Evolution

[Deleted]

Recently I read this article about evolution and some questions it raises. I think it made a few valid points. Now I don't want to go into a religious debate (which is against the forum rules) but I merely want to discuss the process of evolution and if it's completely driven by chance/randomness or if it took place by design.

This is the article: http://reviewofreligions.org/11508/e...out-direction/

The article includes more than what I'm about to say, but I thought it was the main point. Certain traits acquired by evolution require specific circumstances for prolonged periods of time. However, these specific circumstances did not always take place. The example given is the neck of a giraffe. The evolution of this trait would require millions of years of stable circumstances where a longer neck has an evolutionary advantage which is greater than the disadvantages it creates. These stable circumstances did not take place.

The writer then argues that there are many more examples like this which point to the fact that evolution is driven in a certain direction (from lower forms of life to higher forms) based on intelligent selection of traits, rather than random selection.

[StayTuned]

The first giraffe that had a long neck was able to reach more food which was higher up in the trees. Less food on ground, more food even higher up made their necks longer and longer, as only those with long necks could reach food. Those who reached food more efficiently, had a higher chance of finding a mate, reproducing, and creating giraffes with even taller necks


And I'm not even a specialist. Evolution makes a lot of sense when you just think about the fact that at some point, there were giraffes with really short necks. But they died out, and the only one's left are those able to reach the food on top of the trees.

[haxartus]

Here is the thing, living organisms are so badly designed that any intelligent design is out of the question. People actually suffer from diseases that make their immune system destroy their entire body from the inside. Think about that.

[Catta]

Recently I read this article about evolution and some questions it raises. I think it made a few valid points. Now I don't want to go into a religious debate (which is against the forum rules) but I merely want to discuss the process of evolution and if it's completely driven by chance/randomness or if it took place by design.

This is the article: http://reviewofreligions.org/11508/e...out-direction/

The article includes more than what I'm about to say, but I thought it was the main point. Certain traits acquired by evolution require specific circumstances for prolonged periods of time. However, these specific circumstances did not always take place. The example given is the neck of a giraffe. The evolution of this trait would require millions of years of stable circumstances where a longer neck has an evolutionary advantage which is greater than the disadvantages it creates. These stable circumstances did not take place.

Then you'll have a problem because the only people claiming design likely are those who do it because of religious dogma.

What drives evolution is random mutations. Selection is anything BUT random. Traits are selected through whether or not their hosts survives to procreate and competes with its own kind. The traits themselves started out as random mutations but in natural selection it is not random unless it is inconsequential to the survival of the species.

[Noomz]

Recently I read this article about evolution and some questions it raises. I think it made a few valid points. Now I don't want to go into a religious debate (which is against the forum rules) but I merely want to discuss the process of evolution and if it's completely driven by chance/randomness or if it took place by design.

This is the article: http://reviewofreligions.org/11508/e...out-direction/

The article includes more than what I'm about to say, but I thought it was the main point. Certain traits acquired by evolution require specific circumstances for prolonged periods of time. However, these specific circumstances did not always take place. The example given is the neck of a giraffe. The evolution of this trait would require millions of years of stable circumstances where a longer neck has an evolutionary advantage which is greater than the disadvantages it creates. These stable circumstances did not take place.

The writer then argues that there are many more examples like this which point to the fact that evolution is driven in a certain direction (from lower forms of life to higher forms) based on intelligent selection of traits, rather than random selection.

If you don't want to involve religion, don't talk about design when the topic is evolution. That website is horrendously stupid too. Why would you read trash like that?

Besides, whoever designed me should be fired for incompetence.

[StayTuned]

If you don't want to involve religion, don't talk about design when the topic is evolution.

I don't even know how someone can think that anything here is designed. Even humans are early alpha versions at best if the final product is a perfect species.

[Templar 331]

Now I don't want to go into a religious debate (which is against the forum rules) but I merely want to discuss the process of evolution and if it's completely driven by chance/randomness or if it took place by design.

I think we've been here before not too long ago. >.>

Before this gets locked, no, just no.

[schwarzkopf]

We know more about Evolution, and how it works than we are about Gravity and how it works.

I'm curious why there is no discussion over the existence of validity of Gravity.

[Catta]

I don't even know how someone can think that anything here is designed. Even humans are early alpha versions at best if the final product is a perfect species.

The giraffe they mention is also horribly designed since it has a nerve on one side which goes all the way down the neck all the way around the aortic arch and up again to end in the larynx. The other side's nerve just go straight into the larynx.

[Annoying]

Regardless of the intent behind stating: "I don't want to go into a religious debate", there's nowhere that this thread can go but there. Locked.