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Can Someone Explain Evolution to Me?

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PowerEngineer

PowerEngineer

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2001
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soulcougher73 said:
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.
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This is why the Theory of Evolution is considered to be a scientific fact.

ncse.ngo

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 ncse.ngo
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Well, one of us is using the wrong scientific verbiage and it might not be me. Take note that the definition you provided states that the word "fact" applies to an "observation". An observation (according to Wikipedia) is:
the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during the scientific activity. Observations can be qualitative, that is, only the absence or presence of a property is noted, or quantitative if a numerical value is attached to the observed phenomenon by counting or measuring.
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So theories are not observations, and therefore theories cannot be facts.

It is also noteworthy that the same link provides a definition for theory:
Theory: In science, a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.
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Facts (and other things) can be incorporated, which further suggests that facts and theories are two different things.

So I believe we agree that the theory of evolution is presently the best explanation for the facts/observations that have been made about how life on earth has changed over time. But I do not think that makes the theory of evolution a "fact".
 
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whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
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JEDIYoda said:
Evolution is widely accepted as indisputable scientific fact when, in truth, it is a system of belief. Our everyday lives revolve around science and technology. Science is a process in which we procure knowledge from empirical data. Valid science must have integrity, dependability, reliability, and be trustworthy.
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And just how is Evolution a system of belief? You have never looked up The Theory of Evolution or taken a Real College Biology Course before have you?
 
pauldun170

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,495
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Me - I believe that the methodology I used to come up with an explanation for that thingee is rock solid enough where anyone else can reproduce it and come to the same findings that I did. Once we all agree, we write a fancy letter to strangers and ask them if they think we are assholes or not and if they think we are legit, they charge other people to read the fancy letter we wrote.
Now that I'm bored, I'll look around to see if anything else needs some splaining and go through a whole "to-do" to try and explain it.
If I can't think of a way to test it out, then I'll ask the bros to see if they have any ideas on how to test it out or gather evidence.
If everyone is stumped, we just save for later or someone will try and think of a different angle to approach the problem or something. It gets tossed in the backlog for anyone else to to figure out.

"People who will not be named because forum rules" - That thingee over there?
That was made by spaceman ghost face.
I know for a fact because I believe it to be fact and when you believe something to be fact then it is fact because facts or nothing but believable beliefs and I know its a believable belief because when I said it to someone on the bus they say "Uh Huh" when I told them it was my believable belief.
Anyway , Spaceman ghost face is responsible because that is what some guy wrote in back in the year 1218 when they re-translated some old re-translations that were ripoffs of old pagan dancehall lyrics. Why does thingee exists? Because Spaceman ghost face.
Why did Spaceman ghost face make that thingee? Because Spaceman ghost face.
Never question why Spaceman ghost did it. It's against the rules.
Don' t believe me? then prove me wrong? Also anos in Spanish is different than años in Spanish therefore magnets.
 
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BudAshes

BudAshes

Lifer
Jul 20, 2003
13,990
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JEDIYoda said:
Evolution is widely accepted as indisputable scientific fact when, in truth, it is a system of belief. Our everyday lives revolve around science and technology. Science is a process in which we procure knowledge from empirical data. Valid science must have integrity, dependability, reliability, and be trustworthy.
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You are describing the boy scouts or a good dog.
 
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whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
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JEDIYoda said:
Also a sufficiently dumb person can believe pretty much anything.
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In all of Human History no Believers in the "gods" they proclaimed not even once presented actual evidence that any of those "gods" actually exist.

Even to this day they cling they cling to their foolish beliefs that were disproved Centuries ago by Science.
 
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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
17,382
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PowerEngineer said:
So I believe we agree that the theory of evolution is presently the best explanation for the facts/observations that have been made about how life on earth has changed over time. But I do not think that makes the theory of evolution a "fact".
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As the scientific definition of 'fact', no. As the more commonly-used definition, as in, 'close enough to fact that we can probably disregard anyone that presents a different fact, unless it's super close to the first fact', it passes muster.

The issue with repeating over and over again that scientific principals such as gravity and evolution are 'just theories', it lends credence to the notions of imbeciles that something not-considered-fact by even the scientists that believe/develop them can be simply disregarded, or replaced with an equivalently impassioned presentation of a bearded man in the sky.
 
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RPD

RPD

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
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So much stupid in here. Belief isn't required for something to be true. Don't "believe" in evolution, why stop there, keep going, the world is flat, sun revolves around earth and things we can't see with the naked eye don't exist. Push for maximum stupid!
 
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[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
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Mai72 said:
I was watching a video on YouTube about evolution. It was about how we first evolved from fish. So, it seems that Darwin was mistaken. Our ancestors aren't monkeys, but fish?

1) My question is is this actual fact? Did we evolve from fish?
2) Was Darwin wrong? Why do so many people dislike his theory on how we got here?
3) Are there any cons to evolution that you can think of?

Here is the video.

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To OP, since I'm not reading through the rest of what's likely a cesspool of a thread.

1) Close enough. Barring some overwhelmingly convincing evidence, we evolved from a common ancestor to what we now call 'fish', which managed to wiggle it's ass out of the water to eat things on land, then decided to stay there and make babies.
2) Nope, Darwin's conclusions of his observations weren't wrong, and in fact have been shown right about a million times over. People dislike change, and dislike change that threatens religious dogma even more. See: historical evidence.
3) Not sure what you mean by a 'con' here. There's ways in which evolution does dumb shit, but that usually results in a 'pruned evolutionary tree' as it were. There's no 'con' to believing truth presented by evidence, though.
 
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sandorski

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,785
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RPD said:
So much stupid in here. Belief isn't required for something to be true. Don't "believe" in evolution, why stop there, keep going, the world is flat, sun revolves around earth and things we can't see with the naked eye don't exist. Push for maximum stupid!
Click to expand...

I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky...aaaaaaahhhhhhh I'm fallingggggggg....
 
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sdifox

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,349
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IronWing said:
Having an evolution thread share the front page with the corona virus thread pleases me.
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I bet some people think we can handle virii... Only thing we got that more or less works is the flu shot.
 
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