Novelty in living things arises randomly, through mutation and through recombination, but that is just the raw material on which natural selection operates. Selection itself is a consequence of survival and reproduction. Individuals that leave offspring contribute their genes, including novel mutations, to the next generation; individuals that die or fail to reproduce do not.
Random events can influence which individuals survive and reproduce, but so can the intelligence of the animal, how well a plant or animal is adapted to the habitat it finds itself in, its strength and many factors that are not random. This notion that natural selection is "by definition a random process" is a good example of the sort of misunderstanding that results from the hostility to evolutionary theory and the long efforts to keep it from being taught well.
It's a bit dumbfounding that you claim to have evidence on your side, yet you insist that life can not become more complex. The evidence shows just the opposite: life began as simple cells, which grew more complex with the addition of a nucleus, then the ability to live in colonies, then as multicellular organisms, which evolved into a bewildering array of complex plants and animals which have formed complex ecosystems. The most complex organism, man, appears only in the most recent little sliver of history.
In short, the problems you attribute to Darwinism are actually problems with your woefully erroneous understanding of the theory of evolution and of the history and diversity of life.
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Rikki writes:
Natural selection is not a random process.
Novelty in living things arises randomly, through mutation and through recombination, but that is just the raw material on which natural selection operates. Selection itself is a consequence of survival and reproduction. Individuals that leave offspring contribute their genes, including novel mutations, to the next generation; individuals that die or fail to reproduce do not.
Random events can influence which individuals survive and reproduce, but so can the intelligence of the animal, how well a plant or animal is adapted to the habitat it finds itself in, its strength and many factors that are not random. This notion that natural selection is "by definition a random process" is a good example of the sort of misunderstanding that results from the hostility to evolutionary theory and the long efforts to keep it from being taught well.
It's a bit dumbfounding that you claim to have evidence on your side, yet you insist that life can not become more complex. The evidence shows just the opposite: life began as simple cells, which grew more complex with the addition of a nucleus, then the ability to live in colonies, then as multicellular organisms, which evolved into a bewildering array of complex plants and animals which have formed complex ecosystems. The most complex organism, man, appears only in the most recent little sliver of history.
In short, the problems you attribute to Darwinism are actually problems with your woefully erroneous understanding of the theory of evolution and of the history and diversity of life.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.