Hullo All,
I have skimmed the Evolution/Creation 'debate' and would like to respond to
the claim that evolution is a matter of faith for scientists. Others have
already responded to the 'it's just a theory' argument with some cogent
comments on what is entailed by theory, but I want to look at what makes a
theory acceptable (not proven, whatever that could mean) to science and
scientists.
Here is how Susan Blackmore, author of 'The Meme Machine', speaks.
"Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is, to my mind, the most
beautiful in all of science. It is beautiful because it is so simple and yet
its results are so complex. It is counter-intuitive and hard to grasp but
once you have seen it the world is transformed before your eyes. There is no
longer any need for a grand designer to explain all the complexity of the
living world. There is just a stark and mindless procedure by which we have
all come about - beautiful but scary."
"Evolution by natural selection is very, very simple but not at all obvious
... if there is a replicator that makes imperfect copies of itself only some
of which survive, then evolution simply must occur." (pp 10 - 11)
In this short passage Blackmore uses the word beautiful no less than three
times. She also refers to simplicity three times. She points to the
explanatory power of the theory, which explains so much despite its
simplicity. And she makes the point that while it is simple, it is not
necessarily simple to grasp. So to really understand evolution demands some
input of time and energy.
Enough. If you cannot see the link with quality then nothing I say will
change that.
John B
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