Why do people believe in Evolution?

Question

even though top many evolutionists, including but not limited to Sir Fred Hoyle and Michael Jay Gould, have said "The chance that higher life forms might have emerged in this way is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junkyard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the materials therein." PS, if Evolution is true why would we have a huge percentage of brain power -- perhaps 90% -- that we will never use. (Evolution presumes traits arise for usefullness)

Hey ratbrain, the appendix fights diseases and same with the tonsils

Answer 1

Proof texting: the effort of the desperate to take statements out of context in order to prove a point that is based entirely on emotional thinking and flimsy evidence. You have a lot of nerve trying to turn Stephen (not Michael) Jay Gould into a creationist, and Fred Hoyle is thought of as a crackpot by most astronomers, of which he is one, and irrelevant by most biologists, of which he is not one. (He has continued to reject the "big bang" theory, despite the ongoing accumulation of evidence for something akin to its occurance.)

Besides, you are being illogical and describing something never asserted by evolution. Let's take your tornado example: That is entirely too random and catastrophic a description. Besides, humans designed a Boeing 747 for a particular purpose. Mutations occur at random, but envionmental pressures allow certain mutations to be selected for carrying forth to following generations. However, there is no design. It is the mutation that provides the best surival and reproduction mechanism at that given moment. There is no "direction" to evolution, no design, and every creature currently alive is just as equally well evolved to meet the environment. If it fails to adapt as the environmnet changes, it will be come extinct and leave a gap for an increase in the population of other existing species or for newly adaptive species to exploit.

What evolution does is remove humans from any apex. In fact, it removes the apex from life at all. We exist along side the other plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses as the current survivors.

I think if you were to review the evidence for evolution with an open mind, you would find that it provides a more compelling explanation for the origin of species than any other yet put forth. You can find summaries of evolutionary theory at http://www.talkorigins.org .

Also there is a podcast describing the theory called "Evolution 101" available through http://www.drzach.net .

Answer 2

For the same reason I believe in quantum physics, mathematics, einstein's relativity, and gravitational theory. Some thoughts about the items you cite:
1. Hoyle was the one who stated your quote. He also rejected the Big Bang and favored a 'steady state' theory; his theory was shown to be incorrect. Biologist Richard Dawkins rejects his statement as a straw man argument writing, "If he'd said 'chance' instead of 'natural selection' he'd have been right. Indeed, I regretted having to expose him as one of the many toilers under the profound misapprehension that natural selection is chance."
2. Who is Michael Jay Gould? Do you mean Stephen Jay Gould?
3. The 10% brain-usage is an urban legend; Over the course of a whole day, just about all of the brain is used at one time or another

Answer 3

We use our entire brains. It's a myth that we don't. The appendix is not used for fighting diseases. That is ridiculous. It is a vestigial organ that is used to digest tough plant matter in other animals. Why don't people get sick and die when it is removed if it fights disease? Also, why do we have wisdom teeth? Simply to give dentists something to remove? Why do men have nipples? Why do we have tails in the womb and tail bones out of it? Goosebumps are vestigial as well. They are used in other animals to make their fur stand up so they look larger to scare off predators. All these are only the vestigial structures that we humans have. There are many more in other animals. God would have made us perfect and without flaw since he is perfect. I hope this has made you question what you believe. If you want a good book to read, "The Third Chimpanzee" by Jared Diamond is a good one.

Answer 4

regrettably, convinced. i do no longer understand the way they could deal with the cognitive dissonance. you at the prompt are not nicely-knowledgeable because you do not do not ignore that theory is the optimal aspect in technology. that's no longer a guess. it really is ignorant to assert "only a theory". the standard ancestor of all apes (mutually with people and chimps) is a monkey and that would nicely be shown on your pride. It does no longer be counted upon the theory of evolution. it really is a reality. Theories do no longer have data which in worry-free words applies in mathematics. Theories have data. there is not any data of a god of any variety. Theories are falsifiable. it really is a function, no longer a trojan horse. If data is produced that shows yet another theory or this one desires replace, then we discovered something and are grateful for it. faith does no longer have that function. And it really is requred. So advent through a god isn't able to being a theory. because the discovery of mitochodrial DNA ancestry should be determined through genetic mapping and we do not desire bones to verify the theory. Theories make predictions and would nicely be used to develop different theories and open up totally new strains of inquiry. the theory of evolution is sensible because is works, no longer inevitably because it really is reality. Evolution is reality yet organic determination is a theory. final analysis is that it quite works. God as a proof doesn't paintings for us and could no longer be an answer in that regard. Its an excuse now to not imagine about it.

Answer 5

Wow jeff, the moron fairy really left you a double helping today did'nt she?
We in the scientific world don't have to believe in evolution, we know it has happened and continues to do so. We are no more required to believe in Evolution than we are required to believe in entropy. It happens. No matter how much you ignorant creationists plug your ears, stamp your feet and yell "no it doesn't! no it doesn't!"
The fact is, evolution is a scientific fact. Nothing you can say or do will change that fact. Accept it.
If you'd rather stick to mythology and fantasy, by all means, continue to believe in creationism, you have no proof of it of course so belief is all you have.
See the difference?
Scientific fact, no need for belief.
Fantasy and mythology, no proof ergo belief is required.
Get it now?

Oh and if you need more proof, here is a news article that appeared today on Yahoo;
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060920/sc_nm/ethiopia_fossil_dc
Try not to let the big words hurt your head...

Answer 6

Will you bury or cremate your strawman when you're done knocking it down?


Evolution doesn't "presume traits arise for usefullness"; evolution states that if a mutation doesn't kill you before you can make babies, then the trait can be passed along.


Oh - as for your "Boeing 747" analogy.....if you had a tornado that started tossing parts that WOULDN'T work for a 747 (as mutations that are "bad" will kill the organism), then you could easily get a 747.


Evolution is a non-random process caused by random mutation.

Answer 7

if you didnt believe in evolution, did we have a boeing 100 years ago? and no, we dont not use the 90% of our brain. we use 100% of it most of the time... we use only some percentace for thinking. others are for hearing and automatic stuff. if you get what i mean. and no, boengs dont reproduce so there is no chance of mutation to form a higher animal*

Answer 8

I believe it because of our appendix. It used to have a function, but now is virtually useless. This proves that evolution is real, as an organ will only lose a function after the person has adapted to an environment where this organ is not longer needed.

Like our tail bones.. we have them, but they aren't used. We have evolved to the point where we don't need them, because we have found a way to adapt without it, and now we are better for it.

Answer 9

You mean E-V-I-L-U-T-I-O-N . Because we want to think (believe) we are in control and eliminating our creator, God, puts us at the top.
Try looking in the Bible, God will open your eyes. Read Romans 1:18 -25. Evolution is a crock, I used to be one of those Yah-Yah puppies and believed all that "evolved to" and "billions and billions of years" stuff, I have a copy of "Cosmos" . And the many times they had to change stuff for it to fit their "Today's Discovery". Don't let them take you down with them. Nothing mutates to be better. The world is not getting better, it's falling apart.
If we're so closely related to the ape, then how come, to be very off color, can't we produce offspring. Because God created us and all the creatures "to their kind". Genesis 1:21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems ( according to its kind) and every winged bird (according to its kind.) NIV Wolf, Boston terrier, Poodle, Shepherd, Yorkshire, all dogs, you can breed any one of them together, and what ever you get is still a dog. You can't breed a dog and a cat. Sorry, I can't do the evolution thing in any way or form, not anymore.

Answer 10

THIS TIME TABLE AND PROOF OF IT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME

Gen.1:1,2 All existed, evident as billions in time.
Gen.1:3-31 [ earth a focus, 41,870 years to Eden and all perfect ];
Gen.2:2,4 [ Heb.4:1-12; Eden and world began ];
Inhabitants meant to be perfect, perfection lost, at the end of 7,130 years the last 1000 years is Rev.20:1-6,13,14; It will end with all made as perfect as it was intended to be the whole 49,000 years and be a world without end on an earth without end included in time with the billions that had already existed before the earth became a focus.
John 17:3,5,24; Job 38:4-7; Job 2:1-2; Eze.28:13-15; Isa,14:12-14; Rev.5:11; Matt.26:53;
The inhabitants of heaven saw earth become a focus for habitation.
Adam was the first man, Eve was the first woman as created souls Gen.2:7; Isa.42:5; Num.16:22;
Abraham was #20 in the genealogy of Jesus. Matt.1:1-17;
Jesus was #62 from Adam, born as savior of the world 2006 years ago.