How do evolutionists view the pandemic?

Strathos

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How do creationists view it? Do they think that God just decided to create the virus in December last year because He was bored, because of course it couldn't have possibly evolved?

(One good strawman deserves another...)
 
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The IbanezerScrooge

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Human tragedy, or natural culling of the sick and weak, survival of the fittest?

It is both. But from a evolutionary standpoint I don't think it will have much effect on the human species because those who are most vulnerable and succumb to it I would say are already past their reproductive years and unless they had genes that were responsible for those underlying conditions then their vulnerability won't have much of an effect on their offspring and, therefore, not much effect on the species as a whole.
 
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Subduction Zone

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From a biological point of view it was inevitable due to the fact of evolution and population pressures. This is only one of the reasons that many think that the world is suffering from overpopulation. Humans are bound to suffer sooner or later as a result. Now no one is suggesting culling. Merely finding a way to cut back on constant breeding.
 
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stevevw

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Human tragedy, or natural culling of the sick and weak, survival of the fittest?
I think the Coronavirus is more than the result of natural evolution. This is human-forced and orchestrated destruction rather than evolution which is controlled and usually ends up with a negative consequence. Just like all the other interventions, humans have made for example where the consequences of human activity are wiping out of other species well before their time.
 
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The IbanezerScrooge

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This is human-forced and orchestrated destruction rather than evolution which is controlled and usually ends up with a negative consequence.

Can you expand on this statement? What do you mean by this?
 
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jayem

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COVID-19 is purely an act of nature. It will have little or no effect as regards natural selection. Most fatalities are in persons past reproductive age, and who are already immunocompromised due to underlying medical conditions. As I heard on the news today, over 95,000 people worldwide have died. Let's postulate on the high end that the total deaths globally will be 500,000. Without question, that's a grave human tragedy. But put it in perspective. The 1917-18 H1N1 "Spanish" flu killed an estimated 20,000,000-50,000,000 people worldwide. Including 675,000 Americans. (When the total US population was about 103,000,000). If the Spanish Flu (which primarily infected younger people) had little long-term effect on the global human population, then neither will COVID-19.
 
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stevevw

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Can you expand on this statement? What do you mean by this?
The coronavirus is the latest in a line of viral infections and other diseases that have transferred to humans as a result of the commercialization of animals for human consumption. This is because of the need for mass production of food due to population growth where we are all intermixing more including with animals. This is allowing viral infections to grow, mutate and spread more.
 
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Shemjaza

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The coronavirus is the latest in a line of viral infections and other diseases that have transferred to humans as a result of the commercialization of animals for human consumption. This is because of the need for mass production of food due to population growth where we are all intermixing more including with animals. This is allowing viral infections to grow, mutate and spread more.
I think this is just an expansion of the issues we've had since domestication got common.

It also leads to populations with higher resistance to disease.

Check out what happened when Europeans met native South Americans or Australians.
 
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stevevw

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I think this is just an expansion of the issues we've had since domestication got common.

It also leads to populations with higher resistance to disease.

Check out what happened when Europeans met native South Americans or Australians.
I agree that domestication has brought its own advantages and disadvantages. One of the consequences is that it has allowed harmful mutations to accumulate.
Accumulation of Deleterious Mutations as a Consequence of Domestication and Improvement in Sunflowers and Other Compositae Crops

Higher resistance to disease can also mean the creation of more lethal bugs that threaten human health
The 12 Deadliest Drug-Resistant Bacteria Have Officially Been Ranked

I know of the consequences of Europeans coming to the shores of Australia on the Aboriginal peoples caused diseases that nearly wiped them out.
How Europeans brought sickness to the New World
 
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MIDutch

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Human tragedy, or natural culling of the sick and weak, survival of the fittest?
As humans who see it affecting our lives. As fathers and mothers fearful for their families. As sons and daughters trying to help those in our families who need it most. As friends who worry about friends who are most at risk. As members of a community who hope we can weather the storm.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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As humans who see it affecting our lives. As fathers and mothers fearful for their families. As sons and daughters trying to help those in our families who need it most. As friends who worry about friends who are most at risk. As members of a community who hope we can weather the storm.

I meant in retrospect.
 
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MIDutch

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I meant in retrospect.
As someone who accepts the fact of evolution and the biological Theory of Evolution as the best scientific explanation for the diversity of life we see on planet earth past and present ... I hadn't given it a single (retrospective) thought.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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As someone who accepts the fact of evolution and the biological Theory of Evolution as the best scientific explanation for the diversity of life we see on planet earth past and present ... I hadn't given it a single (retrospective) thought.

Isn't evolution mostly retrospective? You make some predictions about the future but these calculations are based on theories about past events. In fact isn't evolution generally loathe to make predictions about future changes in organisms?
 
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