Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,151,096 members, 7,811,077 topics. Date: Saturday, 27 April 2024 at 10:45 PM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Religion / The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument (1648 Views)
Check This Out: Evolution Refuted! / Facts That Refuted Evolution. / The Charge Of 101 Contradictions In The Bible Refuted! (2) (3) (4)
The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 8:32pm On Mar 09, 2008 |
As a scientific theory, evolution has withstood the test of every attempt to falsify it, but each time it passed with flying colours. The evidence in support of evolution is staggering, ranging from paleontology, geology, genetic etc. Each of these branches of science independently could be capable of falsifying evolution, but interestingly, only find facts that confirm common descent by natural selection. I have seen all kind of attempts at refuting evolutions - from the bizarre to the ridiculous. One of the most ridiculous trumpetted by some of the members of Nairaland (particularly Imhotep) is the No-Witness Argument. Basically, he asserts that we must accept evolution on faith because no one was around to witness it. Below is a typical comment from Imhotep; imhotep: This is wrong in so many counts, it is amazing that someone has reached adulthood (I presume) and hold such naive understanding of the world and science. This is palpable evidence that the science curriculum in most schools have failed to impart the most basics of scientific understanding. Science is routinely used to study the past and make predictions about the future; For instance, when we peer into a telescope to look at distance star, we may be looking at events that took place billions of years ago. The compositions of stars such as our sun is well understood although no-one has physically travelled to these stars. And many many such studies are carried out daily by scientist all over the world. If this was a discredited approach to science, then the majority of scientific research would grind to a halt. Now consider the following analogies; 1) A clearing in the woods You walk 10 miles into a dense forest and find a clearing in the woods where once there might have been a tree. But the tree is nowhere to be found by simple naked-eye inspection. There were no eye witnesses of witness the falling and rotting away (or carting off) of the tree. Say, you arrive at the scene 1 - 5 years after the clearing appeared. Is it possible to formulate a hypothesis to determine what happened at this location? 2) The site of a car crash. You are a forensic car accident investigator. You arrive at the scene of a hit-and-run accident, with the car having hit a road-traffic installations and there are no eye-witnesses. The culprit car has been driven away from the scene of the crash. Is it possible to formulate a hypothesis to explain the plausible set of explanations as to the damage to the road installation? 3) You drive your car to the petrol filling station to top up on fuel and your 10 year old child asks you, "Daddy, where does petroleum fuel come from?" Can you formulate a hypothesis to investigate the process of the formation of petroleum fuels? 4) You take you prospective wife to a jewery store to put an engagement ring on her finger. Your partner is not very knowledgeable about sciences but she adores diamond. You also adore her; so will not begrudge her ignorance of these esoteric matters of sciences. Upon arrival home, she is delighted with the diamond, but asks you how these stones are formed. Can you formulate a hypothesis to investigate the formation of diamonds naturally? Do you think these natural processes could be artificially mimicked in the labs today? Consider the above when next you are tempted to use the No-Witness Argument. BTW, evolution is happen all the time as I write. The Nylon-eating bacteria is a new bacteria that evolve only after nylon was invented in the 50s. There are many more examples. ===================================================================================================== Some of my other threads The Dangers Of Religious Fundamentalism To Intellectualism https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=110955.msg1929006#msg1929006 Danger! Religion May Damage Your Intelligence And Your Mind If Not Your Wealth https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115458.0.html What Are Jesus's Core Moral Teachings And Which Are Unique To Him https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118622.0.html Which Christianity? Pauline Or Jamesian https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-117735.0.html Jesus, The Law And The Death Penalty https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118541.0.html With God On Our Side: God-inspired Violence - The Christians https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118563.0.html Speaking In Tongues: Is It Real Language Or Garrulous Babble? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118036.0.html Capital Punishment, Religiousity And Secularism https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118613.0.html Don't Know Much About Evolution?: Watch Dr Kenneth Miller Make It Simple https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-116650.0.html The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118701.0.html Can One Embrace Evolution And Maintain Christian (or Other Religious) Belief https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-118684.0.html Which Ten Commandments? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115811.0.html#msg1998588 Jesus's Doctrine Of Passive Non-resistance To Evil https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115745.0.html Does Anyone Not Know What The Permian–triassic Extinction Event Is ? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115553.0.html What Are Spiritual Truths? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115666.0.html#msg1996318 Road To Damascus Incident: Paul's Account https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115689.0.html#msg1996608 Noah, Kangaroos, Sloth, Polar Bear And Panda In A Wooden Boat https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115589.0.html#msg1994984 Resurrection Accounts In The Gospel: Reconciliation Wanted https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115582.0.html Does Jesus Know What Causes Sin? Thank Goodness He Doesn't. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115292.0.html The Dreadful Plight Of Apostasy In The Bible https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115114.0.html Is The European Union Prophesied In The Bible? Is It The Anti-christ? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115053.0.html Jesus And The Old Laws https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115190.0.html What Can Be Said To Be Definitely Known About Jesus? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-114935.0.html Origin Of Christianity And Diabolical Mimicry In Anticipation https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113860.0.html Hell Past, Hell Present; Which Do You Prefer? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113947.0.html#msg1971669 The Sexual Act And Christian Teaching https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-114332.0.html Scientific Rationalism, Reason And Faith: Which Produces Systematic Knowledge? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-114253.0.html On The Prophesy Of The Virgin Birth Of Jesus, Part 2: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113676.0.html On The Historical Reliability Of The Bible https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-114215.0.html When And From Where Did Jesus Ascend Into Heaven https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113519.0.html https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-114023.0.html#msg1972418 https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-114023.0.html#msg1972418 When Was Jesus Born? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113449.0.html On The Prophesy Of The Virgin Birth Of Jesus [/b]13012dg https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113342.0.html#msg1963529 [b] Was Jesus The Prophesied Messiah? Let's Look At The Evidence. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113303.0.html What Are Your Chances Of Being Saved? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113283.0.html Who Wrote The Gospels And When Were They Written? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113277.0.html#msg1962589 God Selects The Rulers Of Countries; G W Bush, Sadam, Pol Pot, Abacha, Hitler https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113186.0.html#msg1961537 Cannibalism In The Bible: Det 28:53-57, Lev 26:29, Jer 19:9, Ezek 5:10, Lam 4:10 https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113181.0.html#msg1961343 What Are The Core Tenets (doctrines, Value And Virtues) Of Christainity? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-112990.0.html Faith-healer And Evangelist, Maurice Cerullo, Investigated https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113871.0.html What Fate For Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Constantine And Tomás De Torquemada? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-112997.0.html#msg1958617 Is The Doctrine Of Trinity Biblical? The Johannine Comma https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-112865.0.html#msg1957266 On The Authenticity Of The New Testament, Part 2 https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-112848.0.html How Is Salvation Achieved? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-112833.0.html Only For Those Who Know Their Bibles And Some History: Who Was Jesus? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112697.msg1954632#msg1954632 Only For Those Who Know Their Bibles: Old Testament Stories https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112679.msg1954426#msg1954426 Human Sacrifice In The Bible: Lev 27: 29 & Judges 11 https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112584.msg1953340#msg1953340 Please, Please, Please: Christians - Read Read Read Your Bibles https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112578.msg1953311#msg1953311 When Was Jesus Crucified? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112557.msg1952665#msg1952665 On Conversion To A Religion (christianity Or I-slam) https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112547.msg1952353#msg1952353 Faith-healers And Tele-evangelists https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112398.msg1950528#msg1950528 Where Did Sin Originate? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112377.msg1950291#msg1950291 For The Non-beleivers Only, 1 https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112262.msg1948957#msg1948957 Would Christains Be Criminals And Offenders If They Were Not Christians? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112259.msg1948919#msg1948919 On The Authenticity Of The New Testament, Part 1 https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112240.msg1948631#msg1948631 Has Atheism Got Principle? No https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112216.msg1948180#msg1948180 It Is Biblical To Have Sex (and Lots Of It) Before Marriage https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112139.msg1946940#msg1946940 Should The Old Testament Laws Be Observed In The Modern Era? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112114.msg1946682#msg1946682 Founding A State or Nation On Religious Principles https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=112086.msg1946268#msg1946268 Great Books About Non-belief https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111928.msg1943935#msg1943935 Who Are The Self-declared Non-believer? Resources For You https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111806.msg1942137#msg194111quc02137 Beware of a Simplistic Interpretation of Jesus's 2nd Coming Passages https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111677.msg1939992#msg1939992 What Is The Evidence That The Bible Is The Word Of God? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113161.0.html#msg1960928 Archbishop Cause Furore Over Sharia Law In The Uk https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111645.msg1939155#msg1939155 Eminent Christian Scientist (francis Collins) Explains The Evolution Of Humans https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111482.msg1936158#msg1936158 Please, Help Me Out With Your Knowledge Of The Bible https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111474.msg1936099#msg1936099 What lasting Benefits Did Jesus Bring Into The World? https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115382.0.html#msg1992157 The Catholic Doctrine, Original Sin And Evolution https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-115525.0.html#msg1994039 Why Biology Is So Important To Our Modern World https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111466.msg1935975#msg1935975 Genesis Vs Genetics https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111227.msg1932655#msg1932655 Please, Help Me Out With Your Knowledge Of The Bible https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-111474.0.html Jesus Genealogy https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111222.msg1932616#msg1932616 £300 (three - Hundred Pound Sterling) Essay Competition https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=111143.msg1931508#msg1931508 Beware Of Religious Fundamentalism In Your University Campuses https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=110965.msg1929160#msg1929160 ==================================================================================================== |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by Nobody: 12:55pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
tpaine:@tpaine Poor analogies. Give me an analogy using an event that might have happened 90 million years ago - not 1 or 5 years ago. |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 1:09pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
imhotep: OK, if that is what you want, here we go; 3) You drive your car to the petrol filling station to top up on fuel and your 10 year old child asks you, "Daddy, where does petroleum fuel come from?" Can you formulate a hypothesis to investigate the process of the formation of petroleum fuels? 4) You take you propective wife to a jewery store to put an engagement ring on her finger. Your partner is not very knowledgeable about sciences but she adores diamond. You also adore her; so will not begrudge her ignorance of these esoteric matters of sciences. Upon arrival home, she is delighted with the diamond, but asks you how these stones are formed. Can you formulate a hypothesis to investigate the formation of diamonds naturally? Do you think these natural processes could be artificially mimiced in the labs today? There you are! |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by 4Play(m): 1:15pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
Now consider the following analogies; You are free to formulate all the hypothesis your mind can fathom,the problem is where you elevate your hypothesis to empirical truths. |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 1:26pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
4 Play: I agree to a certain extent. There are all sorts of TRUTHS, some of which admit of empirical verification. The ones we are talking about here are certainly amenable to empirical validation. For instance, we can empirically verify that the water molecule (H2O) is composed of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom. Just as we can empirically verify that there once were things called dinosaurs, neandarthal, saber-tooth tigers and mamoths. Science has the wherewithal to perform these verification. We are simply employing the same methodology to investigate the diversity of life on the planet. |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by 4Play(m): 1:40pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
@tpaine Don't be disingenuous.If the theory of evolution has been empirically validated a la the composition of H2O,you won't be hedging by talking of "formulating hypothesis." The whole debate is about the origin of life,unless you asserting that this has been empirically validated,you are effectively stuck with the formulation of hypothesis.Until then,many other theories about the origin of life retain credibility until one has been conclusively proven. |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 1:51pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
4 Play: is there an omission in this post. it does not make sense to me. you want to check it, then i shall respond. |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 2:37pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
4 Play: I think I get your point now, but you are wrong, with respect. "Every" scientific theory starts life as a hypothesis. The investigator gathers the facts and tries to explain such fact with a hypothesis. Only after the hypothesis has been successfully verified and validated and the investigator and the community of worldwide scientists is that accepted as a theory. I used "hypothesis" in my analogies not to reduce evolustion to a hypothesis, but to demonstrate how a scientist would go about investigating the questions. You would be surprise, evolution has been validated at very minute levels; the chromosomal and microbiological level. Check out the work of the evolutionary scientist Sean Carrol, http://www.hhmi.org/research/investigators/carroll_bio.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncgm9QOzQsA BTW, evolution does NOT explain the start of life. It only explains the diversification of life, once life had got started. You may want to take my elementary test to check out your comprehension of basic science. This is may be instructive. Here we go; 1-) What is the speed of light? How long does it take the light from the sun to reach the earth? 2-) What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis in the scientific sense? 3-) Have you ever heard about the germ theory of disease, the theory of gravity? 4-) What are stromatolites? 5-) How old is the earth? 6-) What is the end-permian extinction and what proportion of life went extinct? 7-) How long ago were dinosaurs wiped out? 8-) Do you know what asteroid impact of the earth are? 9-) Can you give a rough estimate of the number of stars on our galaxy, the Milky Way? 10-) Do you know what chromosomes and DNA are. Can you name any "genetic disease"? 11-) On the whole, do you think science and technology provides solutions to human problems? 12-) Have you ever visted a museum? 13-) What are fossils? 14-) What is the geological column? 15-) What is the theory of plate tectonic? 16-) How is petroleum fuel formed and how long is the process? |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 3:04pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
Re: The Theory Of Evolution Refuted? The No-witness Argument by tpaine: 6:45pm On Mar 10, 2008 |
Imhotep, What you looked at these other analogies? 3) You drive your car to the petrol filling station to top up on fuel and your 10 year old child asks you, "Daddy, where does petroleum fuel come from?" Can you formulate a hypothesis to investigate the process of the formation of petroleum fuels? 4) You take you propective wife to a jewery store to put an engagement ring on her finger. Your partner is not very knowledgeable about sciences but she adores diamond. You also adore her; so will not begrudge her ignorance of these esoteric matters of sciences. Upon arrival home, she is delighted with the diamond, but asks you how these stones are formed. Can you formulate a hypothesis to investigate the formation of diamonds naturally? Do you think these natural processes could be artificially mimiced in the labs today? |
(1) (Reply)
The Devil Has No Power At All / Reflection/homily: First (1st) Sunday Of Lent Year C (february 17 2013) / A Humble Truth About Atheism That Shames Many Theists
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 60 |