Is Evolution unproable?

Question

“Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it only because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable.”

Sir Arthur Keith (he wrote the forward to the 100th anniversary edition of Darwin’s book, Origin of Species in 1959)

Answer 1

Sir Arthur Keith was right on both points. Maybe that's why he was chosen to right the forward to Darwin's 100 th anniversary issue.

Answer 2

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/quotes/mine/part1-4.html#quote81

"...It is also amazing because that Sir Arthur died in 1955 and the 100th anniversary edition would not have been issued until 1959. Tell me, did "God" write this for Sir Arthur from heaven?

- Tom"

this quote is not just made up though, it's also wrong. it is rather special creation that is 'unproved and unprovable' (better to talk about falsifiability rather than proof i think, see later) - special creation is compatible with any observation in any possible world, it explains nothing about why the world is the way it is. evolution on the other hand says very definite things about the patterns and mechanisms of biological change which are both falsifiable and have not yet been falsified. therefore there is good reason to suspect that evolution is probably true, even if it is not the whole story.

it seems likely that some creationist has taken a criticism of creationism and switched the words around, as in the playground taunt "i know you are but what am i".

Answer 3

When a virus mutates (adapts) to overcome a vaccine or medicine, it has evolved. When a bird (just saw a report on this) adapts to a malaria carrying mosquito and can now survive not only the disease but can also avoid the mosquito, it has evolved.

Evolution does not happen overnight. This seems to be the biggest hurdle people cannot seem to get past.

Evolution is not a sudden jump from one thing to another. It takes a very long time and involves mutations, adaptations, natural selection (the strongest surviving the weak).

We are not going to see evolution happen before our very eyes, especially now that we do all we can to control these mutations and adaptations. The weak are encouraged to survive, the mutations cut out, changes seen as abnormal and dealt with.

Answer 4

There is a lot of evidence to support it while there is none for creationism. DNA had only been discovered a few years before 1959 and the similarities between organisms was not yet known.

Answer 5

I think the problem with this argument is that they are both perfectly good answers to the same question. But proof of each, I believe anyhow, is all around us. Evolution, is displayed by humans growing over 4-7 inches taller, adapting to a longer lifespan, etc, etc. Creation lives on in birth and instinct. It all pans itself out, because no one is right, no one will ever be right, and no one is going to find out until the so-called proverbial judgement day. Kudos.

Answer 6

i think that there is no such thing as evolution i think When God made all of the creatures on the planet he wanted to make more so he looked at the creatures he created to create more that's why humans look like monkeys and also the way god made the earth in 7 days as the bible says science can prove the earth is around billions for years old and according to the bible thousands but i think God wanted us to know if he wanted he could have built the world in 7 days if he was trying his best to build it he was probably bored so he made the earth when ever he had nothing to do and so he took his time

Answer 7

Biology has come a long way in fifty years. Techniques such as comparative genetics weren't even imaginable in 1959. The validity of common descent has been adequately verified through experimentation.

Answer 8

Evolution makes far more sense than creationism. It has evidence to back it up. It's not just a guess, that's not what a scientific theory is. Infact, a scientific theory and an every day theory are two very opposite things.

Answer 9

Evolution is proven in much teh same way as any scientific theory is proven.

There is plenty of evidence for evolution and people don't seem to realise (or ignore) that there is an entire branch of biology dedicated to it's study.

If evolution weren't true don't you think they would have figured that out by now or is it preferrable to think there is some conspiracy involving thousands of scientists of many decades?

Answer 10

You were canned for using this fabricated quote three weeks ago. See: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvxbYVZ80y4kRLE4UEqKZX8jzKIX?qid=20070716040806AAWFa6t

Sir Arthur Keith didn't write anything in 1959, unless it was through a ouija board. He died several years earlier.

To "prove" means to test. Evolution is testable, and is constantly being tested. It keeps passing.

Answer 11

Yeah, and creation is impossible. I hate this argument, it's the worst one you can come up with.


JJ has won. That, was indeed, the most retarded reply to ANY question, I have ever seen. This person wins, The ring of debris around Uranus' award for WORST REPLY OF THE WEEK. Congradulations. I won't even bother explaining the depth, of how stupid and illogical your statement was.