Atheist, why the doctrine of evolution does not answer everything and does not answer the great?

Question

philosophical question. Where does everything come from and how does everything take a path that ultimately leads to the person

we are planned and wanted and therefore there is an idea that precedes me, which i must discover follow and which in the end gives meaning to life

so meaning that you are a product of pure luck

Answer 1

"Where does everything come from and how does everything take a path that ultimately leads to the person"

Well let's see. The theory of evolution is part of biology, not philosophy, physics or speculative quantum mechanics. Obviously a biological theory isn't going to explain where everything comes from.

If you meant where does all life come from that's different but still unrelated to evolution. The origin of life is a different subject matter to the progression and development of life covered in evolution theory.

Addtionally, you're taking the person and seeing it as the aim of evolution when that is not the case. There is no aim in evolution at all and the fact that mankind is far from that is the obvious proof. Not only that but considering mankind's seemingly built-in desire to kill any opposing force indiscrimanately doesn't exactly put us up there as the meaning of all life before us.

To be honest I think you're head is stuck in humanity's back-side.

Answer 2

And just cos I can't answer it right off the bat it must mean Goddidit - yeah, that's employing LogicReason.

Just before I go though because I just know some ignorant Theist is gonna say: Goddidit - - - what I wanna know is: who made the InvisibleSkyPixie, your god?

Uh-uh - If you want me to employ SpaceTimeLogicReason to explain the origins of it all then you TOO have to use SpaceTimeLogicReason for your explanation.
Don't be using that thing where the InvisibleSpaceGuy just pops into existence and waves a wand to create stuff in 6 days and rests on the 7th.

No Pixie worth his salt needs a rest.
Imagining stuff into existence shouldn't be hardwork for an InvisibleSpaceGuy
In fact if he didn't do it in POINT 006 of a second he's no SkyGuy I'd ever bow before.

I've had enough fun - I'll go now.
I'm sure you don't have the mental capacity to think on what I said.

Answer 3

Evolution deals with the observed changes in species over time. You're looking for abiogenesis. And ultimately, we don't know. Evolution is theory, abiogenesis are several hypothesis. It's okay to not know something just now, you realise that, right?

And finally, "how does everything take a path that ultimately leads to the person", are you implying that no matter what, humans will be the end result? Because evolution says no such thing.

Answer 4

Because evolution isn't about answering great philosophical questions or where "everything" comes from.

It is simply a process by which humanity was derived from the most primitive monocellular lifeforms.

The only difference between IT and any other scientifically recognised processes is that evolution happened to imply that religion was wrong..... and the religious folks didn't take that too kindly.

Big deal. You're wrong. Get over it.

Answer 5

because it's not a doctrine, it's a scientific theory. do you know what that is? evolution seeks to answer scientific questions such as why are there biological species? how are they formed? do they change over time (and if so, how)? it has nothing to do with the (philosophical) problem of existence. it is not only atheists that accept evolution - most informed rational theists also accept it.

i often suspect that this is the problem that some of you religious people are having but seldom is it so clearly stated, so just to repeat: evolution is not a doctrine.

Answer 6

Could you possibly clarify the question "Where does everything come from?" I mean that is such a generalized question that it is insane. Why don't you ask "Where did the earth come from and how did life begin?" Or "What is the origin of the universe and life as we know it?"

Actually everything does not take a path that leads to the person unless that person is a total narcissist.

Answer 7

Firstly evolution is science, not a doctrine. Evolution is the change in organisms over time It is a fact, it has been observed . The theory is an explanation of the facts - the "how" and "why". Gravity is a fact, it has been observed. The theory of gravity is an explanation of the facts - the "how" and "why".

As evolution is science, it is accepted by scientists including Christians, Moslems, Jews, Buddhists and all other religions. Science is not limited to atheists but is available to and accepted by most people.

Answer 8

Because evolution isn't intended to answer that question. The Germ Theory of Disease doesn't answer it either. So?

Currently no-one knows where everything comes from, though there are plenty of physicists working on the question. There are also plenty of narrow-minded religious folks working fervently to push a children's story as though it were an answer suitable for adults. It's not - it's a non-answer.
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"so meaning that you are a product of pure luck"

As opposed to your belief that God is a product of pure luck?

Kid, there's a gaping hole in your reasoning, and the only possible reason that you could fail to see it is that you're wearing blinders. Saying "God created the universe" explains nothing at all about where the universe came from, for the glaringly obvious reason that it doesn't tell us where "God" came from (it also adds all sorts of questions about how that "God" would have created us, why He doesn't appear, and so on).

Now, it'd be shocking for you to suddenly realize and admit that you're posting foolishness, but that doesn't change the fact that you're doing so.
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I see that R&S's resident troll Theo thinks that my use of the phrase "children's story" is "wreckless" [sic]. He's wrong once again. The Genesis creation story is a story for children.

He also claims that story provides an explanation. As I've already pointed out, it does not. He simply covers his ears more tightly and squeezes his eyes shut and keeps insisting on his little lie.

No wonder the world looks black to these people.
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Theo, if you can't behave like an adult, just leave until you've grown up a little.

Answer 9

The same reason Maxwell's equations, relativity and the germ theory of disease do not answer everything.

Somebody has come up with a theory that explains something we'd like explaining. That's good. As they do not have infinite intelligence they are unable to formulate a theory of everything, that sucks but its just tough.

The germ theory of disease, for example, is silent on how these germs arise, silent on how they act in the body, silent as to any teleological end in their existence, silent as to which denominations of religion you should follow and silent as to whether Cream or Led Zeppelin were better.

We'd like to know the answers to all these questions, the germ theory of disease doesn't tell us and........there is no significance in this whatsoever.

Answer 10

You are mistaken if you think that evolution theory was inteded to explain everything. Evolution is what populations do to adapt to environmental pressures. New species evolve from older species. The question of first life is abiogenesis not evolution. The question of how the modern universe came to be is astrophysics, not evolution.