is evolution a falsifiable hypothesis?

Question

Someone offered this in another question, thinking, I presume to offer more credence to a theistic position.

Here is my opinion... Evolution, unlike the existence of a God IS a falsifiable hypothesis. That's part of what makes it science. The reason it hasn't been disproven is because there is no contrary evidence.

Showing evidence contrary to evolution wouldn't be difficult if it existed. If the animals on Earth didn't show evidence of heredity with older species, or if they showed markedly different structure, without common traits such as a common bone structure, that might work.

I guess I'm interested in seeing the different viewpoints, such as how creationists claim that evolution isn't falsifiable, and how evolutionists respond. What sort of exchange might this be?

This is so sad.... I was hoping for at least one intelligent remark from the creationist side. I received this email:
From: CHERISH

Subject: evolution

Message: hi to answer your question yes because it stupid to belive we were made by apes

This sort of typifies the remarks from that side as this person answered "yes" and then debunks her own answer with typical creationist banter.

I suppose that the lack of erudite responses shows some level to which certain people become brainwashed to be able to avoid anything that looks like real science.

Answer 1

Actually I was hoping more theists would try to answer that question. I was hoping that they might get an Idea about what it means for a hypothesis to be falsfiable. I was pleasantly surprised by the responses that I got from the atheistic people here who understood the meaning.
Yes the theory of evolution can be falsified and tested. Yes there is evidence supporting. Yes, Yes, Yes.
For myself though I think that the God theory needs to be challenged in a more concrete way than positing Bertrand Russel's "Teapots" like IPU or FSM. There must be some method that is stronger but short of violence. Something that even the most ignorant can understand. Something that every Comedian can use.

Answer 2

Yes, it is a falsifiable hypothesis. You're on the right track there.

We have so far seen no contrary evidence, nor do any other theories contradict it.

Many people who try to make amateur scientific arguments against evolution have an incomplete understanding of the theory. For example, monkeys and apes are currently evolving and adapting to their environment. It's not a ladder with humans at the top, it's more of a tree, with many biodiverse species filling niches in the environment.

Whether or not God did it, though, is not falsifiable, and therefore is a matter of faith.

Answer 3

Yes, Even after so many complicated terms and devices ,used by scientists to determine the origin of matter, should come up with no firm conclusions; I would still turn my nose up to the simplistic, and primitive notions presented in the Bible.
Furthermore, I would remain confident that Evolution would eventually reach the status of fact for all reasonable people.

Answer 4

The primary problem with Creationism is that it presupposes "Intelligent Design", and since there are so many examples of very "unintelligent" features within the scope of life-forms, for Creationism to be credible, God has to be an idiot! Why do male mammals have nipples? What did God have in mind when He "designed" the guinea worm? The evolutionary model provides for "progress" to occur by a random process of mutations, some beneficial, some not, and some irrelevant. Under those conditions, there is nothing illogical about what we CAN observe around us and in the fossil record. (Oh yes, I almost forgot...Creationism also requires God to be so mean, or perhaps just "witty", that He hides fossils of fake intermediaries. What a wacky deity!)

Answer 5

I haven't read any evidence that life can come from nonlife without intelligent direction, so evolution can't get started. I also haven't read about many mutations that produce genetic information, which would be necessary for evolution to be true. If life can't come from nonlife without intelligent direction, then theistic evolution is the best they have, 0+0 doesn't equal 1, so nonlife + nonlife doesn't equal life, unless you have an intelligent agent directing it.

Speciation isn't evolution. New species can arise when some animals get separated from the main group, however, this is a loss of information, bc that group of animals no longer has access to the genes in the main group. This isn't what evolution requires, it needs new information to be formed, and mutations don't do that.

Answer 6

Evolution isn't a hypothesis... it's a theory and observable fact.

But like all other scientific theories, it IS falsifiable... that's how the theory has "evolved" (no pun intended) over the years.

Answer 7

YES

It is absolutely a scientific theory and therefore falsifiable in principle.

Creationists have been trying for well over a century to find a fault with it - their failure to do so, tells us something, I think.

Answer 8

Read Richard Dawkins. His latest book is 'The God Delusion' and ought to answer your questions thoroughly if you come to them with an open mind.

Answer 9

It is not worth the debate, Christians know what they believe and why and know that science cannot prove their theory in a lab.

To me, who has worked in science related fields know that science is not valid if it cannot be repeated over and over with consistant results.

Otherwise, it is pseudo-science and a hypothesis.

grace2u

Answer 10

There are three theories of evolution. Each prove the other two impossible. If evolution were true why don't we see monkeys evolving today?