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How to Defend Evolutionism Against Creationism
Although the idea of evolution is widely accepted around the world, there are people who still hold their religious ideas to explain how the universe came into existence. In a Young Earth Creation versus evolution debate, these ideas may help you explain evolution.
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Steps
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1Since the theory of evolution is not a religious belief, try to leave religion out of the discussion. Even if you are an atheist, do not use evolutionary theory in your attempts to disprove the existence of god(s), because evolution doesn't disprove God's existence. If a creationist asks you to explain the origin of the universe during a debate on evolution, say he's gone off topic. Biological evolution has nothing to say on the origin of the universe.Ad -
2Recognize that it is important that your friend understand the philosophy of science. Start by making sure your friend can explain to you the scientific method and what "theory" means. Science builds its theories in order to comply to observable facts. It is theoretical and open to revision as fact dictates. The theory of evolution describes the emergence of new species from preexisting species. A good scientist would reject or revise the evolutionary theory based on the facts that are progressively presented. In fact, evolutionary theory has been revised many times over and will continue to be revised in the future as the facts demand. If you must, explain how this is not, as it might first appear, a weakness, but in fact an example of the scientific process at work. Science accepts almost nothing as 100% proven and is always ready to change its mind when new information is discovered. -
3Discuss with your advocate whether or not children look like their parents. Do they inherit traits genetically? And can we notice any trends over time - for example, people's feet are bigger today than they were 200 years ago. If they admit that traits are passed on genetically, move on to the next step. -
4Discuss how variation occurs from one generation to the next due to chromosomal mutations. Animals (and people) can have slightly different colored skin, hair/fur and dimensions from their ancestors. Show that these differences can be advantageous (for example, a giraffe with a longer neck can eat more leaves, be healthier, live longer, and reproduce more). -
5Discuss whether animals who are badly adapted to their environments will die. For example, could a white crocodile sneak up on its prey as well as a dark green one could? Of course it couldn't! So the green crocodile would have a better chance of survival, and a better chance of procreation (reproduction), while the white crocodile starves to death. -
6If needed, describe how one species can split up to two. Some Young Earth Creationists say, that natural selection can´t explain why there are different species. Tell them that animals that move to a different place with different conditions change with natural selection and adaptation to their environment and a new species is formed and the animals that did not move did not need to adapt to a new environment. A good example are the Darwin finches, who had the same origin, but lived on different isles and have different beaks and are biologically different species. -
7What good is half a wing or half an eye? Answer this question by illustrating possible paths of evolution by showing them gliding animals with webbed limbs, and deep-sea starfish with primitive light-sensing cells. These creatures have only partial wings or partial eyes, yet even that tiny bit is useful to them. It seems possible that bird wings and human eyes evolved the same way.Ad
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Tips
- Do not be afraid to admit that science cannot explain everything. Although current knowledge cannot explain something, it doesn't mean that that it won't be discovered in the future. It also doesn't mean that any one explanation is valid.
- Be patient and kind. If someone feels attacked, they aren't going to hear you.
- Understand that "evolution" does not simply refer to natural selection (as the word has been used previously in this article), but to a great number of different processes, such as endosymbiotic events, gene acquisition/rearrangement, and pre-cellular events. Natural selection can't explain how complex life exists today - the field of evolutionary biology is an incredibly complex one and natural selection is only a small fraction of the whole.
- Try to have a general knowledge of common logical fallacies.
- Learn about and discuss phylogenetic trees, carbon dating, the anthropological principle (fallacy), paleontology, even learn some examples for citing proof of any of these.
- Remember to listen and to be in the moment. You can't control them, but you can control your actions. This will help you rebut their arguments without getting overemotional and thus make mistakes in your argument.
- Acknowledge that both genetic variation (as a result of inheritance) and genetic mutations are responsible for evolution.
- Accept and ask the other person to accept that one of you is talking about science, which is supported by empirical evidence, while the other is talking about faith and non-science.
- If a Young Earth Creationist argues that Mendelian inheritance disproves evolution because nothing extra is added to genes, point out that only applies to sexual reproduction, and bacterial cells still evolve. Also bring up that Mendelian inheritance doesn't take into account mutations. There are several kinds, and insertion mutations actually do add extra code into DNA, which could be considered added information. These mutations only occur once in a great while, but evolution, as most know, is not a hurried process.
- Try to dispel any misconception of the word "theory". A theory is an idea that is supported by evidence , but can be improved as new evidence is discovered. A hypothesis is a proposition to be tested. Evolution is a theory like plate tectonics and many other areas of scientific study. (Gravity, however, is a law.) In contrast, Young Earth Creationism would only be a hypothesis from both a scientific viewpoint and the Young Earth Creationist's own definition of faith.
- Both Creationism and Evolution are worldviews; they proceed from an account of the world and expect that the world conforms to that account. In other words, the conclusion is already held to be true. Fideistic Creationism and scientific naturalism essentially work from the opposite ends, and this difference is what makes it the case that the two parties end up talking past each other; they are not even really having the same conversation.
- It can be impressive to note that there is, in fact, not much debate amongst the scientific community. Evolution (in specific evolutionary mechanisms) is accepted by 99% of biological scientists[1].
- Familiarize yourself with some Young Earth Creationist claims and how to refute them.
- Acknowledge that evolution and God are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Many religious people reject naturalistic evolution because they believe it denies God, and particularly his role in the creation of life and providence (and namely direction over development). In fact science is agnostic and evolutionary mechanisms have nothing to do with the origin of life. The mechanisms describe how creatures could change over time. The beliefs in evolution can be inconsistent with a literalistic interpretation of Genesis, implying these stories could be allegorical or that they could be interpreted in a variety of other ways.
- Remind both yourself and whomever you're discussing with, that evolution as a theory is not meant to explain life's origins, but the process of life's diversification. Arguments like "something can't come from nothing" are completely irrelevant to explaining evolution.
- Know that many different creation myths have been proposed. The Christian story is not actually unique, with parallels from Babylonian texts like the Enuma Elish although with notable differences. It is of course more interesting to note the differences and attempt to explain the differences.
- You can try to claim that Archeopteryx is a transitional form: still a dinosaur, but with light bones and feathers. Most informed creationists claim that its features are fully consistent with its bird status, so be cautious with this one and be prepared to elaborate on why it's not completely a "bird". Supply other examples of transitional forms such as Tiktaalik Rosae.
- Acknowledge that gradual and progressive evolution is more likely to crop up in asexual reproduction than sexual and that greater potential diversity (but limited in actuality) is possible in sexual reproduction
- Acknowledge most mutations are negative as opposed to positive
- Acknowledge that there are some 'cycles' of systemic mutations e.g., viruses and immune systems
- Acknowledge sexual reproduction mechanisms tend to undo mutations (e.g., miscarriages)
Warnings
- Don't lose your temper, and don't attack someone's religion. Stay patient and calm.
- If you find that you are in a situation where it seems like your friend doesn't understand or just keeps on denying your beliefs and points, you should probably leave the discussion.
- You can't convince a person that there is no proof his religious book tells the truth. It's never worthwhile to try.
- Most people will defend their beliefs with their religion. Be aware that people may take offense to your beliefs and you may perhaps lose a friend.
- Be sure to articulate why evolution is not a faith-based position and why creationism is, but do so respectfully. Remind them that you don't take evolution on faith because it is an accurate explanation of a natural process with substantial evidence to support it- this is why many people accept it, as opposed to "believe" it.
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In other languages:
Español: defender el evolucionismo frente al creacionismo, Italiano: Difendere l'Evoluzionismo Contro il Creazionismo, Русский: аргументировать эволюционную теорию креационистам, Português: Defender o Evolucionismo Contra o Criacionismo
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