Should evolution explain EVERYTHING?

[obiwong]

logged onto Facebook this morning and this status update caught my attention

Three questions that evolution cannot answer: (1) Where did we come from? (2) What is the purpose of life? and (3) What happens after we die?

and here's how the comments went (names removed)

"Three questions that evolution cannot answer: (1) Where did we come from? (2) What is the purpose of life? and (3) What happens after we die?"

"coz answers cannot EVOLVE!!!

They can only be revealed By GOD"

"Great line...."

"Actually I think they do answer it... 1) pond scum, 2) be as smart as possible so people don't see how insecure and hopeless they are, and 3) absolutely nothing, so they can do whatever they want now.

Hey, I didn't say they were good answers right?"

"Hey *****...Boy, number 2 is a real barnburner! So true man!"

ME: "why should evolution answer those questions?"

"Because those are the fundamental questions that human beings have. Answers to these questions shape a person's workdview, which determines their praxis- their life practices."

"Well said, ******."

ME: "I don't doubt that they are important questions but why does the theory of evolution have to answer them? It has nothing to do with any of those questions. You might as well question why they theory of gravity or big bang theory doesn't answer them either."

"Evolution by Natural Selection, contrary to popular belief is not a "scientific theory" but a "grand narrative". As a grand narrative, it is a worldview-shaping concept that purports to answer these questions, if not by the theory itself (though I think it does) but at least the many subdisciplines that it has spawned - sociobiology for example."

"***** do you use the word praxis to show how many yers you have been in post secondary educatiom. I By the way great point."

ME: "evolution by natural selection explains why giraffes have long necks

you could have a "theory of everything" which uses "theory of evolution" to explain everything

but it does not mean "theory of evolution" is responsible for explaining everything"

agree with me or disagree?

[Motoko.]

If evolution is flawed then it can't explain its own principles.

[TrueMonolith]

Evolution by natural selection is the best theory we have for accounting for the diversity of life.

The questions are an exercise in the human cognitive approach. Look like you have some creationist friends though... lol.

[Solid Knight]

Evolution isn't an explanation of what comes after life; further the question assumes that something comes after life in which the answer could very well be "nothing".

Evolution isn't an explanation of what the purpose of life is; further the question assumes that life has to have a purpose in order to occur in which the answer could very well "it has no purpose".

Evolution is a theory of how organisms became diversified and how life started. Also consider, if evolution is true and life started due to some random chemical reactions then life has no purpose and nothing happens after death. It does, in fact, answer both questions albeit that isn't the purpose of the theory.

It is also in the realm of possibility that evolution didn't work quite the way we think it did and their might have been multiple origins of life that were coincidentally similar.

[Motoko.]

Evolution isn't an explanation of what comes after life; further the question assumes that something comes after life in which the answer could very well be "nothing".

Evolution isn't an explanation of what the purpose of life is; further the question assumes that life has to have a purpose in order to occur in which the answer could very well "it has no purpose".

Evolution is a theory of how organisms became diversified and how life started. Also consider, if evolution is true and life started due to some random chemical reactions then life has no purpose and nothing happens after death. It does, in fact, answer both questions albeit that isn't the purpose of the theory.

It is also in the realm of possibility that evolution didn't work quite the way we think it did and their might have been multiple origins of life that were coincidentally similar.

An appropriate description.

I don't believe in human evolution (ape evolved into man) but I apply evolution to animals.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Evolution can explain a hell of a lot more than "GOD" can. Actually "GOD" can't explain/prove anything at all because all he has is a single book of stories. hmm... :rolleyes:

(Yeah I realize the irony of me saying this with regards to god as a real person, haha)

[Motoko.]

Evolution can explain a hell of a lot more than "GOD" can. Actually "GOD" can't explain/prove anything at all because all he has is a single book of stories. hmm... :rolleyes:

(Yeah I realize the irony of me saying this with regards to god as a real person, haha)

fyi not all religions acknowledge God as a human.

[Crompee]

Evolution is a theory of how organisms became diversified and how life started. Also consider, if evolution is true and life started due to some random chemical reactions then life has no purpose and nothing happens after death. It does, in fact, answer both questions albeit that isn't the purpose of the theory.

It is also in the realm of possibility that evolution didn't work quite the way we think it did and their might have been multiple origins of life that were coincidentally similar.

common misconception, Evolution is not the theory of how life started. Its simply the origin of species (how life became diversified after it started. It is not a theory on the origin of life).

None of the 3 questions asked, actually have anything do with Evolution.

An appropriate description.

I don't believe in human evolution (ape evolved into man) but I apply evolution to animals.

Why dont you believe in human evolution but apply it to the evolution of animals?

[Original Poster]

my theory of the meaning of life,

a species evolving until the point where it no longer needs to evolve and can sustain its species perminantly within an ecological niche, this is the purpose of life if life is created...

if life was not created there would be no purpose to it what people get confused about is the meaning of existence and the purpose of it... there is no meaning (no great story book ending)

[PreKe]

I don't believe in human evolution (ape evolved into man) but I apply evolution to animals.

Humans are animals. Evolution does its thing on humans too. We share a common ancestor with today's great apes.

[cybertimber2008]

Wow to your friend who thought evolution leads to a greater intelligence. Evolution only allows those "more reproductively fit" to continue. (Biology taught me that). Basically, it's either who reproduces the most, or he who CAN reproduce.

Mules for example (Horse + Donkey) are sterile, and therefore cannot reproduce, and cannot evolve.

Bacteria is another great example. Ones that have characteristics to survive antibiotics can continue to reproduce and eventually evolve the bacteria species into one that can survive entirely against bacteria.

So...

"Three questions that evolution cannot answer: (1) Where did we come from? (2) What is the purpose of life? and (3) What happens after we die?"

(1) We came from a prior form of an organism, which survived hardship and reproduced to allow us to be here. The evolution occured over millions of years.

(2) The purpose of life is to continue evolution by surviving. If one doesn't survive past reproductive age, their characteristics are removed. If they do survive into reproductive age, their characteristics are passed along, and hopefully in a equal or greater than number (eg, 2 parents, 2 kids to replace).

-- This causes biological diveristy

(3) What happens afte we die? - See the above. After we die, our characteristics (those more "reproductively fit") continue to live on.

And yea I'm religious. Don't flame my answer, that's just the logic of how it was explained at a college and seems to fit his 3 questions.

[Original Poster]

Wow to your friend who thought evolution leads to a greater intelligence. Evolution only allows those "more reproductively fit" to continue. (Biology taught me that). Basically, it's either who reproduces the most, or he who CAN reproduce.

Mules for example (Horse + Donkey) is sterile, and therefore cannot reproduce, and cannot evolve.

Bacteria is another great example. Ones that can survice antibiotics can continue to reproduce and eventually evolve the bacteria species into one that can survive entirely against bacteria.

hello i am not flaming your answer just pointing out ... although they can not breed its not to say they CANNOT evolve ever... genetic mutation is a possibility and only mules who can breed will evolve although there are none at the moment its not to say there never will be :p ... its how natural selection actually works.. those with the ability to breed and survive will if their is a possibility that mules can be created their is a chance no matter how small that they can reproduce :p just give it time

[Vice]

Evolution just explains that things change over time. People that say 'Well Evolution doesn't explain how the Universe Started!' do not understand what Evolution is.

[Green_Eye]

I truly believe that we as humans lack the ability to understand both the Evolutionary stance on the meaning of life and how it came to be, and also If God were to reveal himself to us and explain everything we would be dumbfounded and yet still not be able to understand. So either way and as of yet we are incapable of understanding the complexities of life whether we rely on God or anything else for that matter. So it's all friggin pointless :p

[Solid Knight]

Evolution just explains that things change over time. People that say 'Well Evolution doesn't explain how the Universe Started!' do not understand what Evolution is.

Which is an easy question to answer. In the beginning there was nothing. Then there was something.

[Astra.Xtreme]

fyi not all religions acknowledge God as a human.

I think you overlooked what I was saying. The irony was that I was saying god is a real person when my comment was saying that he's not real at all.

[ew2x4]

What if God created the universe through evolution? I'd love for a Christian to ask me this.

[perochan]

no because we don't know.

[nukenorman]

Still evolution doesn't explain where the fist molecules to make the big bang come from. I know the law of physics says all matter now will always be here but in the very beginning it had to be created from something it didnt just appear out of no where.

In all fairness atheist will say well then who created God then. Fair point there.

My point is both sides can never be proven so its silly to argue about it.

However the human body if you really study it and the earth and everything about it looks more than just a random chance and looks like a design thoughtful process was behind it.

[Solid Knight]

Evolution has nothing to do with the origin of the universe.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I agree that the theory of evolution doesn't explain everything and it definitely doesn't answer those 3 questions. After all, philosophy has very little to do with how organisms change over time.

[betadan]

IMHO... Evolution is a theory...and theories change, it's their nature. But for me God is a constant, always present. Before during and after. And sure it's based on a book and stories, but there is a heck of a lot more evidence of god then there is that the world will end in 2012. and look how many people buy that. (just bugging you 2012 guys, but i hope you are wrong). again IMHO.

[seta-san]

there's been one thing i've never understood. how does a species make the transition from one to another. Surely that even if a new species appeared(one that had a different number of chromosomes) that surely he would be genetically unique and inable to have offspring with it's parents species.

[Crompee]

Still evolution doesn't explain where the fist molecules to make the big bang come from. I know the law of physics says all matter now will always be here but in the very beginning it had to be created from something it didnt just appear out of no where.

In all fairness atheist will say well then who created God then. Fair point there.

My point is both sides can never be proven so its silly to argue about it.

However the human body if you really study it and the earth and everything about it looks more than just a random chance and looks like a design thoughtful process was behind it.

Evolution also doesnt explain why your computer works, how gravity works, or that global warming is real. Evolution does not explain the origin of the universe of the origin of life, its not a theory on those things. Its the origin of species, how life is so varied on earth (it does not explain how life began). yes evolution can never be proven right, the same way that the engineering principles and theorys that make your computer work can never be proven right.. However, you're not going to start arguing that all of physics is wrong and theres no point discussing it. Evolution has been shown to be true through predictions made based on its assumptions, they use evolution to predict where certain animal fossils will be (and how old they will be), also evolution predicted the existances of DNA.

Also, if you look at the earth.. it looks flat. Also, its not just random chance.. its natural selection killing anything thats wrong so over many many millions of years.. something great evolves as species slowly get better and more diverse. Theres also the case that Scientists who actually study the human body, DNA, the earth and space are usually always athiest and believe in evolution.. while those that dont know much about evolution or the actual subject they are discussing but believe in god tend to think its just too much random chance.

there's been one thing i've never understood. how does a species make the transition from one to another. Surely that even if a new species appeared(one that had a different number of chromosomes) that surely he would be genetically unique and inable to have offspring with it's parents species.

There are many reasons for it but i dont know them all.. I only know of:

Enviromental, some animals from a group may relocate and travel.. so you will then have 2 sets of species having different enviromental conditions on them, causing different evolutionary traits to become stronger. Take for example humans, with X amount of time (i dont know how long) of seperation we have had evolution dictate skin color in order to better survive in there natural habitate.

However, when talking about how does evolution create new chromosones, science doesnt have one definitive theory on how that happends or what causes it to happen. Although, having a different number of chromosones does not mean that reproduction definatly cant take place.

[Phenom II]

If evolution is correct, and man evolved from Ape, why are there still Apes ?