Re: A FACT? Re: What is evolution?
John W. Queen II (john.queen.ii@mail.utexas.edu)
Tue, 6 May 1997 22:08:06 -0500 (CDT)>To: "Pim van Meurs" <entheta@eskimo.com>
>From: john.queen.ii@mail.utexas.edu (John W. Queen II)
>Subject: Re: A FACT? Re: What is evolution?
>
>Dear Forum and Pim
> Evolution is an IDEA. Ideas are things that may work but need much
more information to verify that they will work(or did work). A PROCESS such
as evolution which would have taken millions of years to occur also needs
alot of inforation to verify. Facts are verifiable peices of information.
Can a person without lieing to themselves say that evolution has been
verified? I think not! Sure you can type a long treaties on the
philosophical asspects and history of evolution but in SCIENTIFIC terms the
mechanisms behind humans emerging from multi-cellular organisms over
millions of years is ludicrous! Not to say that the emergence of humans(and
other living things) from much simpler ones isn't an area that can't be
researched and discussed. This is what science is all about. However, when
a scientist puts his hands up and declares a area of research as FACT he has
in affect ended his research. He has become closed minded and cannot
interpret information in an unbiased fashion.
> You can't compare GRAVITY to EVOLUTION in the smallest fashion.
Especially if you go back to the time of Darwin! You can observe gravity
but real evolution has never been observed. It's an insult placing them in
the same sentence! We understand gravity and the forces of the planets, sun
and moons well enough to put satellites in orbit for years at a time along
with interplanetary travel. Evolution? Wheres the correlation? There's no
application! Do we understand the mechanisms of evolution? NO! Do people
have ideas? Yes! Do you call something a FACT that you have never witnessed,
experienced or have any conclusive information on? NO!
> A fact whose mechanisms are not understood and has not been
witnessed isn't a fact, is it? Doesn't it at least need to be experienced,
witnessed, observed, something?
> You simply have faith in ideas that have yet to verified. I guess
in a religous context you could then call Evolution a fact.
>
>
> john w. Queen II
> UT austin
> chem dept
>
> Evolution as FACT: Faith in ideas that have yet to be verified.
>
>
>
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>> john.queen.ii @ mail.utexas.edu
>>05-04-97 10:49 PM
>>
>>>Indeed. Evolution as a fact was already known before Darwin. Darwin merely
>>>provided the mechanisms to explain the facts in a scientific manner.
>>
>>JQ: -- wow! The thought of evolution being a know FACT before even
>>the
>>time of Darwin is an interesting one. So what has the advent of new
>>technologies done for the FACT of evolution? The FACT of evolution doesn't
>>
>>New technologies have unraveled more evidence supporting the fact of
>>evolution.
>>
>>JQ: So, for a modern day scientist to say that he only need 18 th century
>>or later knowledge of plants and animals to come to the conclusion that
>>evolution is a FACT is ENORMOUS!
>>
>>Is it ? Gravity was a fact in the 18th century and that fact has not
>>changed much. That the theory of gravity has gone through some evolution
>>is something else though.
>>
>>JQ: What more is there to talk about? Shut down the
>>forum...WHY?..."you
>>don't know?"..."hey evolution is a FACT. We have a few(thoulsand)
>>wrinkles(craters) to iron out but it's still a FACT in OUR MINDS".
>>
>>You are confusing the fact of something with the theory of explaining the
>>fact.
>>Or you are just being sarcastic ?
>>
>>Regards
>>
>>Pim
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>
John W. Queen II