The Evidence Against Evolution Part 3: A Fine-Tuned Universe

[natepro]

Wheres your evidence that this wasn't "fine tuned" by a higher being? Even evidence that our environment was composed randomly? If there was 100% evidence to disprove either creationism or evolution then there would be no reason to discuss it anymore. It's different views and opinions all trying to figure out why and how we got here.

You don't seem to understand how evidence to support a claim works.

If you would like to claim that the universe is "fine-tuned" for life, then it is on you to prove that, not on others to disprove it.

There isn't, quite obviously, evidence that disproves evolution, which is why it's still a scientific theory. It is falsifiable, unlike ID or creationism, which is part of what makes it a scientific theory. There are things that would absolutely prove evolution false. And we have yet to find a single one of them. It's not as if no one has been looking, either.

[flips333]

You don't seem to understand how evidence to support a claim works.

If you would like to claim that the universe is "fine-tuned" for life, then it is on you to prove that, not on others to disprove it.

There isn't, quite obviously, evidence that disproves evolution, which is why it's still a scientific theory. It is falsifiable, unlike ID or creationism, which is part of what makes it a scientific theory. There are things that would absolutely prove evolution false. And we have yet to find a single one of them. It's not as if no one has been looking, either.

I just taught this falsifiable bit to my students when it came to semantic networks. Their little minds were blown by the idea that a scientific theory that is too flexible, that can not be challenged would actually be a bad model. I didn't think to mention ID... Probably would have made the class devolve into Chaos.

[iam brett favre]

Wait...there's people on this site that don't believe in evolution?

[flips333]

Wait...there's people on this site that don't believe in evolution?

Welcome to America.

[tnewkirk]

Wait...there's people on this site that don't believe in evolution?

i dont know if you're being sarcastic but yea most people on here dont believe in evolution.

[iam brett favre]

But how?

[flips333]

i dont know if you're being sarcastic but yea most people on here dont believe in evolution.

Most people on psd don't believe in evolution... I doubt that. They are a vocal minority.

[DenButsu]

You don't seem to understand how evidence to support a claim works.

If you would like to claim that the universe is "fine-tuned" for life, then it is on you to prove that, not on others to disprove it.

There isn't, quite obviously, evidence that disproves evolution, which is why it's still a scientific theory. It is falsifiable, unlike ID or creationism, which is part of what makes it a scientific theory. There are things that would absolutely prove evolution false. And we have yet to find a single one of them. It's not as if no one has been looking, either.

Agreed 100%.

That said, however, there are plenty of examples in nature of things that, if they were "designed" by some intelligent being, were either designed very badly, or randomly in very strange, inexplicable ways. Like the axial tilt of Uranus being nearly parallel to the plane of the solar system while that of all the other planets is roughly perpendicular (Uranus and Venus also having retrograde rotations). Or atavism (my personal favorite). Or the fact that somewhere in the neighborhood of 99.9% of all animal species that ever lived have gone extinct.

As you point out, the existence of a "designer" isn't a falsifiable hypothesis, and people can rationalize away examples like these. But if there is a designer, it has a pretty twisted mind.

I mean, don't even get me started on parasites.

[iam brett favre]

Wait...so to be clear. There's still people out there that don't believe in evolution? Serious question.

[natepro]

Wait...so to be clear. There's still people out there that don't believe in evolution? Serious question.

I honestly don't know how you can avoid knowing this. Just look at the number of insane laws proposed in places like Louisiana and Kansas and Nebraska, trying to get Intelligent Design or straight up Creationism taught in the schools. There are scores of people who don't believe evolution.

[DenButsu]

What Louisiana 5th graders in state-sponsored schools learn about evolution:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczyn...en-learn-about

[Patman]

What Louisiana 5th graders in state-sponsored schools learn about evolution:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczyn...en-learn-about

I thought Public schools aren't allowed to endorse a specific religion? Looks like a lot of fundamentalist christian dogma in that book. That is even totally out of touch with the 2 biggest Christian churches.....

And I absolutely hate it when they try to link the big bang, abiogenesis and other fields with Evolution and make it look like those are mainstays in that theory. Theory of Evolution doesn't care how life was created or how the universe came into existence and so on. There is NO debate about Evolution, outside some pretty fundamentalist christian societies, even the two biggest christian denominations endorse it...........

[DenButsu]

Thank Bobby Jindal.

[nastynice]

Wait...so to be clear. There's still people out there that don't believe in evolution? Serious question.

yea, 3 years ago I didn't believe it at all, I actually found it kinda funny that people took it serious. Even now I'm kinda on the fence about it (I do respect it tho). But then again, I was never formally taught about it (I have taught myself a LITTLE something about it). Which is wierd cuz I went to a really good private high school.

[manbearchef]

What Louisiana 5th graders in state-sponsored schools learn about evolution:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczyn...en-learn-about

Honestly, that wasn't near as bad as I expected. For 11 year olds, that's not terrible. The fact that it was probably taught in a condescending manner from a teacher, plus the fact that it's acting as if most of what we know about evolution isn't proven are the worst parts of it.

What those kids were taught was more than I was taught about evolution prior to high school, and I live in VA. I still remember the insanity of my biology class room when my teacher was trying to get over the evolution chapter lol.