To coft:
Naturally, we’re limited here in one thread of a discussion forum. But to answer your question, while it seems typical of believers (of anything) for insinuating without offering viable evidence:
I own Stephen Jay Gould’s “The Book of Life – An Illustrated History of the Evolution of Life on Earth.” I also own the “Dictionary of Theories” by Jennifer Bothamley.
And “Usolved Mysteries of Science” by John Malone
I have visited the following Websites seeking evolution proofs from evolutionists:
http://www.talkorigins.org/ http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-evolution.html http://www.religioustolerance.org/evolutio.htm
http://www.creationstudies.org/
In my search, I considered what prominent scientists who are Christian and also evolutionists had to say, such as Dr. Francis Collins, a world leading dna gnome researcher had to say. I tell you, I am not the least threatened if macro-evolution can be proved.
In quotes below, the all-capitals are mine for emphasis:
Exploring this issue, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould wrote:
Evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and theories are different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty. Facts are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain and interpret facts. Facts do not go away when scientists debate rival theories to explain them. Einstein's theory of gravitation replaced Newton's, but apples did not suspend themselves in mid-air, pending the outcome. And humans evolved from ape-like ancestors whether they did so by Darwin's proposed mechanism or by some other YET TO BE DISCOVERED.--Stephen Jay Gould, Evolution as Fact and Theory
Quote:
Fossil evidence suggests that humans' earliest hominoid ancestors MAY HAVE split from other primates as early as the late Oligocene, circa 26c24 Ma, and that by the early Miocene, the adaptive radiation of many different hominoid forms was well underway.[98] Evidence from the molecular dating of genetic differences INDICATES that the gibbon lineage (family Hylobatidae) diverged between 18 and 12 Ma, and the orangutan lineage (subfamily Ponginae) diverged about 12 Ma. While THERE IS NO FOSSIL EVIDENCE THUS FAR clearly documenting the early ancestry of gibbons, fossil proto-orangutans may be represented by Sivapithecus from India and Griphopithecus from Turkey, dated to around 10 Ma. Molecular evidence further suggests that between 8 and 4 Ma, first the gorillas, and then the chimpanzee (genus Pan) split from the line leading to the humans.[99] WE HAVE NO FOSSIL RECORD of this divergence, but distinctively hominid fossils have been found dating to 3.2 Ma (see Lucy) and POSSIBLY even earlier, at 6 or 7 Ma (see Toumaï).[100] Comparisons of DNA show that 99.4 percent of the coding regions are identical in CHIMPANZES (95-96% overall[101][102]), which is TAKEN AS STRONG EVIDENCE of recent common ancestry.[103] Today, ONLY ONE DISTINCT HUMAN SPECIES SURVIVES, but many earlier species have been found in the fossil record, including Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and Homo neanderthalensis.
Scientific theories are said to be established by the “Scientific Method.”
The Scientific Method:
Source: http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/phy_labs/appendixe/appendixe.html
Quote: The scientific method has four steps :
1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena. 2. Formulation of an hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation. 3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations.
4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters and properly performed experiments.
Source: http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/phy_labs/appendixe/appendixe.html:
What is the ``scientific method''? The scientific method is the best way yet discovered for winnowing the truth from lies and delusion. The simple version looks something like this: 1. Observe some aspect of the universe. 2. Invent a tentative description, called a hypothesis, that is consistent with what you have observed. 3. Use the hypothesis to make predictions. 4. Test those predictions by experiments or further observations and modify the hypothesis in the light of your results.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until there are no discrepancies between theory and experiment and/or observation.
When consistency is obtained the hypothesis becomes a theory and provides a coherent set of propositions which explain a class of phenomena. A theory is then a framework within which observations are explained and predictions are made.
Source: http://webhome.idirect.com/~kehamilt/foscimeth.html
The Scientific Method
Cause and Effect: The belief that effects have causes plays a large part in the scientific method. Scientists make observations, gather information, and data and use the scientific method.
1. Intrigue: The first stage is intrigue in a problem. However, some discoveries are by chance.
2. Understanding the Problem/Learning about the Subject:Once the problem is firmly grasped, the scientist learns as much as possible about the subject.
Models: The scientist may design a model to simulate a situation. 3. Hypothesis: After data is collected and analyzed, the scientist formulates a hypothesis ( a guess). 4. Testing the Hypothesis: The scientist then designs experiments to test the hypothesis. The scientist then collects data from the results of the experiments.
5. Hypothesis is validated or revised. Analysis of the data will suggest either validity of the hypothesis or revision of the hypothesis. 6. Others may test the hypothesis with other cases
Definitions:
Theory:
A theory is an idea, model, or explanation that has been tested , analyzed, and accepted by the scientific community. The theory is accepted until new information disproves the hypothesis.
Scientific Theory:
A model of universe; a set of rules that relates quantities to observations we make.
A Good Theory: when it satisfies 2 Things:
1. It accurately describes a large class of observations on the basis of a model with few arbitrary elements. 2. It must make definite predictions about the results of future observations. Any physical theory is provisional. A HYPOTHESIS CAN NEVER BE PROVED. You can disprove a theory by finding one observation that disagrees.
A good theory is characterized by making predictions that can be disproved or falsified by observations; then a new theory follows.
Links to Modern Humans not descended from Neanderthals:
http://www.rense.com/general/neand.htm
http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Goodwin_00.html
http://anthro.palomar.edu/homo2/mod_homo_4.htm
About the speciation of finches:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/11/speciation-in-action/
http://evolutionlist.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-species-of-finch-may-have-evolved.html
QUOTE:
No exact rule exists for deciding when a group of animals constitutes a separate species. That question “is rarely if ever asked,” as speciation isn’t something that scientists have been fortunate enough to watch at the precise moment of divergence, except in bacteria and other simple creatures. But after at least three generations of reproductive isolation, the Grants felt comfortable in designating the new lineage as an incipient species.
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Now I have no illusions that anything I present will change your mind. But perhaps you can explain how my post above suggest to you that I had not studied evolution.
Can you offer one proof. (I would welcome it--I will change my mind.)
Can you explain why you personally believe in macro-evolution? I don’t question the fact that different breeds of creatures evolve. But can you substantiate the claims that evolution makes with facts, or that the “theory” even follows the outline of the Scientific Method for establishing the hypotheses to have established a scientific theory?
And how much have you read on such topics as Intelligent Design, etc.
~Binadub
