When a friend tells you he "does not agree" with the concept of evolution

[ShadowsofHope]

-snip-

I am well aware that Evolutionary theory can develop small trends and probabilities here and there in species through mutations, I am not arguing against that. I was simply arguing against the apparent implication that Evolution was being implied to have an "end result", such as the case where many religious individuals believe that Evolution existed throughout biological history in order to eventually bring about human beings as we know them today ("humans are special").

As for your question, no. Even born with adaptations in which prepare an organism to better survive in it's environment, they still have to be wary of unexpected weather systems, predators that will adapt themselves in response to a particular defense mechanism that organism has developed in order to better fend of those predators, human expansion, etc.

 

[Aphantas]

all of those points are true, except that evolution does have an end result, it can just never get there. Evolution heads towards perfection but it can never get there because the factors that affect natural selection are always changing, freak storms happen, predators evolve. To be adequately adapted for a large change in the world is very unlikely.
I agree that it is ridiculous to say that we are the chosen ones, we are a product of a complex series of events, that is all. This does not deny the existence of gods/aliens/etc however.

The subject of this debate however is that technology and society combined can stop and dethrone evolution as the driving force of change for humans, and has already in some areas, not how evolution occurs. Evolution in humans is simply too slow and haphazard compared to technological advancement to compete with technology over the long run.

I was trying to rebut a few people's arguments in that last post, hence the super massive post. I did not mean to argue about the mechanics of evolution, just the implications of them.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Me and one of my collage friends were having a discussion that came to be about evolution at some point. what you need to understand before replying is that this guy is probably one of the smartest people out there, the guy is a certified genius.
He practices Judaism up to a certain degree (separates meat a dairy and other stuff) but calling him religious will be a vast exaggeration.

So when this guy, who is probably the smartest guy I ever met told me he didn't believe that humans are apart of evolution it blew me away. To make things worse he said "there are some things that humans are meant NOT to understand. and we are both Comp-Sci majors so rational thought is a given.

So..... WTF?!?!

He believes that humans aren't animals and that we didn't evolve like everything else on the planet? Anyway, I'd say anyone who says humans aren't meant to know something is afraid of it themselves and projecting, but that's just me.

 

[Olrod]

Um... evolution has nothing to do with perfection. Evolution considers anything that doesn't make a creature die faster, to be a success. That's as "perfect" as evolution will ever strive for.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Me and one of my collage friends were having a discussion that came to be about evolution at some point. what you need to understand before replying is that this guy is probably one of the smartest people out there, the guy is a certified genius.
He practices Judaism up to a certain degree (separates meat a dairy and other stuff) but calling him religious will be a vast exaggeration.

So when this guy, who is probably the smartest guy I ever met told me he didn't believe that humans are apart of evolution it blew me away. To make things worse he said "there are some things that humans are meant NOT to understand. and we are both Comp-Sci majors so rational thought is a given.

So..... WTF?!?!

What part of the concept did he disagree with? Evolution as a whole, or something specific. There are many scientists who support the theory of evolution, but not for example the concept of natural selection. Some don't believe that evolution happens gradually as most seem to think and have evidence to support that too, saying instead it happens in "bursts".

Evolution isn't established fact. It's the most likely scenario but I don't think personally we have all the answers yet, though we're on the right track. There is evidence to support all sorts of things but archaeology and anthropology are like meteorology; inaccurate sciences at best and outright wrong at worst.

We only cracked DNA and the human genome this past century, not to mention the computers and networks that allow sharing of research and data. I think it'll be future generations hundreds or thousands of years from now that really know the answers....maybe even longer. If talking about processes that take thousands or millions of years as our current theory of evolution suggests, then it will have to take that long with all the data and documented research for that entire time for scientists at the other end to look at and compare.

 

[b3nn3tt]

It is the THEORY of evolution not the LAW so until it is proven people have every right to be skeptical.

I disagree, I don't think that there is any good reason to be sceptical of evolution, there is no alternate theory that has anywhere near the same level of empirical support. Saying 'well, science doesn't know everything' is not a valid counter-argument.

OT: I would challenge your friend and ask why it is that he thinks humans are different from other animals in terms of evolution, to find out why he thinks that way. I would then suggest challenging his views, particularly if he offers no support for his belief.

 

[Aphantas]

first to defend my argument

Um... evolution has nothing to do with perfection. Evolution considers anything that doesn't make a creature die faster, to be a success. That's as "perfect" as evolution will ever strive for.

That is the process of Natural Selection, a single trial. Evolution's direction is the resulting trend of many successful trials, which must be always be heading towards perfect adaptation. Each "success" is a step towards one of many possible perfectly adapted creatures.
Predators evolving and Environmental change (short and long term) keep changing what the perfect creature's should be, preventing perfection from ever being realised.

OT: someone not believing humans are evolving the same as other animals, doesn't mean they deny evolution exists. Also there probably are some things that we may be better off not knowing somewhere down the track. But would that stop us? Heck No! Going mad from the revelation is a small price to pay for that kind of knowledge.

 

[Speakercone]

I guess you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason their way into.

 

[CATB320]

Boo hoo, your friend doesn't agree with you. Let him think for himself.

 

[Aphantas]

I am assuming that you are referring to me Speakercone, please elaborate on how my reasoning is flawed.