No.
"evolution" in that sentence = "the sequence of events caused the world to be as we see it today." That's the function of an appositive in grammar, to further define and elaborate on the word it refers to, which in this case was "evolution." This is consisteent with Webster's first definition for "evolution": "a process of formation or change; development."
Thus "evolution" as used in the sentence is the "sequence of events...." NOT an THEORY about the "sequence of events...." encompassing biology, geology, and cosmology.
We know this, aside from the grammar and construction of the sentence, because there is no scientific "theory of evolution" that even purports to provide an explanatory framework for biology AND geology AND cosmology. If you think there is, please, by all means, provide us with a citation from a mainstream peer-reviewed scince journal where it is proposed or discussed.
Why can't you bring yourself to admit that there are those who try and link Darwin's theory to cosmology.
There are those trying to link Elvis sightings and UFO's, crop-circles and time-travelers, and fluoridation and the International Communist Conspiracy. What of it? When you can provide citations from mainstream peer-reviewed science journals where your "well-known" "all encompassing" Theory of Evolution (that provides an explanatory framework for biology AND geology AND cosmology) are being discussed, and can provide evidence that the author was referring to it, we'll have something more to discuss.
In the meanwhile, I think there's nothing more I can do to convince you that your interpretation is clearly in error. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect you just can't stand the word "evolution," regardless of what sense in which it is being used ......
"Evolution, the sequence of events by which the world came to be as we see it today, is the central organizing principle of the historical sciences -- biology, geology, and cosmology"If the clause "the sequence of events by which the world came to be as we see it today" is an apostive to the subject noun "evolution" why did you initially say the subject noun "referred" to said clause in Post 3565?
What the subject noun "refers" to is the object of the sentence "the central organizing principle of the historical sciences -- biology, geology, and cosmology."
"Evolution," as it's being used in that sentence, is "the central organizing principle." Now, you can say that "central organizing principle" is an axiom -- which I reject but one I strongly suspect that those who claim "evolution reveals an universe without design" seek to establish. You can claim it as a law, which I don't think anyone scientifically minded will support. Or you can call it what it is -- a theory attempting to tie together the historical sciences.
What do molecular fossils tell us about early microbial evolution? How can the study of contemporary microbes or geochemical samples inform us of past events? The work of the staff in this Branch also provides the conceptual basis and measurement criteria for future spacecraft missions to other solar system bodies such as Mars, Titan, and comets, in search of answers to such fundamental questions in non-terrestrial settings.
Astrobiology shares with other space related science programs a broad range of research interests. Astrobiology encompasses the understanding of biology as a planetary phenomenon. This includes how planetary processes give rise to life, how they sustain or inhibit life, and how life can emerge as an important planetary process; how astrophysical processes give rise to planets elsewhere, what the actual distribution of planets is, and whether there are habitable planets outside of our solar system; a determination of whether life exists elsewhere and how to search for and identify it; what the ultimate environmental limits of life are, whether Earth's biota represent only a subset of the full diversity of life, and the future of Earth's biota in space.
The mission of the NASA Astrobiology Institute is to further our understanding of these profound questions by:
carrying out, supporting and catalyzing collaborative interdisciplinary research;
training the next generation of astrobiology researchers; providing scientific and technical leadership on astrobiology investigations for current and future space missions;
exploring new approaches using modern information technology to conduct interdisciplinary and collaborative research amongst widely-distributed investigators;
supporting outreach by providing scientific content for K-12 education programs, teaching undergraduate classes, and communicating directly with the public