people will eventually doubt the entire theory."
This strategy is also referred to as "manufactroversy," or the manufacturing of controversy, where someone simply creates controversy where there is none, in order to cast doubt on the topic. The tobacco companies were notorious for doing this starting in the 1960s when scientists realized how bad smoking is for people's health. Yet, the cigarrette makers would always find some "expert" somewhere who would claim they weren't. Likewise, creationsists trot out some so-called "experts" who repeatedly ask very basic questions about the theory and generate false-controversy which, in turn, leads less knowledgeable people to believe that major controversy exists on the issue.
No, the real question at stake here is why YOU are fighting tooth and nail to insert your religious and political agendas into science education. If you want to teach religion and spout politics, you need to keep it out of the science classroom.
As a professional who works in the science and engineering fields, I see first hand every day how the U.S. if falling behind other countries in the teaching of math and science. So many American kids graduate from high school without even the most basic understanding of science. A major reason for this is people like yourself, who want to turn science classes into vehicles for promoting your political ideology.
Because of people like yourself, I decided several years ago to send my children specifically to a math and science oriented school where they receive rigorous education in math, chemistry, physics, and, of course, biology classes that are not afraid of a heavy dose of evolution.
In the long run, my kids will be better prepared to be the scientists and engineers of tomorrow. Their skills will be in high demand and they will be the engine driving America's future economy. Already, my daughter has taken a strong interest in biology, and is looking at colleges with strong bio-tech programs, which will prepare her for a rapidly growing job market in the biotech sector. She is specifically interested in pursuing a career in developing treatments for disease or developing ways to treat people with disabilities. These areas rely heavily on evolution to understand why disease and birth defects occur.
Of course, this wouldn't be possible if she had science teachers who spent time teaching religion instead of evolution, now would it?
You might be tempted to answer "no", but you need to ask yourself several questions:
Have you ever taken antibiotics?
Have you been vaccinated against Polio, measles, mumps, etc.?
Have you or anyone in your family been treated for any sort of genetic disorders?
I hate to break it to you, but if you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, you need to stop bashing scientists who work with evolution and start thanking them! These, and many other developments in the bio-medical fields are dependant upon the theory of evolution. Without an understanding of evolution, our health would be comparable to people's health prior to the 20th century, where 40-50% of kids died from childhood disease and many people routinely died from infections that would be considered minor today.
What I am telling you here is true. Creationists have a tendency to claim that truth is simply whatever they want it to be, and therefore I have a feeling you're simply going to dismiss it. But, you need to remember that if something is true, but you don't believe it, it's still true. There are no two ways about it.
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