Poll: Evolution Yay or Nah?

[evilneko]

Bloody... not another one of these already!

http://talkorigins.org/
http://www.youtube.com/user/potholer54
http://www.youtube.com/user/cdk007
http://www.youtube.com/user/AronRa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution
http://notjustatheory.com/
http://nationalacademies.org/evolution/
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

Evolution is science fact.

 

[The Human Torch]

Evolution is fact. It has been proven. You cannot say you don't 'believe' in evolution. That's like saying you don't believe that sharks live in water.

 

[b3nn3tt]

I've personally never understood the argument that 'it's just a theory' or 'science doesn't know everything'. It just makes no sense to me, because the entirety of that argument is based on the hugely improbable and wholly hypothetical situtation that there will be one day in the future when scientists suddenly go 'Whoops, looks like all that evidence we've accumulated over the centuries is actualy wrong'.

There is a wealth of evidence that evolution happened, happens and is happening. The only reason evolution is still called a theory and not a fact is because we still don't know all of the details. Evolution exists, the only things we're unsure about are the precise mechanisms.

Honestly, I am yet to hear an argument against evolution that actually stands as a genuine critique and isn't just 'it's just a theory'. Actually, I'll present that as a challenge; someone suggest an argument against evolution that can stand on its own merits and doesn't require the invoking of 'it's just a theory'.

EDIT: That may have been a tad tangental, so to answer the thread title: yay.

 

[platinawolf]

Well, if god created everything he most likely set things in motion and then just let his "clockwork universe" tick away. Evolution doesn't disprove god nor does it prevent god from being the creator of all things. If god's almighty, he's able to predict how everything will turn out if he takes a bunch of atoms, adds some laws governing how they should behave and then just let it all loose.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Evolution happened. This is scientific fact.

And, well, that's the end of it. We have ample evidence that life has evolved, no matter what people's opinions are. How life is evolved isn't answered clearly yet, and that's what the theory of evolution is all about.

People; remember. that. distinction.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

my logic is this

Because they contradict each other. Also, what's the shame in evolving from apes?

 

[AngloDoom]

Well, if god created everything he most likely set things in motion and then just let his "clockwork universe" tick away. Evolution doesn't disprove god nor does it prevent god from being the creator of all things. If god's almighty, he's able to predict how everything will turn out if he takes a bunch of atoms, adds some laws governing how they should behave and then just let it all loose.

The thing is, for me that just adds another unnecessary element to the whole discussion.

It's like discussing why evaporation occurs and mentioning how the molecules of water vibrate rapidly as they are heated, part with the molecules next to them, the molecules become further apart and becomes a gas. Then it's like ramming "God parts the molecules" half way through the sentence with no logic or evidence to support it.

For me, the problem is that using that logic we could stack a whole range of ideas on top of each other and say they all work with evolution - why stop at God? What if God told Buddha to play down the foundations so Shiva could get to work making some life that God could then tweak bit-by-bit for billions of years?

I'm not trying to bash your opinion as such, but I just don't understand why, when we've already got a strong idea of how evolution works, we add an unnecessary element to it of any kind.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

I take evolution as a theory not fact, it's a very important distinction there.

Theory is vastly supported by facts. Evolution is 99.99999999999999999999999999999999% fact.

 

[Takolin]

What I don't get is when people say:" I don't believe in evolution because it hasn't been proven", while there more's evidence to support evolution than there's evidence to support the fact we were created by a God and that evolution would be a lie.

I mean how can you use an argument about prove when your entire faith is based on something that isn't proven (proved?) either?

 

[yuval152]

Yes,Evoulution is fact and is proveable,religious people can't prove the existence of god.as other said it's like gravity if you don't belive in it you can jump off a cliff and try for yourself.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

Trust no one

 

[thom_cat_]

I take evolution as a theory not fact, it's a very important distinction there.

http://www.notjustatheory.com/

Just making sure you know that

 

[Vault101]

Well, I think evolution is pretty solid as how we got here, there are still questions to anwser. Why do we have such high amounts of technology? Evolution is all about survival of the fittest spreading its genes, so why once we established ourselves, did we continue to explore and discover new things.? The Native American, Mayans, African tribesmen, Aboriginals, all had established themselves in their area, and once that happened, they stopped. Why wasn't this the case for humanity as a whole?
Additionally, why do we have art and such? If evolution is all about the strongest surviving, then what use is art or music to survival? Being physically better would help fight off predators and procure food, while being smarter would allow you to outwit predators, achieving the same results.
Also, why does kindness exist in the world? People will help out those in need, giving their own time/money/energy to help strangers to them, not related in any way. I would think if anything, that is the opposite of what evolution would have you do. Killing off someone would remove them as a competitor for food/territory/mating competition as solitary animals, while allowing the weak and sick to killed off while the group escapes works for herd animals.
These are just some things that I couldn't think of any viable anwser for why evolution would cause such a thing. I could be far off the mark, or these questions could already be anwsered out there somewhere, seeing as how I haven't actively pursued them.

they are

1. there was a book/documentry called "guns germs and steel" which essentially set out to snawer why there is a divide between white people and other races...essentially they said it was all geographical (Im not saying its 100% right but its somthing of an explanation)

BASICALLY the answer lies in farming, hunter gatherer lifestyle you have to devote alot of energy/time into getting food (and the other usuall stuff) when farming comes around and you get more food and do things differently

THEN you get more time to develop culture and such, then BAM we get art and technology and being physically able to "hunt" no longer becomes important

back to the geography thing I think it had somthing to do with those cultures not discovering farming or somthing due to the land...

now obviously I dont know much of what Im saying (its all vauge memory) but basically the reason we have culture is because we didnt have to devote all out time to the basic stuff in life

 

[StBishop]

"Accept as fact"? No.

Think it's the most likely and best explanation science has to offer currently? Yes.

Believe in enough that I would scoff at someone who disbelieves? Yes.

I'm not, however, going to go on record stating it as fact just because we don't have a better explanation. If it were my theory I would, but supporting a theory is as far as I'll go if it's not my work.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I take evolution as a theory not fact, it's a very important distinction there.

http://www.notjustatheory.com/

Just making sure you know that

And that is why I didn't call it "just a theory", and yet it is a theory well supported with facts, but theories extend beyond their facts, it is not set in stone as the full picture is not formed and can ultimately be proven wrong.

Anyone who dabbles in science should understand this, so they don't get their souls crushed when new evidence changes perspective.
And so we don't get another "Pluto is a planet!" fallout.

 

[thtool]

I think the biggest clue that evolution is true is that there is literally no other valid explanation.

People keep saying "well it's just a theory, it could be replaced or changed if we learn more". But that is impossible. There is simply no other option than "animals changing over generations".

 

[Crazycat690]

Well, yes, not doing it is stupid, ok ok I simply mean evolution is the logical answer, it happens ALL the time, it's like asking if you think McDonalds have evolved during its lifetime, yes it has, it still does, logical! I mean, especially if the alternative is thinking everything was created with magic, and the only proof you got is a book written by primitive people in a primitive time to control the other primitive people.

 

[iLikeHippos]

That's a very extreme poll decision. Either you agree with all terms, points and money spent on evolution, or you don't.

What if I believe, and know, creatures and organisms can adapt to certain environmental challenges, but disbelief humans originated from apes, fish than plankton (I forget the prodedure on how we are supposed to have originally originated, but for shame, my brain deletes information deemed useless) and do not agree with the giant loads of money spent on the subject, which I very much doubt we could learn any sufficient information out of that reaches into great practice, or makes justice from the massive budget.

Tl;DR I don't care about your damn biologist fetishes! I just want my plasma shields and spaceships! Is that too much to ask?!

... What? It's a gamers forum. What kind of answer would you expect?

 

[loc978]

Evolution is a damn sound theory with a whole lot of evidence backing it, at least to our current understanding of the sciences... but "accepting it as fact" would be the opposite of accepted scientific method. Evolution is not a religion... yet people treat it as though it is.
Don't believe it, study it. If you can't be bothered to study it, stop bringing it up. Uninformed "believers" in evolution have done a lot to ruin the credibility of the sciences in the eyes of the semi-educated public.