Need unbiased answer regarding evolution -- is it considered theory or fact in the scientific world?

Question

Please support your answer with a source, perhaps, or sound reasoning at the least.

No discrimination intended, but I'm looking for the scientific community's opinion. If you are a Christian scientist, then a Christian slant is acceptable; otherwise, please leave it to the specialists.

Thanks to all in advance!!!

No need to worry, Seanchasworth. Your answer was just fine. I was attempting to avoid a bloody ID vs. EVO brawl but am completely open to researched Christian opinions.

Answer 1

Almost nothing in the scientific community is considered fact, it is shown to be true or shown to be false. A fact implies that the knowledge is the end all be all. But, all real scientists know that ideas are constantly changing, even though it is often more evidence to support the theory.

Think about chemistry for a moment. It took from the time of the Greeks until the mid-1700's until atoms were starting to be accepted. Then people thought that couldn't be divided. then protons and electrons and neutrons were discovered. And then, more complex things were discovered, like radiation and organic chemistry.

Each theory was closer to the truth than the previous. But where does it end.

So back to evolution... Nothing in science is a fact so neither is evolution. However, evidence went into the creation of the theory and there is more evidence being found every day. Is the theory 100% correct? Probably not. But, it is a big step in the right direction from thinking that the hand of god has anything to do with science.

Answer 2

Within the scientific community it is considered to be as close to a fact as you can get. When you hear the term "Theory of Gravity" you don't get a bunch of people saying "Well, it's only a theory!" Same thing with the theory of evolution.

The 'controversy' within evolution isn't whether or not evolution occured, but HOW it occured. The two 'sides' of this issue are gradualism and punctuated equilibrium.

I think the main problem is that so few people know what the theory of evolution really is. The anti-evolutionists have this strawman they use all the time called "Darwinism". Darwinism says that we evolved from monkeys, that evolution is totally random, and many other misunderstandings. No evolutionary biologist thinks we evolved from monkeys or that variation comes ONLY from mutation (other factors contribute to variation, like transposable elements in the genome, retroviruses, etc).

There are many sources supporting an evolutionary model of development. Fossil records are useful and we see speciation all the time. The biggest findings that have turned out to support evolution are in molecular genetics. We can see first hand that our genome has an amazing amount of conserved elements with other organisms.

These comments are not meant as a be-all-end-all argument in suport of evolution. It is a complex subject and if you really want to know for yourself what evolution really is and why we think this is how we came to be human (and horses came to be horses for that matter) you should dive into a college course on evolution or at the very least invest some time reading books by Richard Dawkins and Stephen J Gould.

(Oh and can we PLEASE put to rest that tired strawmen that evolution says we evovled from monkeys? Evolution says NO such thing! At best we're cousins because we share a common anscestor (no longer extant!))

Answer 3

It completely depends on who you ask.

Evolution is a fact. We can see it in our every day life. Just a few weeks ago an article came out talking about the evolution of a certain type of finch that lives on the Galapagos Islands. In just the last 25 years or so, scientists have actually observed the beak of these birds progressively get shorter, sharper, and harder in order to eat harder seeds because the softer seeds of certain plants they used to eat are becoming scarce because of weather patterns killing plants (most think it has something to do with the unusual El Nino patterns of the last century), and the introduction of another species of birds that eats the same seed.. So, evolution is a fact, it happens.

Now as to whether we evolved from monkeys. The THEORY of Evolution is just that: a THEORY. Some scientists will claim it to be a fact because there is a fair amount of supporting evidence available, but there is an equal amount of evidence to support other theories. Evolution gets so much attention just because it is so controversial. As of right now there is absolutely no way for us to prove any of the theories true, we just don't have the technology. I don't know if we ever will. I'm not a biologist (I'm an astrophysicist), but I can't think of any advancement in science that's going to give a definitive answer anytime soon. So until some major breakthrough occurs the idea of species evolution remains a THEORY regardless of what anyone else says.

For my personal opinion: I am a Christian, but I believe that God is dictated by the same universal laws and principles that we are and I think that evolution could have been the method God used to create us. If asked I'll usually tell someone that I do believe in evolution. There are a lot of Christian scientists that believe the same as I do, but there are also a lot that think that I'm going to rot in Hell for believing what I do. Who knows, we'll just have to wait and see.

Answer 4

It is TECHNICALLY considered a THEORY however it is considered to be the BEST theory by most scientists and many just treat it as fact. It can be treated as fact to help support other theories (or facts) However it is important to note that even as a THEORY it still has many missing elements and most people when referring to evolution really are refering to something that is technically called NEO-Evolution and this theory is really only on a MICROEVOLUTION scale. No unified theory of Macro-Evolution has really got much momentum here (and this is were ID comes in because almost all of the evolution theories break down when it comes down to the "where did the FIRST living organism come from" and there is a little problem with GENETIC drift to deal with also.

Answer 5

I'm no scientist, nor biologist, so my opinion may or may not be worth much, but here's my opinion:

Though evolution mechanism is still a theory, it is still a much better way of explaining how life came about than to just say that God created everything. By the very nature of "God", one cannot explain the source of all things. What is God, or who is God, who created God? How did God come into being? All questions with no sure way of answering. So, how did God create all that we see then? Too many questions, and no good answers.

The best theory of life is the theory of evolution because it is based on real archeological evidences, not mere belief. To believe otherwise would be like choosing to have no real explanation at all.

Sorry if I offend anybody, it is not my intention. Faith is important and has its place in society, but it fails miserably in explaining how life came about.

Answer 6

Nice Question, by the way.

It is the nature of a scientist to attempt to explain as much as possible with the information given. Holes in the explanation, or jumps in logic are frowned upon. If scientific evidence pointed to a "God made this" conclusion, scientists would attempt instead to explain it in terms that don't require faith in God.

However, it is mere theory, not fact. Evolution doesn't explain why new species in the fossil record appear in "spurts" such as the Cambrian Explosion, rather than smoothly over time.

It also has trouble explaining the complexity of life - even bacteria have complex "living machinery" with pieces that could not have evolved all at once, but were useless (and therefore would not have been passed on to future generations) by themselves.

Evolution also does not explain how life started anyways - our best experiments can create simple building blocks of life, but strongly suggest that the odds of life evolving by chance in the last few billions of years is unrealistically small.

Disclaimer: I am a Christian, and related to the organization referenced below, whose philosophy is that the Bible and science are not contradictory, but rather the Bible can be used to form a TESTABLE model of creation, making scientific hypothesis that can be researched and tested to be true or false.

Answer 7

My experience across a number of universities and research institutions in three countries is that the "scientific world" (and by this I mean those people who actually conduct, analyze, and publish biological research, not those who simply read and discuss science) believes that the EXISTENCE of evolution is fact. The mechanisms of evolution, or combination of mechanisms and various ecological situations that give rise to different mechanisms of evolution, are not so much "in debate" as the subjects of research at the forefront of biology.

For the record, genuine biology is way beyond a fixation with missing links, or why apes still exist. These are things the lay public gets stuck on because they haven't bothered to learn the underpinnings of Mendelian genetics, population and community ecology, or non-Darwinian selection.

Anyone who tells you the "scientific community" is up in arms about whether evolution exists is using a very poor definition of the scientific community; somebody who majored in a science more than 10 years ago and happens to read the paper now and again doesn't count.

Answer 8

I believe that it is still considered a theory even in the scientific world because they have not been able to find the "missing link," which would link the apes from which scientists believe humans evolved, to humans. I believe that would be the proof and make it the "Evolution Law." I suppose the missing link would have both ape and human characteristics in the same being. At the moment, that creature doesn't exist or hasn't been found. I don't have any sources though.

Answer 9

It's called the Theory of Evolution, though it is widely accepted in the scientific community as "the one true answer". Most theories in science are regarded as true, because of the depth of study and testing they are held to. It's one thing to say a rock is a rock, and quite another to ponder on the origins of man.

Answer 10

enginerd's answer is accurate; same for nemo's. There is no debate in the scientific community about whether evolution is the process that led to life as we know it. The so-called "disputes" are just disagreements over mechanisms. Richard Dawkin's book "The Ancestor's Tale" is a great read on this issue (and generally entertaining).