What is a "kind"?

[LittleNipper]

I've told you twice already. EVOLUTION THEORY IS AN EXPLANATION OF THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE. NOTHING MORE.

Stop lying.

So FishFace, EVOLUTION is ONLY A THEORY------nothing more.... Gotcha! So, stop lying.

 

[Molal]

So FishFace, EVOLUTION is ONLY A THEORY------nothing more.... Gotcha! So, stop lying.

Its a theory as defined by science - this is the same as fact in everyday nomenclature.

 

[LittleNipper]

BS. Explain yourself. Also, mathematics is not a science.



But there are plenty of observed instances of speciation. And it's species, not specie.

You say so. Tell that to Einstein. Without math, there would be no science. Without science, there would still be math.... Which one is most important?

 

[Molal]

You say so. Tell that to Einstein. Without math, there would be no science. Without science, there would still be math.... Which one is most important?

Look up the definition of theory - it isn't difficult.

You need to review your historical knowledge concerning Einstein, science and math.

You will find you are wrong.

 

[Aron-Ra]

(I love the way you guys use the word magical as a synonym for divine or supernatural.

That is the correct useage of that word. If you don't believe me, look it up.

 

[Edx]

So FishFace, EVOLUTION is ONLY A THEORY------nothing more.... Gotcha! So, stop lying.

Just as thermodynamics aerodynamics and atomic theory are ONLY THEORIES and "nothing more".

You knew that, so why dont YOU stop lying?

 

[[serious]]

Just as thermodynamics aerodynamics and atomic theory are ONLY THEORIES and "nothing more".

You knew that, so why dont YOU stop lying?

And gravity

 

[Split Rock]

So FishFace, EVOLUTION is ONLY A THEORY------nothing more.... Gotcha! So, stop lying.

That is what he called it... a theory. When did he lie?

You creationists don't understand the English language... do you? Here is a list of English words you guys don't understand:

1. theory
2. religion
3. faith
4. lie
5. insult
6. ignorance
7. persecute
8. proof

 

[DarkerKefka]

And gravity

Don't forget germs!

 

[Aron-Ra]

That is what he called it... a theory. When did he lie?

You creationists don't understand the English language... do you? Here is a list of English words you guys don't understand:

1. theory
2. religion
3. faith
4. lie
5. insult
6. ignorance
7. persecute
8. proof

I've tried to help them with these things.

Fable / parable: a story of supernatural or extraordinary persons or incidents, not based on fact, but narrated as if it were actually so for the purpose of relating a useful truth: especially one in which animals speak and act like human beings.

Fairy Tale: a fictional story that usually features folkloric characters (such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events.
Far-fetched folkloric enchantments, giants, witches, devils, and talking non-human animals; sounds fictional to me.

Legend: An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.

Mythology: A collective body of legends associated with a particular culture or religion.

Religion: A doctrine of ritual traditions, ceremonies, mythology, and associated dogma of a faith-based belief system which includes the idea that some element of ‘self’ (be it a soul, consciousness, or memories, etc.) may, in some sense, continue beyond the death of the physical being.
A religion is not 'any ol' thing you happen to believe.

God: (1) A magical anthropomorphic being, central to most religions, who’s continued existence is believed to be independent of whichever physical form(s) it may use.
(2) The name by which the sole or dominant deity is known within a given religion.
The word, god, and even the name, God, refers to more gods than just your god.

Avatar: A god in human form. A minimized manifestation of a superior being: A character in a limited realm that is representative of a player outside that realm, and a simultaneous extension of that player such that both share the other’s identity.

Magic / miracle: Something which is both inexplicable by science and impossible according to known physical laws. The term, ‘miracle’ applies only to the magic that gods do.

Faith: A firm, stoic, and sacred conviction which is both adopted and maintained independent of physical evidence or logical proof.
Faith is not simply synonymous with 'trust', and some people don't have it.

Apologetics: A practice of rationalizing away any and all uncomfortable facts which would otherwise compromise a religious position.

Theism: A strictly-religious perspective which includes one or more gods.

Deism: The belief that a creator god exists, but that it has since removed itself from material reality, so that it does not respond to prayers, and does not interfere with the laws of nature or the affairs of men.

Atheism: A perspective which may or may not include religious spiritualism or superstitions, but which does not include gods.
Some religions are atheist and some atheists have no religion.

Pantheism: The worship of nature rather than a god. This may be either spiritual or merely aesthetic.

Rationalism: A secular perspective that belief should be restricted only to that which is directly- supportable by logic or evidence, and that, while many things may be considered possible, nothing should be positively believed unless positively indicated via the scientific method.
This is what most Christians think 'atheist' means.

Secularism: The belief that activities and decisions of society should be based on rationalism as opposed to faith, and that freedom of religion isn’t possible without freedom from religion, especially in politics.
It is not related to Communism!

Humanism: (1) An irreligious pursuit of truth which rejects faith and which considers morality and ethics to be naturally universal human qualities.
Contrary to popular belief, humanism was not ruled to be a religion by the Supreme Court. Those who claim otherwise misinterpret the ruling of Justice Hugo Black in the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins.

Science: An objective method of measurably or verifiably improving our understanding of physical nature in practical application, or in mathematics, or through experimentation and observation, and proposing falsifiable hypotheses explaining facts in a theoretical framework which is then subjected to a perpetual battery of critical analysis in peer review.
It is not "a conspiracy against God."

Fact: Anything that is verifiably true.
If it requires faith, then it ain't verifiable. Get it?

Evidence: Factual circumstances which are accounted for, or supported by, one available explanation over any other.
That means we can't both cite the same evidence!

Belief: Something one may be convinced is true, but doesn’t actually know to be true.

Knowledge: A belief with an objectively demonstrable or testable measure of accuracy.
If you can't show it, then you don't know it.

Hypothesis: A potential explanation which includes some way to determine whether it is inaccurate or incomplete.
Its not 'blind speculation'.

Law [of nature]: A general statement in science which is always true under a given set of circumstances. Example: That “matter attracts matter” is a law of gravity.
It is not a commandment!

Theory: (1) A potentially-falsifiable explanation of a set of related facts or a given phenomenon. Example: Why “matter attracts matter” is a theory of gravity.
(2) A field of study including all known facts, hypotheses, and natural laws relevant to that particular body of knowledge.
Its not a guess!

Proof: [legal sense] An overwhelming preponderance of evidence showing beyond reasonable doubt that a particular point or explanation is at least mostly true.
[scientific sense] As above, except that positive proof is only permissible in mathematics. Science forbids anything to be proved posatively –because that would imply complete knowledge which science considers to be impossible. Likewise, it isn’t possible to prove anything in the negative, such as the claim that there are no little green men in space. However there are no restrictions against dis-proving any proposed scientific explanation: Example, phlogiston theory was disproved by the discovery Oxygen by Joseph Priestly in 1771.

Abiogenesis: A collection of [so far inconclusive] scientific hypotheses which hold that the environment of the newly-formed Earth was once such that it caused replicating enzymatic polymers to be modified into chemical hypercycles, the basis for protobionts, homeostatic virus-like proteins. A complicated series of as-yet unknown chemical changes are believed to have resulted in some of these becoming metabolic, and thus ‘alive’ by the current scientific definition. Various explanations are offered for how RNA proteins and subsequent polynucleotides formed allowing life to begin evolving.
It is not spontaneous generation, or "mud coming to life!" (that's creationism).

Evolution: “Descent with modification”. A process of varying genetic frequencies among reproductive populations; leading to (usually subtle) changes in their morphological or physiological composition, which –when compiled over successive generations- can increase biodiversity when continuing variation between genetically-isolated groups eventually lead to one or more descendant branches increasingly distinct from their ancestors or cousins.
It is not "How life began without God." Its not "how life began" at all, and it certainly isn't 'anti-god', and its got nothing to do with the origin of the universe. Its simply how lineages change and diversify over many generations; that's all!

Microevolution: “Small scale” evolution within a single species / interbreeding population.
It does not include speciation! Horses and asses and zebras are different species, not different kinds of the same one.

Macroevolution: “Large scale” evolution between different species / populations: The emergence of new taxa at or above the species level.
It is not 'molecules to man', nor is it the origin of life, nor is it ever "one thing giving birth to another completely different thing."

Creationism: a form of religious extremism which fails to distinquish doctrine from deity, and consequently regards its traditional mythology as an ultimate and unquestionable authority, rejecting both the conclusions of science and its methodology where either appear contrary to their own preferred assumptions. Specifically, it is a political movement which promotes the dogmatic belief that life-forms did not evolve naturally, but that life, the universe, and everything was created magically -as according to their sacred legends.

 

[Molal]

Excellent Aron - thank you.

 

[Loudmouth]

You say so. Tell that to Einstein. Without math, there would be no science. Without science, there would still be math.... Which one is most important?

Math is actually a philosophy or metaphysic. Without science you would be killing deer with rocks. Without math you couldn't keep track of how many you killed. Which is more important?

 

[FishFace]

So FishFace, EVOLUTION is ONLY A THEORY------nothing more.... Gotcha! So, stop lying.

Lie about what?

Atomic theory is "only a theory" but I don't hear you complaining.

 

[FishFace]

I am still laughing at the heat wave in Helsinki.........

Some coincidence, huh?

 

[FishFace]

You say so. Tell that to Einstein. Without math, there would be no science. Without science, there would still be math.... Which one is most important?

Without science, there would be no computers. Without computers, there would still be science. Does that mean science is computers?

Mathematics is a completely different branch of philosophy.

What the Sam Hill kind of crazy logic did they teach you?

 

[monkeypsycho62]

Some coincidence, huh?

It must have been God telling AV to stop giving him a bad name.

 

[monkeypsycho62]

Beats me.
I haven't a clue.

 

[ReverendDG]

we need that post stickied somehow aron!
maybe then people will stop trying to change meanings when they can't win.. oh wait that will never happen

 

[TheOutsider]

we need that post stickied somehow aron!

I second that motion!

 

[Tomk80]

It must have been God telling AV to stop giving him a bad name.

It's a sign! Halleluja, praise Jesus!