Evolution - why do people disagree?

[Nathan Poe]

Why are people against the theory of evolution?
1) It is not proven

Although it has been observed

2) There isn't exactly any overwhelming evidence

Have you read this board before you started posting? clicked on any of the 3,526 links provided?

3) We don't even know if it actually is possible (they can't even prove that)

Wrong.

4) Evolution, despite what some people say cannot coexist in some nice fantasy world with Genesis 1, they do contradict.

Science vs. Mythology. Who'll win out?

5) All of the Above

6) None of the above.

Thank you for playing; please try again.

 

[LorentzHA]

"Evolution cannot co-exist in a FANTASY WORLD with Genesis one."

I laughed for ten minutes. The poster cannot be serious.

One is observable the other is a story..now back to the term "fantasy world"....BOOM..there goes another Irony Meter!

 

[IvoryRain]

People here have selective attention. They talk about what the want to and mold it vaguely into what the OP is about.

Come on, where's the fun in thoughtful discussion? We want arguments darn it!

LMBO!

 

[IvoryRain]

Why are people against the theory of evolution?
1) It is not proven
2) There isn't exactly any overwhelming evidence
3) We don't even know if it actually is possible (they can't even prove that)
4) Evolution, despite what some people say cannot coexist in some nice fantasy world with Genesis 1, they do contradict.
5) All of the Above

1) I believe its quite clear that there is a theory of evolution.

2) Multitudes knowing of the theory of evolution gives evidence.

3) Its possible to have a theory, and there is proof this one exists.

4) I don't follow you on that at all.

5) All of the Above.


.....

Enough of the spoof, for the most part, I hear generic blabs of "I dont believe in the theory of evolution." I personally don't believe in Santa Claus. I believe the difference is one exists and (gasp) another.... ahem.

So how do people stand? Do you believe the theory doesn't exist or do you not agree with what points and cases the theory works in proving?

We all know things evolve, change, mature and take on different forms throughout time.

Why is it so hard to believe in any form of evolution?

Look at the worlds society at this point. Is it not evolving? Has it not - perhaps within even your lifespan? In small, miniscule ways, everything is evolving at this moment.

 

[Jet Black]

Someone who rejects evolution on scientific grounds, have you ever heard of Kent Hovind?

yes. Look at my sig. I even provide links for your pleasure. You will find it 2hrs and 8 minutes into seminar #4. He says it once, and while you are stunned that he could say such a stupid thing and commit such assault on your ears, he then puts it on a slide just to really batter the point home.

This glaring error is not isolated either. I have a whole list of them at home now, and I will post them in the coming days.

 

[lucaspa]

1) I hear generic blabs of "I dont believe in the theory of evolution." I personally don't believe in Santa Claus. I believe the difference is one exists and (gasp) another.... ahem.

This isn't quite the same thing.
1. Santa can be disproven. That is, you can do an experiment (and many people have) to test whether Santa brings toys to all children. And we find that children don't get toys whose origin is Santa.
2. People have admitted that any toys coming from "Santa" are a hoax.

So, it's not that you "don't believe" in Santa, but that Santa has been falsified by data.

A better example would be God and faeries. People believe that God exists and believe that faeries do not exist.

So how do people stand? Do you believe the theory doesn't exist or do you not agree with what points and cases the theory works in proving?

The question is not whether we "believe" the theory exists, but whether we accept the theory as valid.

We all know things evolve, change, mature and take on different forms throughout time.

This is not evolution. This is development. Evolution applies to populations, not individuals. It is ironic since, when Darwin wrote Origin, "evolution" meant "development". As in embryonic development. That's why it wasn't until the end of Origin that Darwin used the term "evolved". He was changing the definition. Once evolution became accepted we used "development" for the process of individual change. Now we are back to using "evolution" as personal change.

Look at the worlds society at this point. Is it not evolving? Has it not - perhaps within even your lifespan? In small, miniscule ways, everything is evolving at this moment.

This is development, even tho we call it "evolution". It's a good argument, but unfortunately it doesn't describe biological evolution. Here's a definition of evolution:

"Thus, evolution, in a broad sense is descent with modification, and often with diversification. Many kinds of systems are evolutionary ... In all such systems there are populations, or groups, of entities; there is variation in one or more characteristics among the members of the population; there is HEREDITARY SIMILARITY between parent and offspring entities; and over the course of generations there may be changes in the proportions of individuals with different characteristics within populations. This process consitutes descent with modification. Populations may become subdivided so that several populations are derived from a COMMON ANCESTRAL POPULATION. If different changes in the proportions of variant individuals transpire in te several populations,the populations DIVERGE, OR DIVERSIFY. ... All these properties of an evolutionary process pertain to populations of organisms, in which there is hereditary transmission of characteristics (based on genes, composed of DNA or, in a few cases, RNA), variation owing to mutation, and sorting of variation by several kinds of processes. Chief among these sorting processes are CHANCE (random variation in the survival or reproduction of different variants), and natural selection (consistent, nonrandom differences among variants in their rates of survival or reproduction). It is natural selection that causes adaptation -- improvement in function. Thus biological (or organic) evolution is change in the properties of populations of organisms , or groups of such populations, over the course of generations. ... Biological evolution may be slight or substantial; it embraces everything from slight changes in the proportions of different forms of a gene within a population, such as the alleles that determine the different human blood types, to the alterations that led from the earliest organisms to dinosaurs, bees, snapdragons, and humans." Douglas Futuyma, Evolutionary Biology, (1999) pg 4.