Ross,
The basics of Darwin's theory of evolution are not the myriad of details which are rightly tested and replaced as needed. But the fact is that all life on Earth has a common ancestor that changed over a long period of time, based on natural selection of naturally occuring variation. This simple idea, basic to Darwin's theories, has not been disproved (despite many attempts) and underlies all modern biology. Shell collectors can stay with Linnean (pre-Darwin)systematics without needing to question why a nested system reflects reality, but anyone who really wishes to appreciate "God's Creation" should have some idea of how it got that way!
Darwin was not trying to explain 'why' the world is the way it is, just how it got that way. 'Why' is still a religious question that science cannot properly answer. Use the Bible to answer religious questions, but allow science answer the 'how' type questions.
Allen Aigen
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-- ross mayhew <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
It has been suggested that "politics and religion" not be discussed on
the list. I heartily agree: this is NOT the forum for these particular
topics!! That said, i do not see that a discussion regarding competing
worldviews (represented in this case by the "creationist" and
"evolutionist" factions) which present dramatically different
perspectives regarding how the world we see around us has developed and
changed over time, is out of place on a scientifically oriented
discussion list (even though the "science" on one side of the fence is a
bit thin - to be kind...). There are some who opine that we should
slavishly stick to 100% mollusc-oriented topics, but i think that some
"general science" threads should also be fair game from time to time.
At any rate, the word "Darwinism" has been tossed around by individuals
on both sides of the debate, in a manner that suggests it actually
represents the prevailing paradigm of evolution-oriented science in the
21st century. News flash: it doesn't!!! The systemmatic, step-by-step,
mutation-by-mutation, "survival of the fittest" over long periods of
time approach to species differentiation and survival, although
surprisingly often still taught to our society's children, has been
replaced in the mainstream scientific community over the past few
decades, by an extremely diverse range of opinions and approaches to
speciation: "puctuated equillibrium", where rapidly changing
environmental conditions on a local, regional or even global scale favor
and promote the equally rapid development of new species, is a popular
concept, as are various and sundry versions of the "hopeful monster"
theory-set. I'm sure most members of the list can think of **at least**
a half-dozen proposed methods of speciation which enjoy some standing
with and support from scientists of good reputation at the opening of
the 21st century - and indeed, they are not mutually exclusive: the
whole lot of them may be applicable in various ecological contexts,
geological eras and time-frames!! So, let us retire the concept and
term "Darwinism" to the dust-bin of science: while it does indeed refer
to a particular viewpoint regarding speciation, but does not accurately
describe the theories and viewpoints prelevant within the general
scientific community 150 years after Darwin's book "The Origin of
Species" was published.
With Regards from Damp ol' New Scotland,
Joseph Ross Mayhew.
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