Myths about evolution
Offline Hi guys, I remember a post a while back about numbering theist arguments. I got thinking that there are so many theists who don't have the first clue about evolution. So help me out here, I'm trying to catalogue "stupid myths about evolution". Here is what I have come up with so far.
1. Evolution is a chance process
2. Life is too complicated to have been created without a designer
3. Irreducible complexity
4. Advantegeous genetic mutation is impossible
5. A jellyfish cannot turn into a giraffe (true), organisms cannot morph over time(not true)
6. Macroevolution is somehow different to microevolution
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
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7) Confusing Biology and Cosmology (Arguing about the Big Bang Theory)
9) If humans came from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys? (my personal favorite)
10) What good is half an eye?
11) The hurricane blowing through a junkyard to make a 747 argument.
"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
12. Modern cars didn't evolve from old cars, therefore humans didn't evolve from earlier species (I've actually seen this! WTF!???!?!?)
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Jeez how did we forget the big one!
13. Evolution is only a theory (technically it is, but the myth is that a theory in science is the same as it is to the general public.)
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I've also come up with
14. If evolution is caused by genetic mutation, it can somehow "go backwards"
15. Progressive cumulative mutation is impossible.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
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16. Evolution has not been observed.
I like this thread, lol!
X+1: Evolution is an atheist thing.
Someone else can take care of this list.
18. Charles Darwin had a deathbed conversion (not only is this complete bullshit, but obviously has absolutely no bearing on the theory of evolution)
19. Fossils are sometimes found in the wrong striatations
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
Fossils were placed by god to fool everyone. Like a god has nothing better to do.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Thanks to everyone very much for all their input. This is the list I have come up with.
1. Evolution is a chance process
2. Life is too complicated to have been created without a designer
3. Irreducible complexity
4. Advantegeous genetic mutation is impossible
5. A jellyfish cannot turn into a giraffe (true), organisms cannot morph over time(not true)
6. Macroevolution is somehow different to microevolution
7) Confusing Biology and Cosmology (Arguing about the Big Bang Theory)
9) If humans came from monkeys, then why are there still monkeys? (my personal favorite)
10) What good is half an eye?
11) The hurricane blowing through a junkyard to make a 747 argument.
12. Modern cars didn't evolve from old cars, therefore humans didn't evolve from earlier species (I've actually seen this! WTF!???!?!?)
13. Evolution is only a theory (technically it is, but the myth is that a theory in science is the same as it is to the general public.)
14. If evolution is caused by genetic mutation, it can somehow "go backwards"
15. Progressive cumulative mutation is impossible.
16. Evolution has not been observed
17. A theist cannot believe in evolution
18. Charles Darwin had a deathbed conversion (not only is this complete bullshit, but obviously has absolutely no bearing on the theory of evolution)
19. Fossils are sometimes found in the wrong striatations
20. Fossils are tests of faith by God, as if he has nothing better to do.
And, I'll just add one last myth to complete the list
21. Evolution breaks the second law of thermodynamics
The reason I requested this list is because I have been making a lot of posts about evolution to theists lately, using old essays I wrote for molecular bio. But I have never completely assembled an individual debunking of each stupid theist argument. I will use this list to do so, and then when a theist starts spouting his gibberish, all I have to do is copy and paste.
Thanks everyone!
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
22. "Complexity" is never observed to increase in nature.
It's a warped argument from information theory. See "A Devil's Chaplain" by Dawkins for the refuation.
Lazy is a word we use when someone isn't doing what we want them to do.
- Dr. Joy Brown
Every single one of Hovind's arguements should be on the list but then the list would be twelve pages long....
How about:
23. Intelligent design is a viable scientific "theory", fully testable and predictive.
Very important ones i thinks, because they are made up lies by the creationnists:
24. There is no transitory species in the fossil records.
25. Man to ape fossils are either modern man or modern ape or a fraud.
26. C14 and other dating methods are not reliable.
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
I remember talking to a girl a while back over the topic.
Me: How do you explain the fossils of early man that resembled monkeys?
Her: that RESEMBLED but were not monkeys, were they?
26a. (corrolary) Since C14 dating cannot actually say that the Shrowd of Torin is real, when we know it is real, how can we trust it?
27. The "missing link" still hasn't been found
28. How could Adam have named all animals if they weren't there, but later evolved, or got extinct before that? (Yes, I've heard that one...)
29. It's a primordial need for the snake to have been there to tempt Eve, so he must have been created (Yes, I've heard this one too... you must agree he's right from a biblical perspective)
30. Why would God bother making organisms evolve, when he could create them like they are? (Oh, I would soooooo much like to see a "Why would God bother...?" thread)
Inquisition - "The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on..."
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Free will is impossible without god!!!
A debate i had with a theist who insisted that if we had evolved, then we don't have true freewill!! He also insisted that i cannot refer to myself as a freethinker if evolution is real and god is not!!!! all i can say to that is LOL!
Your mind will take you far, the rest is just your heart, you'l find that fate is all your own creation.
26b. Lava at Mt. Saint Helens is dated much older then when the lava came out of the earth. (this is because the crystals in the lava were formed long ago and just now came up)
26c. "I don't know how you can date things, so you can't say we know the age of things."
31. Clams are on mountains. (i.e. they don't know how mountains are formed) This is more of an attempt to prove Noah's ark true which in their mind makes genesis true.
32a. Evolution is Social Darwinism. (i.e. evolution is the cause of things like hitler or school shootings)
32b. Darwin is racist. (never mind the bible being used for bad shit)
Those were among a few other were brought up during an Evo ID debate at my college.
If a christian ever says that Darwin was racist, I would point out that he was a christian.
Ophios I don't think he was, but that is a myth as well.
The worst thing about these claims is that they wouldn't say anything about the modern theory even if they were true.
I think this might have been overlooked, or I might have overlooked it.
33: Evolution is a religion.
Oh and:
Would that not be a myth about ID and not Evo? :P
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I'll get back to you when I think of something worthwhile to say.
I thought so.
Of course, why do you think they keep going on about Darwin? Becuase they don't know that it has moved on from then.
Part of it is. That's why it's flopped so spectacularly.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Well.....
Yes it is about ID but ID is always compared to EVO as if they are both completely valid and testable when in truth only one of them can stand up to scrutiny.
I guess you have a problem with it being on the list?
Oh, sometimes you can feel an almost beardy nitpicking urge when you see something that could be more suited to "The myths of ID" thread than a "Myths of Evo" one
Some more would be "ID is within the scope of science*"
"ID is not creationism"
"ID is purposely ignored by the Science community (to explain lack of peer reviewed thingers) because they want to keep the religion of evolution alive." :P
See? They work both well in their own right, and thinger is one of the best words ever! (Defenestrate is hard to beat though)-----------------------
I'll get back to you when I think of something worthwhile to say.
i found a very "lol" one:
"Neanderthal man was a old man with arthritis"
i think it's worth meantionning.
When we have a 100 of em it would be nice to create a page "100 myth about evolution" with 5 lines of answers for each. I'd be willing to contribute. And i think it shoudl't be about id or creationism, but just myth on EVO. Who's up for it?
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Five lines of answers....lol. Check out my article called My answers to creationist and intelligent design nonsense
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
ty... link plz?
I'd still be interrested in creating a database (or FAQ) based on these questions with short answers each time, links etc.
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
http://www.rationalresponders.com/forum/yellow_number_five/evolution_of_life/5274
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
34 - vestiges are not vestiges, because they may still serve some funtion. (IOW - I don't understand what a vestige is).
I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world. - Richard Dawkins
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35. Evolution not explaining the origin of life and/or the universe is somehow a problem.
your link is awesome deludegod, i'm very impressed. r u a biologist?
Indeed, my friend.
I wrote another (thankfully smaller) piece which is lurking somewhere on the recent posts called 'Creationists ought to be ashamed of themselves"
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
36. I don't understand evolution or it doesn't make sense to me. Therefore it's wrong.
37. Proving Evolution wrong makes Intelligent Design right. (I’m not sure if this would be something for ID myths, or both.
)
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I'll get back to you when I think of something worthwhile to say.
This is brilliant. I can't think of any others. I've never met that many people who refute evolution. The one's I've heard have been very simple we couldn't've come about through chance. I'll have to infiltrate the ranks of my Uni's Evangelical Christian Union for a laugh one day. They give free food so they aren't that bad *scoff*.
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Hey deludedgod, i just got a great idea. We should regrout these myth and the others post you did on the subject under categories, like 1. Plain lies and forgeries 2. Logical Fallacies 3. Against the evidence 4. Epistemological issues etc...
It could be cool this way, don't you think?
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Bumping this.
Interesting link.
List of creationist arguments
{fixed link}
Evolution is a chance process
Wait a minute, it is my understanding that genetic mutations cause evolution. While natural selection favours the superiour genes (enhanced night vision for example), the gene mutations that cause these are random. (compare a cat's night vision to human's)
i.e the cat didn't say "I think I'll get better night vision encoded in me genes today."
The mutations are random, yes.
But natural selection isn't.
think of it like this:
THE MYSTERIES OF THE COSMOS ARE UNFOLDING BEFORE MY EYES!!!!!!!!
Seriously what is that?
I have absolutely no idea what that pic is. It looks like a worm made of black dots.
Anyway, yeah, genetic mutation is a chance process, but evolution (the process by which random genetic mutations are selected, deleted, propogated etc) is not.
"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.
-Me
Books about atheism
I think that picture shows that the random genetic mutations (dots) make up the big picture of evolution (wave).
And I admit a poor one at that.
But pretty much what you said.
The dots go in random(ish) different directions, but there is still a line in which they follow.
Did you make that on paint?
"The idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I am unable to take seriously." [Albert Einstein, letter to Hoffman and Dukas, 1946]
lol it was pretty shitty all right!
Pretty much.
I had about a minute to make a little picture, upload it, and post it before I had to get off the computer.