Purpose: To explain the naturalistic explainations of origins, and to clear common fallacies about them.
Introduction
Thoroughout this article, I will use the term "natural origins" except when discussing a specific component of it, such as the Big Bang, abiogenesis, or evolution. This is a very imporant point, as will be discussed in the next section.
Strawman
The majority of arguments against scientific theories regarding origins are in fact refutations of strawman versions of those theories. A common misconception is that the theory of evolution is a theory encompassing all of origins. Kent Hovind's famous $250,000 offer for anyone who can prove evolution is an example of this. He created a strawman version of evolution which no one supports, and then declares victory when no one is able to prove it. Evolution has nothing to do with the Big Bang, where the first cell came from, how galaxies formed, or geology. Evolution only has to do with genetic changes from generation to generation, studied over very long periods of time.
The Straw Man Fallacy.
Fallacy: Straw Man.
There are countless strawman versions of natural origins. The reasons for these include the following:
a) Understanding is lost between real theories and the simplified versions used to explain them to a general audience. For example, the Big Bang theory is based on a large amount of calculus-based physics. It is impossible to explain the real Big Bang theory to a general audience simply because members of a general audience have not taken five years worth of calculus.
b) Poor science education.
c) Disinterest in learning about natural origins on behalf of both the general public and opponents of natural origins.
d) Careless wording by scientists.
e) Misunderstanding on behalf of non-scientists who support natural origins.
f) Deliberate lying on behalf of the opponents of natural origins.
Goals
Another fallacy is that assumtion that the world "had" to become what it became. It goes like this: Big Bang ---> Humanity. This is wrong for two related reasons. First, it claims that the universe went from the Big Bang to the present state, when in reality there were countless other intermediate steps. A more accurate, though still overly-simplistic and missing several steps, model would be: Big Bang ---> Formation of hydrogen ---> Formation of stars and galaxies ---> Supernovae ---> Release of elements ---> Formation of newer stars and planets ---> Abiogenesis ---> Evolution.
The anthropic principle has lead us to think that humans are the end goal of the universe, and the reason why it exists. Young earth creationism, the position that the universe was created magically by God 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, is an extreme version of this. This position claims that the universe did not exist until humans existed (supposedly only a few millenia ago). Science tells us otherwise.
Evolution does not have a "goal" in the sense that most people think.
Scientifically, humans are not the goal of the universe. Philosophically and religously, this may be contested, but an objective scientific stance does not, and should not, make the claim that humans are the reason behind the universe. Scientifically, it did not have to happen, we are just a product and part of the universe (Wilkins).
Other Fallacies
Appeal to Ridicule: Evolution is false because someone is mocking it. Wouldn't it be nice if gasoline wasn't so expensive because someon mocked the idea of it costing $3 per gallon?
False Dilemma: A literal Genesis or the theory of evolution are the only explainations of origins. This is false. There are countless explainations of where everything came from. What matters is where the evidence points.
Wishful Thinking: I don't want evolution to have happened, therefore it did not happen. A lack of desire, to be mild, exists among most opponents to evolution. Reasons include:
a) Position that evolution means there is no god.
b) Dislike of sharing origins with the rest of the animal kingdom; belief that being created from a pile of dirt as described in Genesis 1 is a more flattering origin.
c) Friction between evolution and literalist and fundamentalist religous beliefs.
Reality simply does not care about anyone's personal opinion, nor are any of these reasons necessarily true.
Appeal to Fear: I will go to hell if I support evolution, or people will be angry with me should I support this. Neither of these can be answered by science.
Four Fundamental Forces of Physics
1) Gravity
2) Electromagnetic force
3) Strong nuclear force
4) Weak nuclear force
These four forces are behind everything which happens in the observable universe (Ronan 152-153). Everything which happens can be reduced to one or more of these forces. Why these processes exist and behave as they do is presently not well understood, and new theories such as the Unified Field Theory and String Theory are being developed on experiements to help explain them (HSW).
Big Bang
The Big Bang was an expansion, not an explosion. The idea that is is was an explosion is a strawman version of the theory.
Evidence: Movement of galaxies outwards into the universe, abundance of light elements, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. (Feuerbacher)
Evidence for the Big Bang.
Stars
Stars are produced by gravity's effects on large clouds of hydrogen.
Population III: The oldest stars produced in the early universe. Incredibly massive but started with virtually no metals.
Population II: Intermediate stars. Started with very low metal content.
Population I: Youngest stars, including our Sun. Have the highest metal content.
Supernova
Elements heavier than hydrogen and helium are produced during nuclear fusion in stars. In astronomy, all elements except for hydrogen and helium are called metals (this is different from chemistry's definition of a metal). The materials of our Solar System are the remains of a supernova, and our Sun is a Population I star.
How do we know that? Spectroscopy. This is the same process used to idenify mysterious chemicals in crime labs.
Sun and the Solar System
Inside the Sun, hydrogen is converted into helium via the proton-proton chain reaction (or the CNO cycle, on a much smaller scale).
Anyone who has studied gravity should not be suprised that our Solar System looks the way it does.
Earth
Everything which has mass, no matter how small, has a gravitational pull. It is difficult to measure except in very large objects, and is often ignored in smaller ones, but it does exist in anything which has mass. The positions of the planets in the solar system, as well as the location of material and their densities within them, are easily explained by gravity.
Abiogenesis
The theory of abiogenesis claims that the first cell originated from a pool of chemicals on the early Earth. A strawman version of the theory, the claim that a "modern cell" originated from a pool of simple chemicals, is often used to show the astronomical odds against abiogenesis. It is both true and irrelevant that it is nearly impossible for a cell to arrive from a pool of simple chemicals. The real (and simplified) version of the theory of abiogenesis is: Simple chemicals ---> polymers ---> replicating polymers ---> hypercycle ---> protobiont ---> bacteria. (Musgrave).
Note that the first cell would not have been as "complex" as modern bacteria. There are four known self-replicators.
Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and Probability of Abiogenesis Calculations.
Evolution
Evolution is defined as "a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations," and more specifically as "any change in the frequency of alleles within a gene pool from one generation to the next" (Moran).
Natural selection: differential reproductive success of genotypes (Colby). Organisms which do not or cannot adapt to their envirnoments are unlikely to survive long enough to pass along their genes to a subsequent generation. Organisms which "do the best job" of adapting to their environments likely will pass their genes along to future generations.
What is Evolution?
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology: Version 2.
Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution.
29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: The Scientific Case for Common Descent Version 2.87.
Human Evolution
Human remains are not found in most of the fossil records. If humans have been around for the majority of the history of Earth, we would expect to find human remains throughout the fossil record.
Humans did not evolve from monkeys. Humans and monkeys share a common ancestor. There is a huge difference between the two. About 6 million years ago, the lineage of a common ancestor split leading to ancestors of chimpanzees and the ancestors of humans.
Homo habilis: 2.4 to 1.5 million years ago.
Homo erectus: 1.8 million years ago to 70,000 years ago.
Homo neanderthalensis: 250,000 to possibly 30,000 years ago. Not an ancestor of modern humans.
Homo sapien sapiens: Living since about 200,000 years ago. Modern humans.
Y-chromosome Adam and Mitochondrial Eve.
Toba volcano eruption: 70,000 to 75,000 years ago, a volcano in Sumatra. The ash scattered in the atmosphere, lowering the temperature. Caused a bottleneck in human population.
Fossil Hominids:The Evidence for Human Evolution.
Other
Evolution is not the equivalent to atheism. The theory of evolution does not claim that there is no god. Despite the objections of some conservative theists, there are a number of people who are both theistic and support natural origins.
Reasons to doubt a 6,000 year old Earth.
A) There were numerous civilizations thriving all over the world in 4004 B. C. E., the date of creation given by James Ussher in the 17th century based on Biblical genealogies and often cited by modern YECs.
B) Is it genetically impossible that there is so much human diversity if everyone decended from two people 6,000 years ago.
C) Numerous problems with a global flood. More reasons to doubt a global flood.
References
The Universe Explained: The Earth-Dweller's Guide to the Mysteries of the Universe. Colin A. Ronan. 1994. Henry Holt and Company. New York
Kent Hovind's $250,000 Offer. John Pieret. Talk Origins. July 18, 2002. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/hovind.html
What is Evolution? Laurence Moran. Talk Origins. January 22, 1993. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution- definition.html
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology: Version 2. Chris Colby. Talk Origins. January 7, 1996. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to-biology.html
Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution. Mark Isaak. Talk Origins. October 1, 2003. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-misconceptions.html
29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: The Scientific Case for Common Descent Version 2.87. Douglas Theobald. Talk Origins. June 7, 2007. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/
Fossil Hominids:The Evidence for Human Evolution. Jim Foley. Talk Origins. April 1, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and Probability of Abiogenesis Calculations. Ian Musgrave. Talk Origins. December 21, 1998. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/abioprob/abioprob.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallicity
The Straw Man Fallacy. Gary N. Curtis. Fallacy Files. http://www.fallacyfiles.org/strawman.html
Fallacy: Straw Man. Michael C. Labossiere. Nizkor Project. http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html
Evidence for the Big Bang. Björn Feuerbacher and Ryan Scranton. Talk Origins. January 25, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/astronomy/bigbang.html
How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question232.htm
Problems with a Global Flood: Second Edition. Mark Isaak. Talk Origins. November 16, 1998. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html
Index to Creationist Claims - Flood. Mark Isaak. Talk Origins. November 5, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html#CH400
Evolution and Philosophy: Is There Progress and Direction in Evolution? John S. Wilkins. Talk Origins. 1997. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolphil/teleology.html
Introduction
Thoroughout this article, I will use the term "natural origins" except when discussing a specific component of it, such as the Big Bang, abiogenesis, or evolution. This is a very imporant point, as will be discussed in the next section.
Strawman
The majority of arguments against scientific theories regarding origins are in fact refutations of strawman versions of those theories. A common misconception is that the theory of evolution is a theory encompassing all of origins. Kent Hovind's famous $250,000 offer for anyone who can prove evolution is an example of this. He created a strawman version of evolution which no one supports, and then declares victory when no one is able to prove it. Evolution has nothing to do with the Big Bang, where the first cell came from, how galaxies formed, or geology. Evolution only has to do with genetic changes from generation to generation, studied over very long periods of time.
The Straw Man Fallacy.
Fallacy: Straw Man.
There are countless strawman versions of natural origins. The reasons for these include the following:
a) Understanding is lost between real theories and the simplified versions used to explain them to a general audience. For example, the Big Bang theory is based on a large amount of calculus-based physics. It is impossible to explain the real Big Bang theory to a general audience simply because members of a general audience have not taken five years worth of calculus.
b) Poor science education.
c) Disinterest in learning about natural origins on behalf of both the general public and opponents of natural origins.
d) Careless wording by scientists.
e) Misunderstanding on behalf of non-scientists who support natural origins.
f) Deliberate lying on behalf of the opponents of natural origins.
Goals
Another fallacy is that assumtion that the world "had" to become what it became. It goes like this: Big Bang ---> Humanity. This is wrong for two related reasons. First, it claims that the universe went from the Big Bang to the present state, when in reality there were countless other intermediate steps. A more accurate, though still overly-simplistic and missing several steps, model would be: Big Bang ---> Formation of hydrogen ---> Formation of stars and galaxies ---> Supernovae ---> Release of elements ---> Formation of newer stars and planets ---> Abiogenesis ---> Evolution.
The anthropic principle has lead us to think that humans are the end goal of the universe, and the reason why it exists. Young earth creationism, the position that the universe was created magically by God 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, is an extreme version of this. This position claims that the universe did not exist until humans existed (supposedly only a few millenia ago). Science tells us otherwise.
Evolution does not have a "goal" in the sense that most people think.
Scientifically, humans are not the goal of the universe. Philosophically and religously, this may be contested, but an objective scientific stance does not, and should not, make the claim that humans are the reason behind the universe. Scientifically, it did not have to happen, we are just a product and part of the universe (Wilkins).
Other Fallacies
Appeal to Ridicule: Evolution is false because someone is mocking it. Wouldn't it be nice if gasoline wasn't so expensive because someon mocked the idea of it costing $3 per gallon?
False Dilemma: A literal Genesis or the theory of evolution are the only explainations of origins. This is false. There are countless explainations of where everything came from. What matters is where the evidence points.
Wishful Thinking: I don't want evolution to have happened, therefore it did not happen. A lack of desire, to be mild, exists among most opponents to evolution. Reasons include:
a) Position that evolution means there is no god.
b) Dislike of sharing origins with the rest of the animal kingdom; belief that being created from a pile of dirt as described in Genesis 1 is a more flattering origin.
c) Friction between evolution and literalist and fundamentalist religous beliefs.
Reality simply does not care about anyone's personal opinion, nor are any of these reasons necessarily true.
Appeal to Fear: I will go to hell if I support evolution, or people will be angry with me should I support this. Neither of these can be answered by science.
Four Fundamental Forces of Physics
1) Gravity
2) Electromagnetic force
3) Strong nuclear force
4) Weak nuclear force
These four forces are behind everything which happens in the observable universe (Ronan 152-153). Everything which happens can be reduced to one or more of these forces. Why these processes exist and behave as they do is presently not well understood, and new theories such as the Unified Field Theory and String Theory are being developed on experiements to help explain them (HSW).
Big Bang
The Big Bang was an expansion, not an explosion. The idea that is is was an explosion is a strawman version of the theory.
Evidence: Movement of galaxies outwards into the universe, abundance of light elements, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. (Feuerbacher)
Evidence for the Big Bang.
Stars
Stars are produced by gravity's effects on large clouds of hydrogen.
Population III: The oldest stars produced in the early universe. Incredibly massive but started with virtually no metals.
Population II: Intermediate stars. Started with very low metal content.
Population I: Youngest stars, including our Sun. Have the highest metal content.
Supernova
Elements heavier than hydrogen and helium are produced during nuclear fusion in stars. In astronomy, all elements except for hydrogen and helium are called metals (this is different from chemistry's definition of a metal). The materials of our Solar System are the remains of a supernova, and our Sun is a Population I star.
How do we know that? Spectroscopy. This is the same process used to idenify mysterious chemicals in crime labs.
Sun and the Solar System
Inside the Sun, hydrogen is converted into helium via the proton-proton chain reaction (or the CNO cycle, on a much smaller scale).
Colin Ronan said:
Anyone who has studied gravity should not be suprised that our Solar System looks the way it does.
Earth
Everything which has mass, no matter how small, has a gravitational pull. It is difficult to measure except in very large objects, and is often ignored in smaller ones, but it does exist in anything which has mass. The positions of the planets in the solar system, as well as the location of material and their densities within them, are easily explained by gravity.
Abiogenesis
The theory of abiogenesis claims that the first cell originated from a pool of chemicals on the early Earth. A strawman version of the theory, the claim that a "modern cell" originated from a pool of simple chemicals, is often used to show the astronomical odds against abiogenesis. It is both true and irrelevant that it is nearly impossible for a cell to arrive from a pool of simple chemicals. The real (and simplified) version of the theory of abiogenesis is: Simple chemicals ---> polymers ---> replicating polymers ---> hypercycle ---> protobiont ---> bacteria. (Musgrave).
Note that the first cell would not have been as "complex" as modern bacteria. There are four known self-replicators.
Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and Probability of Abiogenesis Calculations.
Evolution
Evolution is defined as "a process that results in heritable changes in a population spread over many generations," and more specifically as "any change in the frequency of alleles within a gene pool from one generation to the next" (Moran).
Natural selection: differential reproductive success of genotypes (Colby). Organisms which do not or cannot adapt to their envirnoments are unlikely to survive long enough to pass along their genes to a subsequent generation. Organisms which "do the best job" of adapting to their environments likely will pass their genes along to future generations.
What is Evolution?
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology: Version 2.
Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution.
29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: The Scientific Case for Common Descent Version 2.87.
Human Evolution
Human remains are not found in most of the fossil records. If humans have been around for the majority of the history of Earth, we would expect to find human remains throughout the fossil record.
Humans did not evolve from monkeys. Humans and monkeys share a common ancestor. There is a huge difference between the two. About 6 million years ago, the lineage of a common ancestor split leading to ancestors of chimpanzees and the ancestors of humans.
Homo habilis: 2.4 to 1.5 million years ago.
Homo erectus: 1.8 million years ago to 70,000 years ago.
Homo neanderthalensis: 250,000 to possibly 30,000 years ago. Not an ancestor of modern humans.
Homo sapien sapiens: Living since about 200,000 years ago. Modern humans.
Y-chromosome Adam and Mitochondrial Eve.
Toba volcano eruption: 70,000 to 75,000 years ago, a volcano in Sumatra. The ash scattered in the atmosphere, lowering the temperature. Caused a bottleneck in human population.
Fossil Hominids:The Evidence for Human Evolution.
Other
Evolution is not the equivalent to atheism. The theory of evolution does not claim that there is no god. Despite the objections of some conservative theists, there are a number of people who are both theistic and support natural origins.
Reasons to doubt a 6,000 year old Earth.
A) There were numerous civilizations thriving all over the world in 4004 B. C. E., the date of creation given by James Ussher in the 17th century based on Biblical genealogies and often cited by modern YECs.
B) Is it genetically impossible that there is so much human diversity if everyone decended from two people 6,000 years ago.
C) Numerous problems with a global flood. More reasons to doubt a global flood.
References
The Universe Explained: The Earth-Dweller's Guide to the Mysteries of the Universe. Colin A. Ronan. 1994. Henry Holt and Company. New York
Kent Hovind's $250,000 Offer. John Pieret. Talk Origins. July 18, 2002. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/hovind.html
What is Evolution? Laurence Moran. Talk Origins. January 22, 1993. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution- definition.html
Introduction to Evolutionary Biology: Version 2. Chris Colby. Talk Origins. January 7, 1996. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to-biology.html
Five Major Misconceptions about Evolution. Mark Isaak. Talk Origins. October 1, 2003. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-misconceptions.html
29+ Evidences for Macroevolution: The Scientific Case for Common Descent Version 2.87. Douglas Theobald. Talk Origins. June 7, 2007. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/comdesc/
Fossil Hominids:The Evidence for Human Evolution. Jim Foley. Talk Origins. April 1, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/
Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics, and Probability of Abiogenesis Calculations. Ian Musgrave. Talk Origins. December 21, 1998. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/abioprob/abioprob.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallicity
The Straw Man Fallacy. Gary N. Curtis. Fallacy Files. http://www.fallacyfiles.org/strawman.html
Fallacy: Straw Man. Michael C. Labossiere. Nizkor Project. http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html
Evidence for the Big Bang. Björn Feuerbacher and Ryan Scranton. Talk Origins. January 25, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/astronomy/bigbang.html
How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question232.htm
Problems with a Global Flood: Second Edition. Mark Isaak. Talk Origins. November 16, 1998. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html
Index to Creationist Claims - Flood. Mark Isaak. Talk Origins. November 5, 2006. http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html#CH400
Evolution and Philosophy: Is There Progress and Direction in Evolution? John S. Wilkins. Talk Origins. 1997. http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolphil/teleology.html
