Science and creationism

Anthony W. Cynor acynor at fullerton.edu
Sun Aug 29 20:03:16 EDT 1999



Doug Yanega wrote:
> 
> >>Maybe you've not been paying attention, but evolution - including
> >>speciation - is not something that happened in the past and then
> >stopped
> >>happening.
> >
> >It is true we can only observe actual specation of those animals that are
> >currently changing.
> 
> All living things are evolving right now, and we can observe this evolution
> in action. Observing speciation, on the other hand, is something which -
> for the most part - is like watching the San Andreas Fault to see it move.
> Just because you can't stand there and see any change from hour to hour
> doesn't mean it isn't moving. You would be just as foolish to deny that the
> fault moves (because you can't personally see it happen) as you would be to
> deny that speciation is taking place, as part of the ongoing evolutionary
> process. Genetic change is inevitable and incessant, and sooner or later,
> such changes will lead to incompatibility between two populations that USED
> to be compatible if there is insufficent gene flow between them to prevent
> it. Are you willing to accept that Chihuahuas and Samoyeds and Beagles and
> Bulldogs and Great Danes all have a common ancestor, even though you
> weren't around to see it happen? Do you think all those breeds
> spontaneously popped up, in the forms we know them today, in one gigantic
> mutation each, or that it took hundreds and thousands of generations to
> develop them, gradually? Do you not think that 200 years from now, that
> there will NOT be new and different breeds of dogs - AND new species of
> wild plants and animals - just because you can't detect any changes
> occurring in your lifetime? You ARE witnessing speciation in action, and
> unless you plan to live for a few hundred years, you're just not equipped
> to appreciate the significance of what you're witnessing, and that's too
> bad.
> 
> Peace,
> 
> Doug Yanega        Dept. of Entomology         Entomology Research 

Nice comparison but people actually do see the San Andreas move in their
lifetime and the breeds of dogs represent intelligently directed
selection not natural selection. In other words regarding dog breeds
there is intelligent action taking place external to the dogs not just
plain old randomness.

Tony


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