I think anybody who doesn't believe in evolution or is on the fence should read Jerry Coyne's "Why Evolution is True". It's a well written book that just goes over the copious amounts of evidence in evolutions favor. It's in no way comprehensive, but it's still an interesting read.

I don't think disagreeing with evolution is a crime (freedom of thought should always be encouraged), but doing so out of ignorance should be (willful ignorance should always be discouraged). I feel like in most debates the evolution side is just trying to educate the other side (against their will no less) so that a legitimate debate could take place. But the anti-evolution side is usually grossly uneducated in the topic and proud of it. Which is never conducive to a productive discussion. If the other side would at least learn about it, there could be much more interesting discussions rather than regurgitating explanations as to why evolution is not against the laws of thermodynamics, the scientific definition of "theory", why Darwin wasn't the father of Nazism (not that it's even relevant), how the eye isn't irreducibly complex, and other stupidity pulled out of religiously inclined books and magazines. But that's too much to ask. Which is why I stay out of it nine times out of ten.

Probably because there was a thread on this topic in the last week... with 293 replies.

http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=72362

I do think we evolve, and millions of years ago, we were something very different. But to read a book that tells you where we came from, is as much a religion as saying god made us.

We really have no clue how we started. I am confident one day we will, just not yet.

To my point. If you took an astronomy class in the 1960's, and asked any professor what the surface of Venus was. Every one would have given you an answer. None of them would have said "we don't know".

None of them would have been right.

This is what I mean. Today, we don't know. Why can't we just say that?

Well, it is called the "Evolutionary theory", no? I think that is , because it is afterall still a theory, with a lot of missing links and far from being universally accepted, although there definately is a lot of scientific evidence behind the whole thing.

I don't think there is a lot of sense in debating that evolution is taking place.

I guess even the creationist movement is including evolution in their own theory, but they just say it was god who started the process.

As therealmaffoo already said before, there is still no real answer to where we came from.

How did the whole evolutionary process start, and why?

I remember hearing something about the very beginning of earth in an evolution class at university and about the "ancient soup" of some chemical elements out of which the most basic lifeforms developed, but as far as I know it is still unclear how that process was initiated...

And if you want to go back even further: how were planets, solar systems and galaxies created...? Again there is a lot of theory (big bang...) but if you go back to the very beginning of things you are always going from a scientific debate into philosophical, religous, unknown territory.

Like I said: I think if you put some thought to it there is not much point debating the evolutionary theory.

How life and everything started is another story which cannot solely be explained by that theory.

At least that's how I see it. And I'm studying Business Adminstration

@Sommer.

In science theory means a broad mechanism that explains an observation and from which testable predictions can be made. The amount of evidence is irrelevant to its titling. Evolution is extremely widely accepted amongst the scientific community.

Also evolution only has to do with after life began, everything before that is rather irrelevant to evolution.

I can't wait until evolution is proved. Then we can get on with a Eugenics program and prevent the unfit from breeding further.

Widely accepted: sure, but still not entirely ;)

True: Evolution deals with after life began. I just wanted to extend the topic a bit as the general discussion was also going toward the direction of religion, god etc... and I actually also wanted to point out that this is a different sort of question.

You don't even need to prove evolution is real.  You just need to prove selective breeding works, which has been proven with peanuts, cows, bananas, humans, dogs, horses, and ya know, everything.  ::wink::

Insofar as it matters for conducting basic scientific research it is totally accepted by the "scientific establishment". The fine detail has not been 100% ironed out (may never be) but the broad concept is firmly established. To say that debate remains on the broad issue of evolution in the scientific community is total ignorance.

I believe God caused the big bang, after that he left the processes of the physical universe alone. After all he formulated the laws governing the universe so he was safe in the knowledge that life would appear as planned and get to the point we are at now. When you know the initial conditions and influences of a system exactly and precisely, without the minutest uncertainty you know exactly how things will play out.

I'm afraid you didn't make the eugenics "cut"

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