How can we be expected to answer questions about Evolution when people like this are around?

Question

This is a direct quote from the religion board;

"I have two questions for you:
If we all came from monkeys, why is there still monkeys on earth
and, why are we not evolving from monkeys now. instead we reproduce children within our own bodies, so why did we stop evolving from monkeys?"

Now I ask you, how is someone like myself, or anyone else who studies the Science of Evolution supposed to answer such an inane question?
No, really? How?
When dealing with someone so profoundly ignorant, how am I expected to dumb down the explanation to the point where this person can understand? I submit that it is impossible.
I mean honestly, look at the question!
Let me try and explain it to you. Humans (us) and monkeys (primates) all share a common ancestor. We did not evolve from apes or chimpanzees, they are related to us by common ancestry. That's why we share 99.983% of our DNA with them.
I hope this clears up some confusion and ignorance for some of you, though I doubt it.

The last one was deleted because, apparently, pointing out the truth seems to hurt some people's feelings. Rest assured I have taken off the person's name on this one, so, there should be no problem.

blkrose65,
thanks for proving my point. Tell me, what grade did you drop out?
I'll leave you a link, hopefully it's not too complicated for you to understand. Long story short, the "missing link" is a creationist fantasy, nothing more.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-transitional.html

Try not to get too confused ok?

Answer 1

Finally...someone said what I've been thinking! I am a school teacher and this is the most common argument used by the student to argue evolution! It is very hard to "dumb it down" but you can use the branching taxonomy charts in common use in textbooks to show the concept. While some areas are related...that does not mean that they evolved from each other...just a common ancestor. I also use an example of a family split over a long distance (they can relate to it easily) The families live different lives and, children especially, grow up very differently. While they have the common "ancestor" that used to live in Smalltown, Nowhere... they are no longer "branching" and they are unique from the other branches.

Answer 2

First of all, that person does not understand evolution. Showing someone who does not understand the other side of the debate does not discredit the other perspective.

First, it has not ever been proven evidentially that apes and humans share a common ancestor. Could you please share where you got the figure of 99.983% for human and ape DNA?

"Ever since the time of Darwin, evolutionary scientists have noted the anatomical similarities between humans and the great apes including chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Over the last few decades, molecular biologists have joined the fray, pointing out the similarities in DNA sequences. Previous estimates of genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees suggested they were 98.5–99% identical.1 However, after the sequencing of the chimpanzee genome last year, the DNA similarity was fixed at 96%.2 (See Chimp genome sequence very different from man.)* Now, a new study highlights important differences that go beyond the DNA sequence."
* http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2005/0905chimp.asp

Also,

"For many years, evolutionary scientists—and science museums and zoos—have hailed the chimpanzee as “our closest living relative” and have pointed to the similarity in DNA sequences between the two as evidence. In most previous studies, they have announced 98-99% identical DNA.1 However, these were for gene coding regions (such as the sequence of the cytochrome c protein), which constituted only a very tiny fraction of the roughly 3 billion DNA base pairs that comprise our genetic blueprint. Although the full human genome sequence has been available since 2001, the whole chimpanzee genome has not. Thus, all of the previous work has been based on only a portion of the total DNA"

Evolution is not itself a science. It's considered a branch of biology. Evolution is a hypothesis which many scientists assume correct and base all their assumptions off of. It has traditionally been part of the scientific endeavor to question and critically analyze anything before blindly accepting it. Evolution has never been directly observed.

Even simple statements like this, that wanted to attest to an honest scientific truth:

‘This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.’

are shot down by evolutionists as RELIGIOUS! How is critically considering evolution religious? Criticism is a simple basis of science. Nothing, (except evolution) is considered with out critical evaluation, whether that be a new vaccine or a rocket engine.

Answer 3

One metaphor I've tried is that it is exactly the same as asking "If Americans came from Europeans, why are there still Europeans?" Really, it's exactly the same logic. Just as it means that *some* Europeans, not all, came to and founded America, *some* members of our ancestor species, not all, founded the human species.

But again, that seems to go nowhere.

I have answered this very question ("why are there still monkeys?") at least a fifty times, trying all sorts of different tacks, and I *never* get a response (no "you're wrong because ..." or "ok, I understand now", nothing). Instead, they just disappear and then somebody else chimes in with exactly the same question as if they just thought of it, or as if evolutionists just collapse in utter defeat every time.

Answering this question is like killing ants ... incredibly easy, but there's always another, identical, ant.

The only reassurance I can give you is that these questions by a handful of truly ignorant Creationists, make *all* Creationists look bad in the long run, as those people on the fence about the issue get an example of a Creationist who obviously has NO CLUE about even the basics of what the theory of evolution says. I.e. without you having to say a thing, these Creationists just prove themselves to be lousy places to go as sources of truth or information.

Good luck! It's a hopeless task to convince those who *choose* ignorance as a way of life. (And by the way, when I say "ignorance" I mean complete ignorance of the theory they reject.)

----- P.S. to americana83 ----

You wrote, regarding the "evolution is a theory, not a fact" sticker Creationists want to put in textbooks: that these "are shot down by evolutionists as RELIGIOUS! How is critically considering evolution religious? Criticism is a simple basis of science. Nothing, (except evolution) is considered with out critical evaluation, whether that be a new vaccine or a rocket engine."

It is not the CONTENT of that sticker that is religious. (In fact, there is nothing in the text that I would disagree with.) It is the fact that they only want to put these in *biology* text books (other scientific textbooks like physics or chemistry apparently do not include theories), and that it specifically singles out EVOLUTION, among *all* things in science text books, as requiring special notice. THAT is why these efforts are clearly religious in motive.

Answer 4

Well, science backs this up. Who asked this? Not your evolution teacher, I suppose?

"If we all came from monkeys, why is there still monkeys on earth?" Well, evolution doesn't "erase" the last species. It simple "evolves"! that's what it means. Monkeys can survive just fine, but humans were made becuase we can survive better!

"why are we not evolving from monkeys now?" Evolution depends a lot on chance. One day, something sparked the first human ancestor. We are still evolving from monkeys (by which I mean away from). How many different classes of humans were before the homosapien? The cro-magnon, the neanderthol... oh ,we're are indeed still involving.

"instead we reproduce children within our own bodies, so why did we stop evolving from monkeys?" Well, species are born to their common species. This is true with every creature (save crossbreeds). And we ARE still evolving. That's why people look different. This is why people are born with differnet bone structures, different immunities, different physical makeups... eventually this will lead to another form of human. (not for thousands of years, though).

I've never heard all this before. And, as an evolution expert, I'm sure you know everything I just said in more detail. But I just wanted to back you up on your claim. I don't know who's saying this, but science has answered these questions in the past. Perhaps skimming the works of Darwin and other evolutionary scientists after his time would clarify this mystery for them.

Clearly, these questions are answerable based on the discoveries of evolution.

Answer 5

Take five deep breaths, calm down, and answer the question rationally and logically. It's possible the asker is genuinely ignorant, and not malicious.

>> We did not evolve from apes
Yes we did. If you had a photograph of that ancestor that we have in common with the chimpanzees, you'd look at it and say, "That's an ape." It's an ape. It's just not a modern ape. Go back further in time, and a picture of our common ancestor would be a picture of a monkey -- but not a modern monkey.

Answer 6

The unfortunate truth is that the vast majority of humanity is ignorant of the nature of the universe that they live in.

When people, such as those you describe, are taught from birth that their religious outlook is the correct way to think, and are then given a very poor scientific education, they are reendered largely unable to understand the phenomena about which they inquire. Getting them to trully understand would essentially be equivilant to having them repeat grade school science class, done properly.

You can make them understand, but it's rarely worth the effort. Best just to point them towards some good educational sources on the internet and, if they actually want to learn, they'll take the time and read it for themselves.

Answer 7

Something I've found out over the years is that every one, including me, have a need to defend their position. Two people in a debate over something, both are defending their position do you think anyone is being open minded enough to listen and hear, or are they looking for weak point or opportunity to say what they want to say . I've came away from debates remembering what I said but very little what the other person said, only to find out later I was way off base. Since then I've had to learn to be open minded and to be non responsive. Just because I truly believe in evolution I am not going to try to convince some one that believes in creation I feel I'm right, if they are open for information that's a different thing, but if it gets to the point of debate or argument - non response.

Answer 8

How can someone of your obvious intelligence label a person, such as you quote, as "profoundly ignorant"? Doing so suggests that you are of superior intelligence... even Divinely so! To put oneself above another is arrogant to say the least!
What form of education is it that has made such a person as you automatically think himself superior?
Who convinced you to the point where you no longer question one theory over another? Don't forget, evolution is after all just another one of "man's" theories! And what, pray tell, does sharing DNA with any animal "prove"? Nothing! It's only one factor, or similarity... so what?
Why don't you get off your "high-horse" and spread your investigative prowess out into some of the vast number of other areas of possibilities?
Until you can absolutely prove that no other possibility exists, you're a lone ranger with NO absolute proof!.. NONE!
So tell me, why should anyone listen to you and your "theory"?

Later!

Answer 9

Where is the "missing link"? Evolution as a therory has been studied, discussed, dissected, disseminated for the past 100 years or so, and there is NO, I repeat, NO skeletal evidence of ape evolving into human. Where is the common ancestoer that both monkeys and humans share 100% of the DNA?

Answer 10

I must reply to responder love_to_b_curious.
There are sound reasons for preferring one theory over another, and it is high time that you learned what they are.
1. The theory of evolution is established science: this means that it makes predictions which workers in the field find useful because they are correct. Even if there were not overwhelming evidence showing that the theory is correct, and why (which, of course there is), the fact that it makes correct predictions is sufficient grounds for accepting it.
2. Every theory which posits divine intervention to achieve a result is irrefutable: there is no means whatsoever of showing that such a theory is false (because it could, in fact, be true, with no difference in observable results). It is provable that the predictive power of any theory obtains strictly from its refutability. Hence, no theory involving divine intervention can predict anything: all such theories are useless.