Darwinian Evolution?


RiONX's avatar
i just had a couple of quick questions, do modern scientist still use the Darwinian model of evolution? if so is it in exactly the same form as originally postulated? or has it um... evolved based on scientific data that has been gathered since its' inception? Also do only atheist believe in evolution?
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ChrisBryer's avatar
Well yes and no. Darwin had some good concepts and ideas but at the time (before fossil and DNA evidence) he was ridiculed for his books "The Origin of Species" and the "Descent of Man". But after the fossil record become more and more complete and comprehensive along with DNA and geological evidence made Darwin's ideas irrefutable. And even thou we know much more then Darwin could have ever imagined and even added to the theory with things like DNA drifting and so on. But the fact that someone over 150 years ago not just thought about this but also had evidence to prove it is extraordinary.
Saeter's avatar
Only opposing theory [link]
ChakatBlackstar's avatar
The theory of evolution is modified as new evidence appears. For instance, the original theory stated that it was a gradual change at a consistent rate, but nowadays the evidence suggests that it happens in bursts and spurts, usually from something significant such as an environmental change or a new predator, followed by long periods of mere micro-evolution(i.e. adapting to new diseases, etc.).

And no, atheists aren't the only ones who believe in evolution. I remember one stat that claimed 47% of Muslims believed in evolution. There are also Christians who find that evolution and the bible aren't incompatible. And I'm sure there are many other religions that don't dismiss it outright either.
Rhichter's avatar
" I remember one stat that claimed 47% of Muslims believed in evolution "

I'm afraid you're going to have to provide evidence for that because i would have a hard time believing that any more than 30% of Muslims even knew what evolution was.
ChakatBlackstar's avatar
That's probably because you're thinking middle-eastern fundamentalist Muslims while forgetting that there are other Muslim countries and other countries, such as the US, the UK, France, etc. where they live, and apparently a significant number of them are okay with evolution being the most likely explanation for changing species.
Rhichter's avatar
A significant majority of them are religious, and their religion isn't exactly the most tolerant of the scientific method if you catch that drift. So by extension, the majority oppose evolution as an observation of speciation.

They're on par with America in terms of the rejection of natural selection being taught in schools and accepted as factual by the scientific community.

They're not in any way pro-evolution, don't think otherwise.
ChakatBlackstar's avatar
As Dr Khalid Anees of the Islamic Society of Britain put it: "Muslims interpret the world through both the Koran and what is tangible and seen. There is no contradiction between what is revealed in the Koran and natural selection and survival of the fittest."

Evolutionary biology is included in the high-school curricula of most Muslim countries. Science foundations of 14 Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, and Egypt, recently signed a statement by the Interacademy Panel (IAP, a global network of science academies), in support of the teaching of evolution, including human evolution. Granted many of the average folks still don't believe in Macroevolution, especially when it comes to human evolution, they're still much more accepting of microevolution, especially compared to...certain other religious groups who flat out deny any and all evolution whatsoever.
Hai-Etlik's avatar
That's like saying that you accept Newton's theory of Universal gravitation, but only the bit about gravity causing things to fall, not the bit about orbits. It misses the key part of the theory, which is that the two apparent phenomena are really one.
ChakatBlackstar's avatar
I didn't say it wasn't stupid.
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Rhichter's avatar
Which is why it doesn't count as actual scientific education in the principle foundry. Its great that they're taught the process of natural selection. But macro and micro evolution are the same thing. They are terms coined in order to explain differences in time, not differences in pressure and reactions. Which is why Muslims, like Christians, do not accept evolution wholly as fact. But merely relative observation throughout recorded history.

This is the primary problem.
Karinta's avatar
森の村の丸を見る。
RiONX's avatar
私は木を見て森を見。
Karinta's avatar
君は、木から 森が見えない。
RiONX's avatar
我々 の木です。
ArifMajid's avatar
[link]
this site explain evolution from science and religion prespective
TimLavey's avatar
I had a look at the site and evolution is in no way explained from a scientific perspective or even a perspective that even tries to somewhat fairly represent evolution. There's present the all too common misconception or perhaps deliberate lie that evolution should be able to explain the origin of life when anyone who knows the first thing about evolution or just have read the title of Darwins' book "On the Origin of Species" would know that the origin of life is a different field of study in biology. It is the diversity of life the theory of evolution goes out to explain.

That's just one of many ignorant and most likely dishonest things told on that site. I also noticed in an article the absurd claim that in the fossil record we should find freakish Chimeras if evolution were true. I don't know about you, but I don't think Kirk Cameron is a real authority when it comes to science.

Another article expect all species to have evolved at the same pace throughout Earth's history if evolution were correct, but since some species visibly haven't changed at all despite having been around for a considerable amount of time, then everything evolution is bunk. Unless of course you consider what mechanisms drive evolution, but that require you to at least read the introduction page to a textbook on evolution.

These people clearly knows nothing about evolution and have no scruples making things up about it to further their agenda of making their own ludicrous creation story seem more legit by talking shit about science. These people are dishonest liars and they are attempting to drag people down to their level of superstitious thought and ignorance of the real world around us.
ArifMajid's avatar
First of all, species that evolving in the same time is refer to the cambrian explosion.

second of all, it is logical that a species have to evolve step by step, from species A to species B, the species must first evolve into species AB (half A-half B) after the species evolved into species A-AB (half A-half AB). Plus, each stage of the evolution must have many and abundance fossil record to represent evolution, otherwise it would only represent anomalies in that particular fossil.

And another thing that, even if a smart man married with a smart woman, do the baby born by the wife have larger brain?
TimLavey's avatar
Your english is kinda hard to understand. Perhaps if you elaborate more it'd be easier to discern what you're talking about. Just an advice. As it is now I've really got no clue what you're trying to say with the Cambrian explosion. Many new species evolved during that time. So?

To your second point, yes. That is what we should expect and that is exactly what is found in the fossil record. Intermediates between species. The author though on whatever article I read on that site seemed to expect something more grotesquely absurd such as a crocodile head attached to a duck's body. You on the other hand seem to understand that there's more subtle changes we're dealing with when it comes to evolution and not such radically nonsensical steps that'd produce something like Cameron's Crocoduck.

Would the offspring to a smart man and woman have a larger brain? If the parents had large brains the offspring would probably grow to possess a similarly sized brain and perhaps even a larger one, yes. Smarts are not entierly dependent on brainsize though. You could take Einstein's brain as an example of that. But now we're not really talking evolution. You need a population for that, not just a couple and their one offspring.
TimeHasAnEnd's avatar
That's why is debunk and clearly knows nothing about evolution." Nor we can even begin to call it theory. That's why evolution is not even scientific, because it makes statements about times, places and events that have never been nor ever will be observed or measured by men. Because there's no one there to witness the events. The question of what happened "billions of years ago" is not based on scientific observation, but on assumptions, speculation and guesses. Therefore, the evolutionary view of natural history is a theory and can only be a theory. It can never be a fact. Therefore, if it is a theory at all? Then, it's called another religion.
Saeter's avatar
Really at this point it can only be said that you are absolutely retarded or a liar. Take your pick.
TimLavey's avatar
Oh, gosh. No one there to witness the events? Are you a kid or something that just gotta see absolutely everything happen in front of your own two eyes if it is to be believed? If your window is broken and you find a brick and shattered glass just below the window inside the room, would you from the evidence be able to conclude that a brick thrown from the outside hit your window and broke it or was your old window just as likely stolen and replaced with a broken one with all the pieces of glass being placed in a very intricate, but not yet understood, pattern on the floor along with a commemorative brick?

Also, come on! Surely people have bothered to read to you the scientific definition of a theory and explained its relation to facts at least a hundred times by now. Can't your knowledge increase? Don't you ever grow as a human being? Do you want a hug?
Veelore's avatar
I think you misunderstand the meaning of the term scientific theory. It's not an educated guess as to how something works. It's a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world based on FACTS that have been repeatedly observed and confirmed. Scientific theories are PROVEN. You can't argue with facts, you can't have an OPINION about FACTS.

The Darwin-Wallace theory of evolution still stands. Other scientists later made discoveries that supported and shed more light on the theory. For example: Mendelian inheritance allowed for a mechanism by which natural selection may occur, the Sutton-Boveri chromosome hypothesis, Morgan's experiments with drosphila and discovery of sex linkage, Beadle and Tatum's one gene-one enzyme hypothesis, Watson and Crick's discovery of the structure of DNA

Basically, the root of all of this scientific information is the theory of evolution.
RiONX's avatar
Actually as a scientist i have a pretty clear understanding of the word.

You'll notice the word theory appears nowhere in the question.
Veelore's avatar
As a scientist, you would also know the answer to your own question