werner@aecom.UUCP (04/04/87)
[This article is purposely not posted to talk.origins, and please not add
that group to the distribution.]
One of the arguments against Darwin's theory of Evolution, as so
frequently pointed out with extreme glee and bellicosity by critics of
evolution is that his theory predicts gradual change between species,
and the fact that these have never been found means that his theory is
faulty, and therefore Evolution does not occur.
I would like to point out however, the difference between evolution
the fact and evolution the theory.
OK. Let's make no assumptions about the correctness of Darwin's
theory. One has to admit that the fossil record does show that certain
species were more numerous at different points in geologic time. There
are no more dinosaurs now. There are no traces of humans older than
3 million years old. Clearly the composition of species has undergone
an evolution, a change. That is incontrovertible fact (where fact is
defined as an observation whose denial would require an abrogation of
physics as we know it).
Hence the only real question is how do we explain this evolution.
Do we, as Darwin suggested, suppose that all existing species had as
their origins other species, or do postulate another mechanism, or
perhaps Deus Ex Machina, or even, perhaps Divine Intervention.
True, evolution could have proceeded by continuous divine
intervention. Or as someone once put it, the existence of the watch
proves the existence of the watchmaker. But this belief lends itself
to no testable hyptheses, and is dependent on faith.
Darwin's theory, and the modifications (most of which take into
account facts discovered long after he was dead) do lend themselves
to experimental verification, and do make further predictions.
In conclusion, you may consider Darwinism a belief, even a
religious belief (substitute God for Natural Selection). But
the evolution of species (as defined here, which is how Darwin
defined it during his exegesis), is an verified observation, a
fact, independent of its mechanism or explanation.
--
Craig Werner (MD/PhD '91)
!philabs!aecom!werner
(1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517)
"That's not a philosophy, that's a bumper sticker."roy@phri.UUCP (04/05/87)
In <1004@aecom.UUCP> werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) talks about evolution
and Darwinism. The original had a "Distribution: na" for some unknown
reason; are Europeans not interested in Darwin? I've removed it. Anyway,
I'd like like to point out a recent article which might be interesting to
people who care about evolution. And folks, *please* let's not let this
degenerate into a creation vs. evolution debate, OK?
%A Mark A.S. McMenamin
%J Scientific American
%D 1986
%V 256
%N 4
%T The Emergence of Animals
%X Some 570 million years ago animals diversified at an unprecedented rate.
New body plans and ways of living emerged in concert with a new kind of
community, one characterized by complex food chains.
--
Roy Smith, {allegra,cmcl2,philabs}!phri!roy
System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
"you can't spell deoxyribonucleic without unix!"