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Do you agree with the Theory of Evolution?
Yes
77%
 77%  [ 17 ]
No
22%
 22%  [ 5 ]
I honestly don't know what evolution is about
0%
 0%  [ 0 ]
Total Votes : 22


SoulSkourer

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:26 pm


EVOLUTION
A word that is either music to the ears or a twisted theory made to trick people.

Studies have shown that only 45% of the USA think that evolution is true, and only 16% think that it does not need a god to go through. More surprisingly, this statistic has not changed over the past two decades.
This is because of the unknowingness and ignorance of people, and they do not comprehensively know what evolution is about. Given gruesome depictions from other places saying, "Oh we're monkeys" and other demotivational quotes, it deters people from its beauty.
In addition, when people hear, "theory," they think "wild guess," when in fact a theory is a compilation of facts that logically explains something.

Evolution is the theory of the natural process of species slowly changing because of bumps in the DNA, and random beneficial and non-beneficial mutations. With these random changes, when the Earth starts to change, these mutations help a species survive. This means that over a long period of time, a creature will look much different than it did a few million years ago.

The other side of the spectrum is creationism. Although i do not know too much about it, it is the theory that a divine being created the Earth and all of the universe. Upon creating the Earth, this being (or beings) created the creatures that we see today, and they will always stay like this. This coincides with many interpretations of scripture, and depending on how religious you are, can change

Please be civilized about this, and discuss which side you are on, and your reasoning
(and help me with creationism)

If all goes well, i will add the bigger question...
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:37 pm


I believe in Evolution. Why?

Because there are millions upon millions upon millions of pieces of evidence supporting it. We see it happening. Take for a example, a horse.

A couple million years ago, the first horse was very small (under four feet), had a shorter snout, and it toes, not just hooves. We know this from skeletal remains that were found and dated using carbon dating.

Where are those horses now? If we say that they were created by God, then where are the remains from way back when of today's current horses?

Animals evolve constantly, right before our eyes. If they do not adapt to a changing environment, they die. Those animals that do adapt carry their adaptions onto offspring, who carry it down to their own.

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Nespin Fernagon
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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:42 pm


I'll believe in evolution - because we see it in action. I point you to the common flu, which evolves from year to year! We don't see it so readily in ourselves because we have a longer life-cycle. That's all.
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:49 pm


I'm fundamentally a scientist. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean that I follow the scientific explanation. I look at the evidence, I look at the theory, and I agree, amend, or come up with my own damn version of things.

In this case, the fundamental parts of evolution are proven beyond reasonable doubt. And for the sake of debate, I'll elaborate here on those. The basis of evolution is two simple, and easily testable postulates.

1) That a species will change over time. This one has been observed countless times. A second requirement of this postulate is that a species can develop an entirely new trait. Again, this has been shown in an experiment recently with E-Coli bacteria. (I forget the precise experiment though).

2) That sufficient genetic change renders two animals incapable of breeding to produce fertile young. This is the specialisation condition, and is shown through simple logic to work at an extreme level.

Humans (for example) have 23 chromosome pairs, and need all (most, see Downs Syndrome and related disorders) of them to survive. Thus, a species such as a Cat, with 17 pairs, cannot pair up with the 23 of a human to create a working species.

This, in conjunction with the cats size, is what prevents the interbreeding of human and feline (unfortunate statement, given my cat ears, I suppose).

Given that it works in the extreme case, we can deduce that there is a limit where it will occur that is more reasonable. Of course, even our closest ancestor, evolutionarily speaking, has 24 pairs to our 23.

With these two postulates proven and testable, all that remains standing in the way of Evolution being embraced with open arms is a) Religion and b) relative rates of mutation, creating a reasonable timeline for mutation between abiogenesis and present day.

But yes, evolution ftw.

Valheita

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SoulSkourer

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 6:57 pm


ALRIGHT
Slight topic change
Do you think that evolution matters to humans now?
Because most people are allowed to pass their genetic on to their mates, then does that mean we have stopped evolving in the conventional sense?

(because everyone that's posting generally agrees with evolution)
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 7:06 pm


SoulSkourer
ALRIGHT
Slight topic change
Do you think that evolution matters to humans now?
Because most people are allowed to pass their genetic on to their mates, then does that mean we have stopped evolving in the conventional sense?

(because everyone that's posting generally agrees with evolution)
I'd wager that most z!CBers will accept Evolution.

Regarding your question though... yes, humans are still evolving. There are still humans that breed more often than others.

Natural Selection has gotten a great deal more clouded though, thanks to the inclusion of infertility causing environs (nuclear plants, kitchens etc..) and the addition of contraceptives.

The general view is that humanity will diverge into two subspecies. An intelligent attractive ruling class, and a slave class that have none of the above traits.

However, that's a fantasy. The reality is, that the stupid class will be the ruling class, because they'll be more populous, and more prone to violence.

Valheita

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SoulSkourer

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 7:19 pm


However Val, someone who's slightly stronger than the rest might not get more women
But, yeah, radiation screws NS up
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 7:23 pm


SoulSkourer
ALRIGHT
Slight topic change
Do you think that evolution matters to humans now?
Because most people are allowed to pass their genetic on to their mates, then does that mean we have stopped evolving in the conventional sense?

(because everyone that's posting generally agrees with evolution)


Evolution is still happening - because we keep reproducing and those random genetics keep popping up. Does it "matter" though? That's a harder one.
...
...
I'd say we've gotten so good at keeping everyone alive that currently we won't see much effect from evolution. It'll still happen, but in so many ways at once that it'll be hard to distinguish any of them. The first time a major die off happens though, the people who've evolved the right traits to survive it will be immediately obvious.

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Valheita

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 7:24 pm


SoulSkourer
However Val, someone who's slightly stronger than the rest might not get more women
But, yeah, radiation screws NS up
That's a dangerous interpretation of survival of the fittest.

The fittest isn't the strongest, it's the one who raises the most sluts breeding offspring.
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 7:51 pm


Valheita
SoulSkourer
However Val, someone who's slightly stronger than the rest might not get more women
But, yeah, radiation screws NS up
That's a dangerous interpretation of survival of the fittest.

The fittest isn't the strongest, it's the one who raises the most sluts breeding offspring.

I know strongest isn't the fittest
It's an easy example that is obvious

And, i agree. As long as we're animals, we'll still pass on traits, having people more suspect to sunburns, for example, or more fit for heat or cold.

SoulSkourer

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Valheita

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PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2009 8:03 pm


SoulSkourer
Valheita
SoulSkourer
However Val, someone who's slightly stronger than the rest might not get more women
But, yeah, radiation screws NS up
That's a dangerous interpretation of survival of the fittest.

The fittest isn't the strongest, it's the one who raises the most sluts breeding offspring.

I know strongest isn't the fittest
It's an easy example that is obvious

And, i agree. As long as we're animals, we'll still pass on traits, having people more suspect to sunburns, for example, or more fit for heat or cold.
Easy examples are what got us to the point of "MY GRANDPARENTS WEREN'T MONKEYS. UR AN IDIOT"
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 8:16 pm


Valheita
SoulSkourer
Valheita
SoulSkourer
However Val, someone who's slightly stronger than the rest might not get more women
But, yeah, radiation screws NS up
That's a dangerous interpretation of survival of the fittest.

The fittest isn't the strongest, it's the one who raises the most sluts breeding offspring.

I know strongest isn't the fittest
It's an easy example that is obvious

And, i agree. As long as we're animals, we'll still pass on traits, having people more suspect to sunburns, for example, or more fit for heat or cold.
Easy examples are what got us to the point of "MY GRANDPARENTS WEREN'T MONKEYS. UR AN IDIOT"

Actually, your parents are more monkey than they are anything else
The genome is the similar, and you can successfully make the argument that you're more similar to a monkey than your own sister.
Unfortunately, people find this offending, because of our own inflated egos. I mean, we put ourselves as gods, and the center of the universe
How much more ego can you get?

Also, if you use complex examples, people will just say, "WUHH?? Simplify please"

SoulSkourer

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Valheita

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PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2009 8:42 pm


SoulSkourer

Actually, your parents are more monkey than they are anything else
The genome is the similar, and you can successfully make the argument that you're more similar to a monkey than your own sister.
Unfortunately, people find this offending, because of our own inflated egos. I mean, we put ourselves as gods, and the center of the universe
How much more ego can you get?

Also, if you use complex examples, people will just say, "WUHH?? Simplify please"
1)I'd argue they're more human than monkey, seeing as you know, we have speciated from them and so are our own animal. There's also the fact that monkeys diverged from us before Apes, so we'd be more Apes than Monkeys.

But yes, ego is a real problem when trying to explain to people that they're still only animals.

2) That's when you slap them, and tell them to come back when they get an education.
PostPosted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:21 am


Evolution is only seldom taught properly in schools, especially on a State by State basis.

I had a professor last semester who did an amazing job explaining the whole debate, and how much of it is real science.... ect.... as well as the evidence for evolution that is usually misconstrued to mean various things having to do with eugenics.

EmperorZensekai

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Vajapocalypse

PostPosted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:24 am


EmperorZensekai
Evolution is only seldom taught properly in schools, especially on a State by State basis.

I had a professor last semester who did an amazing job explaining the whole debate, and how much of it is real science.... ect.... as well as the evidence for evolution that is usually misconstrued to mean various things having to do with eugenics.
On a separate not that is the exact reason why we need to nationalize teaching standards. So what a child is learning in an inner city school is exact same (teaching styles, examples, material ect) as a what a kid in Podunk Iowa is being taught.

I had a teacher who did a horrible job. She spent two minutes on the subject and said she isn't going to further discuss it due to religion. In that school district as long as you bring it up, that's teaching enough =M=
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