Evolution
I recently opened my latest Dive Training magazine and found a letter to the editor titled "Evolution Theory". In the letter, the author states, "I note a tendency in science-oriented articles to not precede the word evolution with the qualifier 'theory of'." The author goes on to say, "Evolution is a theory, not a fact. And it's a theory that fails classic scientific analysis, such as being observable. It's not been observed and it's not being observed."
For the record, we are talking about two different things, evolution and the Theory of Evolution. Evolution refers to the scientific fact that populations of a species of organism change over time. One need look no further than new strains of bacterium which are resistant to antibodies which killed previous strains. Another great example is the hawthorn fly.
The Theory of Evolution is based on the work of Charles Darwin as published in The Origin of Species. It states that individuals with desirable traits are more likely to survive/breed and that these traits are, therefore, more likely to be propagated in the gene pool. Many people believe that the Theory of Evolution describes a process through which all life could have evolved from single celled organisms. This is a theory, it's not proven. It relies on some scientific facts, as do most theories, one of which is evolution.
So, let's get this straight. Evolution is a fact. The Theory of Evolution is a theory (hence the name). They are not the same thing. You can have a problem with the Theory of Evolution without denying the scientific validity of evolution. It's unfortunate that that the Theory of Evolution contains the word evolution. If, however, it had been called The Theory of Things Change we would not be having this argument. We would not be arguing that things don't change. We might argue about how we got here. I'd be fine with that argument. I'm not sure how we got here. I'm fine with God using evolution as his tool to create life.
Finally, for those that argue that evolution itself is not valid, I pose a question. If we all are descended from two people (Adam and Eve or perhaps more accurately Noah and his wife) why do we have people with different traits? I've seen people with different color hair, skin, and eyes. I've seen people with differently shaped orbital ridges. I've seen quite a bit of diversity. If things never changed, how did that happen? God may have made it happen - that's cool. Evolution does not argue cause. God can be the instigator of change, but things do change.
For a fine reference I suggest Wikipedia's article on evolution and the science thereof.
For the record, we are talking about two different things, evolution and the Theory of Evolution. Evolution refers to the scientific fact that populations of a species of organism change over time. One need look no further than new strains of bacterium which are resistant to antibodies which killed previous strains. Another great example is the hawthorn fly.
The Theory of Evolution is based on the work of Charles Darwin as published in The Origin of Species. It states that individuals with desirable traits are more likely to survive/breed and that these traits are, therefore, more likely to be propagated in the gene pool. Many people believe that the Theory of Evolution describes a process through which all life could have evolved from single celled organisms. This is a theory, it's not proven. It relies on some scientific facts, as do most theories, one of which is evolution.
So, let's get this straight. Evolution is a fact. The Theory of Evolution is a theory (hence the name). They are not the same thing. You can have a problem with the Theory of Evolution without denying the scientific validity of evolution. It's unfortunate that that the Theory of Evolution contains the word evolution. If, however, it had been called The Theory of Things Change we would not be having this argument. We would not be arguing that things don't change. We might argue about how we got here. I'd be fine with that argument. I'm not sure how we got here. I'm fine with God using evolution as his tool to create life.
Finally, for those that argue that evolution itself is not valid, I pose a question. If we all are descended from two people (Adam and Eve or perhaps more accurately Noah and his wife) why do we have people with different traits? I've seen people with different color hair, skin, and eyes. I've seen people with differently shaped orbital ridges. I've seen quite a bit of diversity. If things never changed, how did that happen? God may have made it happen - that's cool. Evolution does not argue cause. God can be the instigator of change, but things do change.
For a fine reference I suggest Wikipedia's article on evolution and the science thereof.
posted by KzooJason at 8:48 PM
3 Comments:
Thank you Jason, I feel better after reading your erm...diatribe. At least someone understands! As an addendum I would like the add that scientists frown on the idea of something being 'proven'. We like to keep our options open for the future so we prefer things like 'supported' or 'not suported'. As is:
The hypothesis in this experiment was supported.
A bit wishy-washy? Maybe, but we know that chances are somewhere down the line something is going to come up or we are going to delve even deeper and find that our hypothesis needs revision or an overhaul. This is science. It's meant to be self-correcting over time.
This is also helpful in the discussion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory
This should help clear the air over what theory means in the scientific sense. Everyday people use theory a lot more like it is a WAG (Wild Ass Guess - for those not in the know) when that is not the real idea.
Rock on science people!
This may also be helpful:
A Supreme Court in Georgia ruled that high school biology teachers were permitted to continue using the term 'evolution' when teaching their classes. However as a compromise, they must now refer to dinosaurs as 'jesus horses'" -SNL
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