Why do people believe in Evolution?

Question

To assume that the fossils of any linking species do not exist because none of them happened to fossilize is laughable.

Not to mention, one has to assume evolution came to an end in the modern era, since no linking species are being created. There are no 2,3,4, etc. on up to about 20 celled organisms.

No one defending evolution will explain to me scientifically the points I have addressed; therefore, my conclusion will have to be that they believe because they are stubborn and refuse to deny it.

Also, succession and selection are not the same thing, species being out competed by others is succession not natural selection. This is one of many deceptions used to support evolution. Another famous one is the claim that each observed species as interpreted through modern nomenclature is of its own genome.

Regarding the statement, "each observed species as interpreted through modern nomenclature is of its own genome".

Each species is believed to encompass a specific range of genes, considered a genome, in which all the observed genotypes of that species exist. The borders are not definitively established but are assumed to encompass common characteristics (i.e. all zebras have stripes). However, if equines are like domesticated dogs than it is possible that they have one common ancestor and one genome, thus they are all the same type of animal and species. This is what is actually seen in fossil records. The remaining "missing links" are huge gaps assumed to have been crossed by mutations creating genotypes outside the genome. The remaining problem is that a small group of offspring must continue to share the same changes until reaching the next genome, otherwise their remnants would stick around and fossil evidence would be found. If this rapidness occurred we should observe it now

I am finished writing about this.

Answer 1

This is a good question and is debateable amongst scientists, philosophers, theologians, and the like. Being a fairly religious person and also knowledgeable to a certain degree in science, i would have to say that the answer lies in the unknown. Let me explain.
The unknown is something that Humans have never dealt with well, and in all probability never will. We tend to lean towards disbelief of a theory that cannot be proven by our 5 senses. The belief of a central diety is not able to be proven in any way, shape or form and the idea of omnipotence is completely unfathomable to our simple minds. Thus comes into play the "game" I like to call, "Theory vs. 'Theory'".
There are two main theories that we refer to in terms of how We came to be, namely creation and evolution. As i have stated before, people like (and are dependant upon) our 5 physical senses. To think that there is an omnipotent creator and ruler of the universe is a logical theory and may, very well, be true. However, it is also understandable to believe that we evolved from smaller beings, just as a snowball rolling down a hill evolves into a giant mass of ice. Here's where the five senses come in to play: If i told you that there was a brand new car in your garage and that a magical, invisible fairy put it there, would you think i was telling the truth? Of couse you wouldn't! What if i told you that there was a new car in your garage and the "Prize Patrol" Put it there because you won it? You would be more inclined to believe that. So now here's why:

Even if there was a new car in your garage, and a magical, invisible fairy really DID exist and DID put it there, you wouldn't believe it because you wouldn't be able to see, hear, touch, smell, or taste that fairy, thus in your mind, it doesn't really exist.
Conversely, even if the "Prize Patrol" DIDN'T exist and DIDN'T put that new car there, you would be inclined to think they did due to the fact that you could see them if they existed, and thus would have first-hand proof that they existed.

Now coming back to evolution:
Humans could have been (and in my own opinion WERE) created by an omnipotent diety. But even if we were, there will be people who will not believe that because they cannot see, smell, taste, hear, or physically see this omnipotent figure.
Conversely, If the theory of evolution is true, some evidence would exist whether we have found it or not. Some remains of this "missing Link" would be around somewhere and once their resting place was uncovered, a person would then be able to see, smell, hear, touch, and taste those remains, thus making this theory much more believable.

Sorry for the long winded answer. Further discussion on this topic would be much enjoyed in a CIVIL, NON-ARGUMENTATIVE manner.

Answer 2

A) There is no "missing link."

B) I'm sure that there are thousands, if not millions, of animals that have existed that we have no record of. Dying in a circumstance where a fossil would be created is pretty rare. They'd have to die in a tarpit or a mudslide or something that was made of the right minerals/compounds. That animal then can't be uncovered through erosion or anything else. The fact that we don't have a complete fossil record of everything that has ever existed is not surprising at all. I'd be surprised if we have 30% of it.

EDIT: I didn't address your points scientifically for two reasons. First, I'm not a scientist. I don't think it's necessary to write a term paper on Yahoo Answers. Second, I addressed your point(s) and discredited them using common sense. The ONLY thing you said addressed a missing "linking species." Like I said, it doesn't surprise me that we don't have a complete fossil record. We have enough of it to see the similarities in body structures and gene pool to assess evolution. Just because we don't have a fossil of something doesn't mean that thing never existed. We just don't know about it. If a peasant in the middle ages never had his portrait painted, does that mean he never existed? Of course not. That's the logic that you're using right now. If you really want a scientific answer, go and talk to a biologist at a university. Theories do not become theories until they have a significant amount of evidence. Up until the point that they become theories, they are simply ideas. Other theories include the theory of gravity and mathematics (number theory).

To summarize...you're correct in assuming that we don't have a complete fossil record of everything. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of how fossils are created would be able to put two and two together to see why that is. I addressed your points and countered them logically. I don't know what you're looking for.

Answer 3

Do you even know what you're talking about?

It doesn't seem like you understand evolution at all...

Remember, evolution occurs with each generation, therefore, it takes a LONG time to see any noticeable differences.

However, there is genetic proof that Humans are still evolving. It's mostly in our brains. Search for it on www.livescience.com

Evolution never stops either. Organisms are ALWAYS changing in some way or another. The process of reproduction doesn't produce exact copies, so with every new generation, there are changes, and those changes get past on to the next generation, along with more changes...

Answer 4

I recommend you read "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins. It really gives you a great understanding on what Evolution really is.

I honestly don't understand your arguments. Why must there be a four-cell animal, for instance? An organism with four cells will just be a lump of four cells. In larger organisms, cells form organs that perform functions (like a mouth, a stomach and a skin), each organ requiring several cells.

Evolution is one of the best scientific theories out there, and 100 years of research hasn't been able to disprove it (including your objections). Quite the opposite, in fact: it's more solid than ever, with modern breakthroughs like the mapping of the human genome supporting it.

Answer 5

People believe in all sorts of things Evolution even revolution :)

Hope this helps

Good Luck

Answer 6

hey, you never know what kind of undescovered creatures are living in the jungle or at the bottom of the sea!

evolution has taken millions of years, why assume it has stopped now? its still happening! linking species arent gonna be created over night, it takes a while. just little bits here and there and then a million yrs later wow a new species!

yeah those 20cell organisms have developed. but im sure there are still some around somewhere. bacteria is quite small.

dont forget survival of the fittest - it still goes on. maybe those 3 or 4 celled organisms just couldnt hack it agianst those 7 and 8 celled organisms!

Answer 7

Species are always changing but remember these changes take millions of years- so now you obviously don't see new species- and you won't next week either but the fossil evidence supports evolution. Its just foolish to think that one day every living thing just popped-up on earth, and science has shown us that life on earth is ever evolving and ever changing....For religous reasons you may disagree however i think you can still have faith in whatever god you choose and still understand science--they don't always agree, but if nothing else you will be able to see things from other peoples point of view.

Answer 8

Overwhelming evidence.

When you write about "linking species", you reveal a particular kind of astonishing ignorance about evolution. It seems that you believe that every member of a species is identical to every other member of that species, and so for a new species to arise, there would have to be some organism that was different in some way from all of the other identical members of that species, which then later begat (or even turned into...LOL) some other species.

Now, what is remarkable to those of us who aren't so ignorant about this is that people like you can fail to notice that individual organisms are different from one another, even when they are members of the same species. Doesn't that strike you as astonishingly ignorant? Doesn't it seem clear that the very basis of your argument is a belief that is absolutely breathtaking in its disconnection from reality?

To make a long story short, your problem is that you have no idea what a "species" is. Not a single clue. Your concept of "species" is so far removed from reality that there's no flight from here to there. You're in so far over your head that your ankles are coming out the other side.

Answer 9

I believe in evolution because we have fossils.

Evolution has not come to an end, it just doesn't happen overnight. Changes take tens of thousands of years. Remember, the earth is not 6,000 years old as the Fundies would have you believe. It is estimated at 4.6 billion years old. There is geological evidence of this. There is fossil evidence of simple plant life on the planet dating back 1 billion years. Even human development to where we are now has taken 7 million years. Obviously we aren't going to change dramatically during your lifetime.

As Lewis Black said "We have the fossils. We win!"

Answer 10

Perceived evolution doesn't happen in ones lifetime, it takes millions of years of on-going tiny changes to 'visually' alter a species from one epoch of time to another. Man, of course, is the exception. With his knowledge of diet, medicine, musculature and, now, with the help of todays technology, the building blocks of life, man has physically evolved at lightning speed over the last few centuries years and will continue to do so as long as he remains on the planet. The fact that man is physically larger than he was just 1000 years ago is living proof of evolution.