Posted on 02/22/2016 10:38:03 AM PST by EveningStar
Given its huge success in describing the natural world for the past 150 years, the theory of evolution is remarkably misunderstood. In a recent episode of the Australian series of "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here", former cricket star Shane Warne questioned the theory - asking "if humans evolved from monkeys, why haven't today's monkeys evolved"?
Similarly, a head teacher from a primary school in the UK recently stated that evolution is a theory rather than a fact. This is despite the fact that children in the UK start learning about evolution in Year 6 (ten to 11-year-olds), and have further lessons throughout high school. While the theory of evolution is well accepted in the UK compared with the rest of the world, a survey in 2005 indicated that more than 20% of the country's population was not sure about it, or did not accept it.
In contrast, there are not many people questioning the theory of relativity, or studies on the acceptance of the theory of relativity; possibly reflecting an acceptance that this is a matter for physicists to settle. Many studies have tried to determine why evolution is questioned so often by the general public, despite complete acceptance by scientists. Although no clear answer has been found, I suspect the common misconceptions described below have something to do with it.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearscience.com ...
It’s not accepted by many people b/c it’s preposterous. To imagine that the millions of intricacies inside our body came about via modification through descent is downright laughable.
If you can believe that living things came from non-living things, you can believe anything.
Darwin admitted the obvious - no geological evidence supported his theory. Since the publication of ‘origin of the species’ there has been no factual corroboration, although many scientists claimed to have found irrefutable proof, they have all been exposed as hoaxes... I submit the theory doesn’t even meet the criterion of a theory, rather; it only carries the scientific weight of a myth... Grrr!
Bottom line for me: After all these many decades of intensive study, the “theory of evolution” remains just a theory (yet it is taught in many places as scientific fact).
natural selection is testable. as a scientific theory, it’s valid. let’s call this micro-evolution.
macro-evolution, on the other hand, is not testable by the scientific method. we cannot devise a test to show that a bacterium can evolve into a blue whale. so it’s just a theory, and should be taught as that. it may or may not be true. but it’s beyond science’s ability to verify at this point.
people who understand this simple fact, take an agnostic approach to it.
i’m Catholic and even if it were true, it doesn’t have any impact on my faith. the Bible contains many allegorical stories. Genesis doesn’t have to be a literal description of how we came to be. God could well have provided the divine spark for the very first life form to come into existence and simply waited for us to become what we are, until he chose to reveal to us his presence.
X-men aside, mutation in DNA is almost never beneficial, and is at best neutral, but usually harmful.
There will come a day when people will laugh that evolution was ever even a proposal, let alone taught as fact in schools.
It is well known fact that with evolution, the octopus lost the nostrils and took on the more familiar look that we know today. If you still look closely you can see ah, a little bump where the nose use to be.
I’m completely willing to concede that those on the Left are part of the missing link.
FTFY. ;)
Gaps in evolution theory:
Between the living and non-living or dead matter;
Between the vegetable and the animal kingdoms;
Between the invertebrates and the vertebrates;
Between marine animals and amphibians;
Between amphibians and reptiles;
Between reptiles and birds;
Between reptiles and mammals;
Between mammals and the human body;
Between soulless simians and the soul of man, bearing the image of God.
It takes less faith to believe “God” made this than “earth” made this
Survival of the fittest is a tautology with no explanatory power, too.
But, you are right—abiogenesis is one of those things that makes you laugh out loud, until you realize they are serious.
Nonsense intellectually and scientifically mixed up article.
Very convoluted.
Evolution was caused by climate change.
Scientists quite often misrepresent the theory themselves, often referring to something evolving this or that in order to better cope. That is total nonsense.
If evolution is 100% accepted, it is still not a guided change.
The most that can be said is that things change, if that change does not preclude them from the surviving. There is no logical reason to presume that giraffes needed a longer neck, as short necked ruminants have done just fine. The most that we can say is that giraffes evolved to have longer necks, for reasons we cannot presume to understand, and that they have survived that change. We have no idea whether the giraffe is better off as a species by having a longer neck, we just know that they do have longer necks, and they have survived.
I personally wanted xray vision
Bkmrk.
“It is well known fact that with evolution, the octopus lost the nostrils and took on the more familiar look that we know today. If you still look closely you can see ah, a little bump where the nose use to be.”
Fact?
You are mistaking fact with theory.
I find nothing troubling about the theory or idea you presented. I think hypothesis is the best descriptor.
Now, how do you determine it is true?
What do you predict you will find in a given data set yet to be obtained that will confirm or contradict your hypothesis about the evolution of octopi nostrils?
Provide your experimental design.
I'm in that camp. Except, I don't think God recognizes "time". Time is a human invention to describe and measure. Animals don't understand time as they are not aware of their existence beyond their immediate health, well being and/or danger. How long is a day for God? How can time be measured in eternity? Where does it start and end? Evolution certainly has some convincing aspects and I do believe there is something to it. There are species that are obviously the same with some significant differences. Birds, rodents, etc. The same can be said of human "evolution" in only the past 5K+ years. Humans were generally built different than we are today. Life expectancy is different. There are cranial and skeletal differences that can be measured. And there are certainly differences between humans that "evolved" in differing hemisperes. Asia? Africa? Europe?
All that said, I agree with you, the allegorical nature of God's message to his people certainly was framed for the level of development they were at when his message needed to be conveyed. The earliest people did not read and write. They taught and recorded history through stories passed from one generation to the next. They certainly were not capable of grasping astrophysics for a complete understanding on how God created the universe. Simple and symbolic explanation was in order for his target audience. Eventually, somebody wrote it down. Then it was translated for a few years over and over again. But the message was still there.
I can live with however God did it and not have my faith shaken. Shazam or Evolution? I don't care.
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