28 Mar 07
Originally posted by XanthosNZOf course I can. And I'm aware of the thread with 3000 posts in it. I was just looking for something new. And if you think I'm an idiot then just keep it to yourself. I'm not interested in what you think of me.
As are you.
Penguin, he's an idiot because he can't seem to find any of the numerous threads about Evolution and instead started his own.
28 Mar 07
Originally posted by PenguinI am sure there are all kinds of flaws in my example. However, I am not a scientist. I do pride myself in getting people to think differently and creatively. I thought my example would be a wonderful opportunity for the average child where I live who is indoctrinated with religious beliefs that demonize evolution and those who would consider it to look at a creature they have never seen before and see a process that is absolutely unheard of by them. I am not a teacher, but I think the best learning is "hands on" and of experience.
I'm afraid that is not a very good example. In fact it's not an example of evolution at all. Evolution does not occur in an individual. It occurs through many generations of individuals.
There are loads of examples of evolution (change in organisms over time), for example, selective breeding by humans of domesticated animals or viruses and bacteria gainin ...[text shortened]... etty clearly from an atheistic and evolutionary standpoint.
Regards,
--- Penguin
28 Mar 07
Originally posted by josephwGoogle Piltdown Man .. it'll explain evolution for you.
evolution?
No doubt this has been debated before, but I was wondering if someone could tell me why you believe evolution is true.
I'm tired of trying to prove God exists, so I thought this might be refreshing.
Also, my scientific background is limited so please keep it in layman's terms.
28 Mar 07
Hey fellas, I know what evolution is and where it came from and all that. But is there proof? You know, the kind of proof that nobody can deny.
There seems to be no proof for the existance of God, at least not given here in this forum, so has evolution been proven here in the forum beyond a doubt?
Can you see what I'm getting at?
28 Mar 07
Originally posted by josephwFOSSILS
Hey fellas, I know what evolution is and where it came from and all that. But is there proof? You know, the kind of proof that nobody can deny.
There seems to be no proof for the existance of God, at least not given here in this forum, so has evolution been proven here in the forum beyond a doubt?
Can you see what I'm getting at?
28 Mar 07
1 edit
Originally posted by josephwYou are unintentionally confusing two ideas: evidence and proof. There are many, many things
Hey fellas, I know what evolution is and where it came from and all that. But is there proof? You know, the kind of proof that nobody can deny.
There seems to be no proof for the existance of God, at least not given here in this forum, so has evolution been proven here in the forum beyond a doubt?
Can you see what I'm getting at?
that we accept as true based on overwhelming evidence and in the absence of conclusive proof.
For example, I suppose it is possible that the moon landings were hoaxes, that the movies were
forged, that the moon rocks were fake, that Neil Armstrong and friends were paid off by the
government, but there is a lot of evidence to allow us to dismiss that conclusion with a highly
reasonable certainty.
Science relies on the ability to test and retest hypotheses. If I perform an experiment with
identical materials under identical conditions, I should get identical results. Now, parsimony dictates
that if I do this 100 times, that it wasn't magic or coincidence or secret invisible unicorns that made
the results identical, and that the 101st time things won't be totally different. The presumption is,
if something does differ on the 101st time, there was some variable unaccounted for -- temperature,
clean test tubes, time spent percolating, &c.
The theory of evolution relies on the independent accounts of several different scientific
approaches -- chemistry, physics, geology, paleontology, genetics, physiology, and so forth. None
of the sciences point to any other conclusion than the earth is very old, that it was barren of life
for billions of years, that the first, simple organisms gave rise to more complex ones, and that we
are descended through an excruciatingly complicated series of random, but constrained events. Are
there gaps in the knowledge? Absolutely. That's why it's not a 'Law of Evolution,' I suppose.
However, it is a very strongly supported theory.
Think of it this way: What happened to us is like a puzzle. We have a whole bunch of pieces to the
puzzle, but not all of them. Chemistry allows us to interpret some pieces, biology some others,
physics a few more. As our facility in these disciplines increases, so will our ability to interpret
pieces. The pieces we have are forming a reasonably clear picture: Evolution. Yes, there are many
gaps (holes in the fossil record, e.g.), and, yes, sometimes we put a piece in the wrong place (err
in interpreting data), and, unfortunately, sometimes we force a piece to go where it shouldn't (e.g.,
Piltdown man). But, the first is addressed by continuing to research, the second and third by the
scientific process of peer review and retesting claims.
Can I prove that we evolved? No, neither I nor anyone on this forum or the world can. Can we
provide you with mountains of independently derived evidence all of which point to a single conclusion?
Yes.
Nemesio
28 Mar 07
Originally posted by VarqaWhy do you feel it is so disrespectful? What's so bad about apes? Do you deny that we share 99.99% of the same DNA, and are morphologically, biochemically and physiologically almost identical to any other ape?
I would rather believe in God than believe I am an ape.
Even if you guys believe you are apes, you don't have to act like one. What is wrong with respecting other people?
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28 Mar 07
Originally posted by scottishinnzThink about a Porsche and Volkswagen 'beetle' car. They both have air-cooled, flat, horizontally-opposed, 4-cylinder engines in the rear, independent suspension, two doors, boot (trunk) in the front, and many other similarities ('homologies'😉. Why do these two very different cars have so many similarities? Because they had the same designer!
Why do you feel it is so disrespectful? What's so bad about apes? Do you deny that we share 99.99% of the same DNA, and are morphologically, biochemically and physiologically almost identical to any other ape?