Why are some people still questioning the theory of evolution?

Question

I don't understand. But I understand that its mostly people in the bible belt of america. What is wrong with the theory and do you have another?

How else does baterium change into a human beings?

well the evidence for it is collosal, its everywhere. It is way more than a guess lad or a suggestion. Perhaps people who question it, should make their questions more vocal for others to hear and then people who understand the theories principles can try to answer their questions.

SHAWTY - thats the whole point! Humans cannot just pop into existence! But thats exactly what the bible says!

the whole point of evolution is that humans evolved from smaller species into what we are today.

Answer 1

There are plenty of web sites loaded with pseudo-scientific gibberish trying to tell people that evolution isn’t true. More often than not, they either don’t understand the basic tenets of what they are saying or they keep repeating things that are simply not true on the belief that if they say it often enough then people will believe them (kind of like politics). Since many people want to believe that they are here for some higher reason, and since many of those many don’t have the scientific ability to reason through the junk spewed out by these anti-evolutionary morons, they jump on the bandwagon and protest against the teaching of verifiable, rigorously tested facts.

Answer 2

My mother didn't like the theory of evolution. I don't know why. She was not very religious and certainly did not believe in genesis or anything similar. My guess is that she thought that the theory is somehow related to marchiavelism. Anyway, if you are strongly emotionally against a theory, you can convince yourself that it's wrong. Similar to all those who reject the theories of market equilibrium because they are socialists, or reject global warming because they would otherwise feel guilty because of their big cars, or don;t believe in genetics because they are afraid it can justify racism etc etc

As for the creationists, I have no clue. As you say, this is an American bible belt thing. It's different over here. I know a lot of very religious people but I've never met someone who had problems with Darwinism. Other than my mother, that is.

Lack of knowledge of biology is certainly a factor. When you read all those pathetic arguments against evolution on this site: second law of thermodynamics, why don't the monkeys in the zoo evolve into humans, how could something as complex as life evolve by chance, where are all the intermediate forms, etc etc. One would think a basic curriculum of biology in American public schools would set some things right.

Then again, most people don't understand electricity either, yet you rarely see posts like "Ohm's law is just a theory". Strange.

Answer 3

I would say around 99% of biologists believe the theory of evolution as fact. Every day biologists are uncovering what each gene in the genome is there for and what it's doing. And guess what, a gene discovered in the fly or the worm or the rat or the chicken is very likely to be doing the same thing in that animal as in the human. Every day there is more and more evidence supporting this "theory". You're right in saying that most people against this theory are religious and not scientists. I suppose the fact that we have evolved rather than been "created by god in his own image" is the thing they do not like about it. However, this theory does not say or infer that god does not exist.

Answer 4

People are supposed to question things, that's how we make progress.
Fundamentalists do not have a theory. They have faith.
Are they all from the US? maybe this is an assumption of yours. If they are there is something weird about Yahoo Answers, because they seem to crop up even when I am in answers UK. Perhaps they are trying to convert the heathen British.
If you read the Bible you will see that it gives two versions of creation, so either they manage to conveniently fail to notice this, or they pick and choose , or they can believe two different things at the same time.
Either way, the possibility of rational discussion is remote.
Fundamentalists question the theory of evolution because it is not in the Bible.

Answer 5

evolution has been disproved a number of times now. first of all, humans just cant appear. We were created by God. Sometimes people get confused about God's existence. He was always here. And if anyone believes in the Big Bang theory, that just like going do a junkyard and blowing it up and getting a mansion with a pool and hot tub with an indoor tennis court. also, the people who believed we just "happened" might as well deny the fact the people created their car. that their car just appeared there out of nothing. but something as complex as the world was obviously created.

Answer 6

Many, many scientists (including biologists) have great reservations about the theory of evolution. The most obvious problem is probably the "missing links". The fossil record tends to show completely formed plants and animals with little evidence of adaptation. Why would an organism tend to develop lungs if it lives in the sea? Without them, however, it cannot leave the sea.

The theory of evolution is exactly that i.e. a theory. As a framework for discussion, it is useful and I teach it but I do make it quite clear to my students that it is not only not proved but unprovable. Some would argue that it is, thus, not a real theory.

Personally and having some detailed knowledge of biology, I also have great reservations about some aspects of it. The problem seems to be with scientists not getting across to non scientists that theories are working statements or proposals. Scientific thought advances by the disproving of established theories and the development of newer theories that better explain experimental data.

A theory is not a statement of truth but a statement of belief. As such it carries no more or less weight than Genesis or any other creation story.

Hope this gets you thinking.

Answer 7

If you tell ppl a lie for long enough then eventually they will accept it as truth......
Its not so much the theory of it that bothers me , though I could ask why aren't their ape men around today, why aren't their all these half animals that are in between animals, everything seems to have evolved so neatly into separate species over this vaguely massive amount of time, ever heard the word design in a nature program - just listen for it next time and then ask who designed it.....
Its the principles behind it - if we are animals then I guess we can behave like them, if we evolved then when did we evolve a soul? I guess we don't have one. So we were created by chance, and not by design. Can't you see it is a cold and heartless theory open your eyes and look at the world around you!
The beauty of a flower, the majesty of the Alps, a tiger's furcoat, a dragonfly, a sunset, 10 zillion stars, a smile on the face of someone you love.....It's not an accident.
'an explosion in a brick factory never created a house (or a mansion for that matter)'

Answer 8

Evolutionary theory is a) simple to understand at a basic level, but b) involves time scales and emergent processes that are highly non-intuitive.

So people aren't intimidated by it like, say quantum physics, but don't really understand or appreciate the workings of it. So, that's enough for many people to feel like they can doubt it. Combine with a religious prejudice against it, and you see what happens.

Poor science education doesn't help, either. For evidence of poor science education, note the responders in this thread that don't understand the scientific meaning of "theory". I already see at least one, and fully expect more to follow.

See:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-fact.html

for more about "theory."

Answer 9

because people assume the statement 'theory of..' means it's just that - a theory., it isn't. it is fact - not all the ,mechanisms are known, but the same can be said for gravity, electricity, in fact anything. everything is a theory till you know everything to be known and are sure it is accurate.
so to answer the question; because they have not enough mind to accept the process. they would rather rely on 'common sense' approach to life (ask some one why chemically lemons and oranges taste different - common sense says different molecules - reality is same molecule, but simply a mirror image).

people are dumb.

they don't want to think.

they'd rather be told.

especially when wrapped up in comforting thoughts (I've got an answer about the best religion somewhere which shows at least I'm consistent)

Answer 10

People who question evolution usually do not know what it is about. I taught science for 34 years, and the biggest fallacy seems to be that man came from apes instead that man and apes had a common ancestor. I always told my students that Genesis, Chapter 1 follows the lines of evolution. These kids always believed that seven days meant seven twenty-four hour days.