A question about evolution?

Question

When evolutionists speak of evolution they speak of it as having the purpose of survival behind (this animal developed this so that it could do this which helps it survive). Where does that purpose come from? A cell or what?

Answer 1

If I understand you correctly, you wish to know where the drive to survive comes from. It comes from evolution itself. Equating evolution and natural selection to a drive for survival is somewhat of a one-level-removed misnomer. "Survival of the Fittest" must have emphasis on "Fittest" to make sense. Natural selection works because those that survive can pass genes on to others, who will have the same fitness. If an organism has more drive to survive, then that organism will last longer to pass on its genes. If suicidal organisms were somehow better able to pass on their genes, then eventually suicide would indeed become a prevelent happening among those organisms. A long lifespan only has the function of giving more time to pass on more genetic material.

Answer 2

Hmm. Think of it this way:

Suppose you have a special kind of computer. This computer doesn't store programs on it very well... it has a tendancy to add random bits, or change things that are stored on it from time to time.

On your computer you have a bunch of programs, but you forget exactly what they're for. All you know is that you want some kind of result. For our example, let's say that you want the program to draw a straight line on the screen.

So every now and then, you boot up your computer and run all the programs on it to try and find your straight line program. You decide that to save time for the next time you search, you're going to keep the ten programs that seem closest to a straight line, and delete the rest. Then, because you know your computer corrupts programs, you're going to make a bunch of copies of all the programs you've kept.

What you'll observe over time (we know this because some programs have been written in this way) is that the 'surviving' programs will all get closer and closer to line-drawing behaviour, even though you'll still get many mutants that can't draw lines because of the corruption.

And that's kind of how evolution works. DNA is constantly changing through a variety of means: copying errors, radiation, alteration by disease, and so on. Most of those chages are going to produce garbage. Every now and then, something will come up with something new and handy. The selection takes place in the environment, as creatures with new genetic gizmos do better than creatures without. The creatures doing the selection are every other living thing in the environment - plants that don't want to be eaten, animals that want to eat you, and even other members of your own species who would be happy to take the food from the mouths of your starving children. Those that manage to grab the most of what's there get to keep living. Those that don't tend to die off.

That makes sense, doesn't it?

Answer 3

I've noticed that systems which can modify themselves and are in some form of competitive environment will adapt to that environment to grow or become more numerous.

This does not have to be a conscious decision - I'm convinced that organisms (animals, plants, bureaucracies, businesses) grow even if through only random events. Imagine 100 businesses in a city. They all do "random" stuff (not really random, but pretend it is for argument). Those that do stuff that makes them grow (be better to customers, etc.) get bigger, those that do stuff that makes them shrink get smaller and eventually disappear.

Same thing with living organisms, the ones that take on strategies that increase their numbers stay around those that don't, don't.

Answer 4

Evolutionists don't usually speak of a "purpose" of survival, it's just, in layman's terms, "survival of the fittest."

When people talk about "survival of the fittest" it's simply the ability of a species to survive. Where does your survival instinct come from? Do you have kids? Do you want your kids to live?

Anyway, that's a slightly bastardized version. . .

Answer 5

It is a mutation in the genes. Like how you get Albino animals. Since being albino makes it harder for an animals to survive, you don't get more of them in the wild. But if there was an albino animals in a snowy area, or say a polar white rabbit compared to a brown one. The white rabbit would survive better, because it would blend into its natural surroundings.

Answer 6

Good question. Who knows? Regardless, we are here!

Answer 7

Nature is forgiving, up to a point.