which came first the chicken or the egg?

Answer 1

The chicken or the egg is a reference to the causality dilemma which arises from the expression "which came first, the chicken or the egg?". Since both the chicken and the egg create the other in certain circumstances (a chicken emerges from an egg; an egg is laid by a chicken) it is ambiguous which originally gave rise to the other. Purely logical attempts to resolve the dilemma result in an infinite regress, since an egg was caused by a chicken, which was caused by an egg, etc. Since every chicken originates from its egg, it seems obvious the egg came first. Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life. The solution may require an examination of syntax and may rely on verification from advances in modern genetic science. When used in reference to difficult problems of causality, the chicken and egg dilemma is often used to appeal to the futility of debate and lay it to rest.

Answer 2

Trick question! You never said the chicken or the CHICKEN egg! Since reptiles were on Earth before chickens then eggs were on Earth before chickens. That is a trick question. Tee hee. You need to elaborate.

Answer 3

Egg

Answer 4

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Chicken and egg debate unscrambled
Egg came first, 'eggsperts' agree

Friday, May 26, 2006; Posted: 7:33 a.m. EDT (11:33 GMT)


The question has baffled scientists through the ages.
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Manage Alerts | What Is This? LONDON, England -- It's a question that has baffled scientists, academics and pub bores through the ages: What came first, the chicken or the egg?

Now a team made up of a geneticist, philosopher and chicken farmer claim to have found an answer. It was the egg.

Put simply, the reason is down to the fact that genetic material does not change during an animal's life.

Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg.

Professor John Brookfield, a specialist in evolutionary genetics at the University of Nottingham, told the UK Press Association the pecking order was clear.

The living organism inside the eggshell would have had the same DNA as the chicken it would develop into, he said.

"Therefore, the first living thing which we could say unequivocally was a member of the species would be this first egg," he added. "So, I would conclude that the egg came first."

The same conclusion was reached by his fellow "eggsperts" Professor David Papineau, of King's College London, and poultry farmer Charles Bourns.

Mr Papineau, an expert in the philosophy of science, agreed that the first chicken came from an egg and that proves there were chicken eggs before chickens.

He told PA people were mistaken if they argued that the mutant egg belonged to the "non-chicken" bird parents.

"I would argue it is a chicken egg if it has a chicken in it," he said.

"If a kangaroo laid an egg from which an ostrich hatched, that would surely be an ostrich egg, not a kangaroo egg."

Bourns, chairman of trade body Great British Chicken, said he was also firmly in the pro-egg camp.

He said: "Eggs were around long before the first chicken arrived. Of course, they may not have been chicken eggs as we see them today, but they were eggs."

The debate, which may come as a relief to those with argumentative relatives, was organized by Disney to promote the release of the film "Chicken Little" on DVD.


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Answer 5

The egg.

Scientists have actually determined that the egg had to come first because reptiles existed before birds. Repiles lay eggs.
Birds were a genetic mutation....voila. The egg came first.

Answer 6

This question has been asked many, many other times. God made the chicken first so she could lay the egg. Did you mother have you, or did you have her?

Answer 7

the egg, dinosaurs and fish were laying eggs long before chickens even existed

Answer 8

Neither. The chicken evolved from something else and laid the egg.

Answer 9

the chicken. if the egg was by itself for a long time until it hatched, wouldn't it have died? chickens have to keep eggs warm or else the baby chick dies.

Answer 10

Since God made all living things the chicken came first. Do something constructive with your life.