For those who believe in Evolution, why do you say it's "fact"?

Question

When was Darwin's theory proven? And for the bonus to get 10 points, what was this theory based on?

Punch: The last I was taught, it was the theory of evolution. I have been out of school for years. Did they change it?

Why the bashing for a serious question? Some of you are taking this as if I'm messing with you. It's time people relax and be sensible when asked a question.

Hey MoralessFate: Save it for another time. I'm not a creationist or athiest or anything at all. I'm asking a question. You're one of the ten percent that makes this place lousy for those that like different opinions.

Answer 1

The only reason it's called the "theory" of evolution is to be more politically correct towards religious groups whose beliefs are contradicted by it. That means that it is not 100% proven but all people who actually understand it accept it as fact. A historical example similar to this was in the 1400's when all of the educated thinkers understood that the world was round and yet Columbus is still given the credit (the classical Greeks were the real first ones to understand this. Euclid actually mathematically calculated the circumference of the Earth and was off by only about 500 miles)The evidence that supports it is immense. There are modern-day observations that show this all around us. For instance, humans have steadily grown taller ever since the Middles Ages. Bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics is also a form of evolution. English moths turning black after the Industrial Revolution. The fossil record. All of these are clear examples of proof of evolution. Also, if you actually understand what the so-called theory states, there is no case against it. It makes perfect sense. The only way evolution could not occur would be if meiosis went perfectly every time, which we all know it doesn't. Why do you think there are people with natural birth defects? The only "evidence" against it is the Book of Genesis.

Answer 2

1. Theories are not theories because we don't know if they're real. Theory just means that it's a conclusion based on facts. You obviously believe in cell theory, theory of gravity, etc.

2. Darwinian natural selection has been seen to be happening. Farmers use insecticide on their plants. All of the insects die except the ones with some sort of immunity to the chemical. Those few individuals will reproduce, and pretty soon all the insects are immune. That's why farmers have to buy the newest insecticide. This happens to all farmers, all the time.

3. Peppered moths before the Industrial Revolution were white. They lived in a type of plant that matched it's color. When the Industrial Revolution brought smog, the moths weren't hidden anymore, and they were eaten. The only one's that weren't eaten were the one's a little darker than the normal color. This progressed until the present. Peppered moths are now black.

4. There are countless other examples. Read "The Blind Watchmaker" for the easiest to understand evidence. Every credible scientist "believes" in evolution. It is fact. At the very least, do a quick Google search. EVERY animal has evolved, and we have fossils to verify this fact.

Answer 3

A scientific theory is a specific thing, not just a "theory" that somebody might have about something. It's based on verifiable evidence, like the fossil record and such. Every aspect of it may not be true - I've got my doubts about some of the harsher concepts of natural selection - but in general, it is the best description of the physical evidence we have.

Believing in "intelligent design" is not a theory that can be tested or proven through scientific methods. It is simply an opinion. If one chooses that opinion, that's their right, but to be culturally literate in science we need to learn about evolution in science class. I believe religious instruction is the right of the parent, and shouldn't be undertaken by the school. When 1 in 6 Americans can't read an average newspaper, the schools have more pressing issues to address.

Answer 4

In science, at least good science, ALL theories are provisional. That goes for Newtonian mechanics, evolution by natural selection, and general relativity. By provisional we mean that should any counter evidence appear that does not support the theory, then the theory must be modified. If the evidence is so strong as to overturn the theory, then the theory must be abandoned in favor of a better model.
In the case of evolution, the accumulated evidence is of so overwhelmingly supportive of the theory, that most rational thinkers use the term "fact" to describe it. That is shorthand for saying that there is no credible evidence against the theory, which is in fact quite true. A theory must withstand constant testing in order to remain a valid theory. In this way evolution is rightly regarded as sufficiently rigorous.

The theory is based on the following major areas of evidence (each with large numbers of samples):
- Fossils. The sheer number, including many transitional examples practically destroy any notion of "divine individual creation."
- Genetic analysis, espeically mutation analysis. This line of evidence was added by Mendel (after Darwin) and racheted on the scene after Watson/Crick.
- Geology (showing sufficient time-frames necesssary, and is itself supported by radiocarbon dating and other techniques).

- Observable-scale evolution, sometimes called "micro-evolution" is well-supported by evidence from animal husbandry (artififical selection) and zillions of experiments on bacteria, insects, and mice.

There are new emerging areas of evidence as well. These include stochiastic modeling, abiogenesis (though this is really a "side-relationship", and field studies (including behavior analysis).

Does that help? The above is really a thumbnail sketch. But it's sufficient, I would hope, to be persuasive. It is for me, and I'm a big time skeptic!

Answer 5

sure, let's quibble over the meaning of "proof".

it is a theory supported by evidence, and the volume of evidence has increased by orders of magnitude since darwin's time. some of darwin's ideas have been disproven (for instance his hypothesised mechanism of inheritance) but the core ideas of natural selection and common descent remain well supported after 150 years (and better understood). anyone is free to come up with contrary evidence or a better theory. can you do that?

personally, i would consider it going too far to say that evolution or any other scientific theory is proven - but consider the opposing position, that evolution is the nothing more than the product of the fevered imagination of a satanic/atheist conspiracy. i think it is somewhat more accurate to say that evolution is proven.

Answer 6

Fact and theory don't refer to the same thing (at least in science; perhaps not in everyday conversation). Facts are simply evidence, data to be explained. Theories are ideas that EXPLAIN the facts, ideally in a cohesive framework. There are facts of evolution: offspring are genetically different from their parents and one another (variation), resources are too scarce to support maximal population growth (hence, competition)*. And there are theories of evolution: competition leads to differential reproductive success, and hence, some organisms' genes are more prevalent in future generations (natural selection).

* Darwin got this idea from Malthus' "An Essay on the Principles of Population". Also, Darwin claimed to have been put in a gradual-change mindset because of Lyell's uniformitarian geology (you said you wanted to know what the theory was based on).

Answer 7

The fact was proven in the 1930's, from the scientific community and the public of his time. Sure his theory was based on his finches, but human's are animals.
But if you did want the refined theory which was more world wide recognized, then i'd suggest looking up the Neo-Darwinist theory.
Evolution is a theory. But it is also a fact.

Answer 8

Your question shows miss understanding in science. Facts are used to form hypothesis. Which after many different experiments with same result in a Law. After that if the law is still derived in even more ways it becomes a theory.

If you want proof for evolution...there are many but here are some:
1. Artificial selection- breeding of domesticated organisms for favorable traits
2. Biography-stud of the distribution of extinct and extant organisms (matches theory of Plate Tectonics)
3. Developmental Biology-Similarity of developmental patterns (look at early embryo of lets say a human and a horse)
4.Comparative Anatomy- presence of homologous structures such as same organs/bones.
5.Paleontology and Geology- fossil record shows changes of organisms through time
6. Molecular Biology- there are common genetic codes in organisms. Some ancestral genes get activated by mutation (chicken born with teeth)
7. Genetics- Models of inheritance can predict outcomes of crossing among individuals. They could also explain maintenance and change in vitiation of population through time.
8.Microbiology- Evolution and natural selection tracked within a humans life span in microorganisms such as bacteria. Diseases caused by microorganisms are hard to stop because they evolve fast and become resistant to our treatments.

Answer 9

I wonder what you mean by "believe in evolution." One doesn't "believe in" such things, one accepts them as reasonable explanations of natural phenomena.

You seem to be falling into the logical error known as "ambiguity." The word "theory" means different things in everyday speech and scientific language. You might do well to explore the differences in a good, reputable dictionary.

The theory was based on a broad range of observations and analysis.

Answer 10

The Theory of Evolution is not a 'belief' it is a scientific theory, hence the name.

It is the best description we currently have of how life developed on Earth, based on all the available evidence. It is neither perfect nor complete, but its conclusions so far are irrefutable.