On Sun, 24 Oct 1999 23:09:15 -0700, Chris Cogan wrote:
CC>Apparently, some people on this list think that the theory of evolution is
>something of a myth. Fine. But, surely, there is more to it than that. For
>example, some will say that it is a myth that the Earth has been around for
>billions of years, or they will agree that microevolution occurs but regard
>macroevolution as a myth. What I want to do here is try to get as many myths
>of evolution as possible in one place (starting perhaps with the two in this
>paragraph). Here are a few more to get you started:
>
>* The myth that every feature of living things can be evolved.
>
>* The myth that evolution can increase genetic information.
>
>* The myth that the origin of consciousness can be explained by evolution.
>
>Etc.
>
>Any more that you can think of?
Well for starters I consider it a myth that there really *is* such a thing as
"*the* theory of evolution"!
Mayr, who is probably the greatest living Darwinist, says that: "Evolution
shows so many facets that it looks alike to no two persons. The more
different the backgrounds of two biologists, the more different their
attempts at causal explanation." (Mayr E., "Populations, Species and
Evolution", 1974, p1).
A few pages later he says that "The basic theory is in many instances
hardly more than a postulate and its application raises numerous questions
in almost every concrete case." (Mayr E., 1974, p6).
Gould candidly admitted that "evolution (as theory) is indeed `a
conglomerate idea consisting of conflicting hypotheses'" (Gould S.J.,
"Darwinism Defined: The Difference Between Fact and Theory", Discover,
January 1987, p65)
There are undoubtedly *theories* of evolution, but there is no one
*theory* of evolution, that is indistinguishable from mythology. Indeed, it is
believing that there is a single grand, *theory* of evolution, and promoting
it as such that is the real creation-mythology of our time.
If Chris disputes the above, perhaps he can say exactly what exactly *is*
"*the* theory of evolution"?
Steve
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