Poll: Do you support evolution?

[Daverson]

We've seen evolution as it happens. We've been using genetic selection our own ends for over a few millennia (you think something like a pug occurs naturally?). Personal belief has very little to do with proven fact.

Someone who, in spite of irrefutable evidence, presumes to tell you something doesn't exist, is not someone you should listen to.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Out of curiosity, where does your knowledge come from? Traditional education or self-conducted research?

Well im educated up to A level biology but I've taken a year out in which I've devoured my university textbook and done some real biology in a lab in genetics. So a little of both. Im starting my actual biomed course in about a month :3 Im glad you enjoyed my post!

 

[someonehairy-ish]

So I vote for Creationism b/c I really don't want to know everything that there is to know.

I love that sentence. Just by itself. It's so perfect.


OP: Voting for evolution, of course. The evidence is really overwhelming, however you may personally feel about it...

 

[Tactical Pause]

Oh boy, this sure is a thing.
You are aware that about 98% of anyone religious does believe evolution to be a thing and that religious =/= creationist, yes?

So yeah, you'd be hard pressed to actually find someone who's a creationist.

I've seen more people zealously fight that Darwin to be the new god than I have people who zealously fight evolution.

Well, I'm not sure where you live, but over here in the US we have some... issues with evolution. In fact, 40% of our population rejects it entirely, which really just depresses me in this day and age. With roughly the same number mixing evolution with religion, that's about 50% of christians in the US who don't believe in evolution.

Source: [link]http://www.gallup.com/poll/145286/four-americans-believe-strict-creationism.aspx[/link]

OT: Of course I 'believe' in it (or however you want to put agreeing with solid factual evidence), as do most people in this corner of the internet.

 

[TheEndlessSleep]

This is kind of a non-question really, as evolution doesn't require belief.

You can either choose to embrace the evidence, or ignore it. Either way, the evidence is still there whether you like it or not.

The GFSW (Giant Floating Space Wizard) on the other hand, requires your belief because there is no evidence beyond what you get told by other people who believe in him.

 

[Shadowstar38]

Is this a Deist position or Abrahamic?

I guess that's more of a Deist viewpoint. Though I usually don't describe myself as one. That's a whole complicated mess in itself.

 

[Maevine]

I see both God and evolution as being unquestionable in their existence. Even my Bible evolves!

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Absolutely 100% for evolution with no religious residues mixed in between.
Also like everybody else pointed it out: it's not about belief, it's about knowledge or understanding. I mean it's there whether you believe in it or not, unlike religion!

 

[irok]

I'm agnostic, at least that's what I'm calling myself and I believe in evolution , the big bang and maybe god, just not the god depicted in any religion.

 

[hornedcow]

I'm strongly resisting the urge to reply to every "God could have designed evolution" comment with a long Hitchensian rant, but I suspect this is neither the time nor place. Regardless, that organisms change over successive generations is a proven fact, all that's currently debated within the scientific community is the means by which that occurs. And no, intelligent design is not a science, at best it's just pseudoscience, but more often than not it's religious dogma masquerading as a legitimate reason-based worldview, another move towards marginalising anyone with the gall to think for themselves.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Makes more sense than some divine entity snapping his fingers and conjuring us from the either.

 

[Bertylicious]

Yes, I believe in animals.

I'm a bit saddened that this is really a contest. The evidence is clearly in favour of evolution. I say this as a Christian.

So yes, Chalk me up as one for team science I guess.

You're a christian? Huh.

OT: I don't "believe" in evolution so much as I've read and viewed the evidence and it seems to make sense and be backed up by a lot of... well, evidence.

We can map out a lot of evolutionary paths for animals, we can find evolutionary dead ends too.

I'd really recommended people to watch some stuff like this:

Spoiler

And the follow up:

Spoiler

Oh and every time I see a lunatic argue that bananas are shaped for our hands by god or whatever I crack up.

Evolution is a thing, maybe some deity set the universe in motion, but nothing was created as it is now.

David Attenborough does subscribe to that theory about aquatic humans though and that isn't supported by any evidence. Indeed, the background to that theory is not dissimilar to the whole bannana hand thing.

Wait, was that the point? I'm on break so can't watch videos.

 

[Alfador_VII]

Yes, but like many in this thread, I question the use of "believe" in the poll.

Belief implies that you just think it's true, without any empirical proof or anything, like with belief in God (any sort of God)

I'd prefer that I accept evolution as the most likely explanation for how we got here. There's plenty of good evidence for it, so I'd say it's extremely likely indeed.

 

[TheOneGuyInNebraska]

Where's the option for "I'm team God and I still vote yes on evolution"?

Or do we just not exist apparently (Last time I checked I was pretty sure I existed)

 

[xshadowscreamx]

we still having this conversation in this day and age of our overlord called science?

 

[knight steel]

I don't know maybe?
Wait I have an Idea lets ask the man himself!!
Hey Charles what your thoughts on the matter being discussed?
And there you have it folks

 

[SmokingBomber465]

Hey, look, 11 people are wrong! Don't let anyone fool you, there is NO argument against evolution. You are just wrong.

Not believing in evolution is like not believing in gravity.

 

[Jadak]

Yep, that right there.
Maybe I'm not convicted in my faith enough or whatever but I never saw why science and religion can't coexist. The systems of science are obviously there, they clearly exist, I don't see why I can't say that God put them there.

No reason you can't. Problem is that too often, those whose object to science can't seem to avoid viewing it as a conflict, and the same goes for the more hostile ahtheists, are other religions. Once they get it in their heads that someone elses beliefs conflict with their own, the struggle to be proven correct takes precedence over relevance.

So, people start lumping things together in ways such as 'fuck science and evolution, as defending their 'side' becomes more important than trying to incorpate such concepts into their beliefs. And on top of that, some slippery slope logic fallacy comes into play where they feel that any concession will lead to more, and next thing you know everything they believe will be gone.

 

[Something Amyss]

Like I believe in gravity.

Though I don't know we should use the word "believe". We tend to not use it when discussing things like the existence of trees or each other.

"Belief" does sound like we're playing their game. I don't really believe in it (or gravity) but rather accept the facts. Science doesn't really need faith: any worthwhile science is reproducible.

In any sense, I'm team science, because it works!

 

[Snowalker]

That Poll is kinda flamewarish... I'm Deist, so I believe in a god, but I "Believe" in Evolution as well... But I mean, do you believe in gravity? Or thermodynamics? I mean, evolution is kinda a fact of nature. Just because you believe in a deity doesn't mean you think he purposely created us...