Can Someone Explain Evolution to Me?

[Sgt. York]

Evolution is not a fact, it is a theory. Your verbiage is not going to change that.

BTW, I believe the theory.

 

[BudAshes]

Evolution is a theory. Period.

 

[sandorski]

Evolution is not a fact, it is a theory. Your verbiage is not going to change that.

BTW, I believe the theory.

Fact/Theory are not exclusive. Evolution is both.

 

[balloonshark]

So many dislike his theory because they were told time and time again from a young age (brainwashed) into thinking man comes from god and woman comes from the rib of man. This they are told is unquestionable and undeniable.

 

[Sgt. York]

In case you missed it, I believe the theory of evolution, I just don't believe it's a fact and I'm not religious in any way.

 

[BoomerD]

Yep. Mt. Dew evolved. By popping into being.
Take a step back and look at what you're saying...

So...Mt. Dew was created by the big bang?

It definitely has evolved since its origin...

 

[soulcougher73]

In case you missed it, I believe the theory of evolution, I just don't believe it's a fact and I'm not religious in any way.

I'm assuming you believe the theory of evolution because it has never once been proven wrong? If so, that is called a 'scientific fact'. That is different from the term 'fact'.

 

[nakedfrog]

So...Mt. Dew was created by the big bang?

It definitely has evolved since its origin...

Devolved, I think you mean.

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

In case you missed it, I believe the theory of evolution, I just don't believe it's a fact and I'm not religious in any way.

Then we're still back to the point where you have a spectacularly moronic view of what "theory" means in the context of science. The "theory of evolution" is a fact BECAUSE it's a theory. You need to put on your big boy thinking cap and try to get that into your brain. It's a fact and you not believing it's a fact is a failure of your intelligence, not a failure of the theory. Got it? No, of course you don't.

 

[Sgt. York]

I'm assuming you believe the theory of evolution because it has never once been proven wrong? If so, that is called a 'scientific fact'. That is different from the term 'fact'.

I will believe the theory of evolution is a fact when it is proven. It has not been proven, only accepted as the most likely series of events. Not proving a theory is false does not make it a fact, it's still a theory.

You can twist words all you want, the THEORY of evolution is a THEORY.

 

[PowerEngineer]

In case you missed it, I believe the theory of evolution, I just don't believe it's a fact and I'm not religious in any way.

Yes, I agree with you.

As others have said, evolution is a theory just as relativity and quantum mechanics are theories. What makes these theories better than other competing theories (like Virtual Larry's) is that they do a better job of explaining the facts we have observed.

In the case of evolution, those facts include observations of species adjustments to changing environments in the short term and the evidence in the fossil record over the much longer term. Although we can never be sure that a better theory will not come along some day, it seems pretty clear that the nature of life on this planet has changed quite a bit over time. It seems to me that the only two explanations are evolution (in the sense that the changed life came from the life before it) or some sort of episodic creation (for which there seems to be no supporting evidence). In my opinion, evolution is the better explanation.

Now theories about what drives evolution (e.g. survival of the fittest) are IMHO much less certain than evolution itself.

 

[PowerEngineer]

I'm assuming you believe the theory of evolution because it has never once been proven wrong? If so, that is called a 'scientific fact'. That is different from the term 'fact'.

This is incorrect. Just because a theory hasn't been proven wrong so far doesn't mean it might not be proven wrong in the future. As an example, Newton's laws were thought to be correct for hundreds of years until Einstein showed they were wrong when it came to handling the speed of light.

I think it might have been Feynman who said there are two types of theories: ones that have been proven wrong, and ones that haven't been proven wrong yet.

 

[soulcougher73]

This is incorrect. Just because a theory hasn't been proven wrong so far doesn't mean it might not be proven wrong in the future. As an example, Newton's laws were thought to be correct for hundreds of years until Einstein showed they were wrong when it came to handling the speed of light.

I think it might have been Feynman who said there are two types of theories: ones that have been proven wrong, and ones that haven't been proven wrong yet.

What you say is true, but you are just using the wrong scientific verbiage to say why its true. As i said a scientific fact is not the same as the word 'fact' used by laymen.

Fact: In science, an observation that has been repeatedly confirmed and for all practical purposes is accepted as “true.” Truth in science, however, is never final and what is accepted as a fact today may be modified or even discarded tomorrow.

This is why the Theory of Evolution is considered to be a scientific fact.

Definitions of Fact, Theory, and Law in Scientific Work | National Center for Science Education

Science uses specialized terms that have different meanings than everyday usage. These definitions correspond to the way scientists typically use these terms in the context of their work.

ncse.ngo

 

[nerp]

Things did just "pop" into existence billions of years ago. We know this quite clearly. Things like math -- you know, which let us figure out how to make computers or land capsules on the moon -- also demonstrate how and when the universe began.

 

[randay]

Ease off on Mountain Dew. Antibiotic resistance is real, and that proves evolution.

If photoshop evolved from microsoft paint, why does microsoft paint still exist? Explain that! you cant! evolution is a hoax!

 

[randay]

the fact that you're a complete moron.

what an interesting theory!

 

[Red Squirrel]

As an explanation for Creation? Where did Mt. Dew come from? Where did anti-biotics come from? Where did the bacteria that obtained the resistance come from? Surely, they must have all "just popped into being... due to evolution". POP goes the Weasel. I guess it all makes sense now.

Let's look at this another way. In terms of Cosmic time-scales, the amount of time that this flying rock we're all on, has been Habitable towards carbon-based life forms, is infintesimally-small, in Cosmic time-scales. Yet, we have this diverse life.

I compare this to encryption, and programming by "random opcodes". eg., the "Infinite Monkeys" theorem of programming.

We *engineer* encryption, such that, given the current state-of-the-art of computational ability, it would EXCEED THE HEAT-DEATH OF THE UNIVERSE, TO BE ABLE TO BRUTE-FORCE IT.

Yet, Evolutionary Biologists, seem to think that we were "Created" via some sort of Infinite Monkeys-type theorem of biology, yet, given the small window-of-opportunity of this life-giving rock, I think it seems infeasible, if that were the "only" mechanism at work.

If you leave an empty mason jar out under vacuum long enough, eventually you'll get hydrogen, then oxygen, then water, then other molecules etc which will eventually evolve into Mountain Dew. The lack of particles inside the vacuum will eventually collide and create energy and matter out of nothing. For the experiment to be valid you should probably leave it in total darkness.

I'm still waiting for the day my cat happens to code an operating system from scratch by stepping on all the right keys on the keyboard. In theory it's possible, there is a limited number of key press combinations in the right order that can launch the right applications and write the right code and compile the first time. Oh, and this has to happen in an empty room, the computer has to get built out of nothing first.

 

[zinfamous]

Yet, Evolutionary Biologists, seem to think that we were "Created" via some sort of Infinite Monkeys-type theorem of biology, yet, given the small window-of-opportunity of this life-giving rock, I think it seems infeasible, if that were the "only" mechanism at work.

Nope. Evolution isn't concerned with "Creation" ...whatever you think that is.

 

[zinfamous]

Evolution is a theory. Period.

just like gravity. Interestingly: there is far more observed, tested, and confirmed evidence for evolution than there is for gravity.

period.

 

[zinfamous]

If you leave an empty mason jar out under vacuum long enough, eventually you'll get hydrogen, then oxygen, then water, then other molecules etc which will eventually evolve into Mountain Dew.

wth? how can you possibly think that this is ever going to be true?

hydrogen and oxygen will eventually "evolve" into Mt Dew?

wtf are you smoking up there in North Mexico?

 

[Red Squirrel]

wth? how can you possibly think that this is ever going to be true?

hydrogen and oxygen will eventually "evolve" into Mt Dew?

wtf are you smoking up there in North Mexico?

That's basically the big bang theory and evolution in a nutshell. That everything came to be from absolutely nothing.

 

[zinfamous]

That's basically the big bang theory and evolution in a nutshell. That everything came to be from absolutely nothing.

no it isn't

 

[sandorski]

That's basically the big bang theory and evolution in a nutshell. That everything came to be from absolutely nothing.

Incorrect. At no time did it come from "Nothing". That is what Creationists postulate.

 

[Sgt. York]

just like gravity. Interestingly: there is far more observed, tested, and confirmed evidence for evolution than there is for gravity.

period.

You can observe, test and confirm evidence until doomsday, but right now evolution is a theory. Throwing in more words doesn't change what is.

 

[sandorski]

You can observe, test and confirm evidence until doomsday, but right now evolution is a theory. Throwing in more words doesn't change what is.

There you go misusing that word again. Evolution will never not be a Theory. Same with Gravity, Germ Theory, and a million other Scientific theories. "Theory" is as close to Truth that Science can achieve.