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Evolution of species is an entirely different thing from the beginning of life, and certainly a different thing from the beginning of the universe. Biological evolution *requires* reproduction with occasional "errors", in combination with survival pressures. Unless life already exists, and those things occur, then you're not talking about biological evolution but something else.

Jeepers, narby, I think I understand the problem of communication that you and I seem to be having.

You seem to want to "slice and dice" the universe into manageable bites (in a manner perfectly accordant with the increasing specialization of science, as fine-tuned to suit the Darwinian exegesis when needed); and I want to find the root and reason of the whole, that is to say the entire physical universe, together with whatever "beyond" it may have; for that may very well be where its cause subsists.

You can look at individual trees all day long, and never get a glimpse or an inkling of the forest....

Might as well 'fess up: Science is due for a rational critique from the "philosophy side" of the Great Cartesian Divide....

Thank you yet again for including me in another fascinating sidebar!

This is the second time in a week you have been targeted with these bizarre word usage claims. Jeepers!

For many years around here it was understood among the usual correspondents that when we said "evolution" we meant "gradual change over time" and when we were speaking of Darwin's theory we'd say "theory of evolution." Likewise when a correspondent meant Young Earth Creationism, he'd use that term or YEC for short.

Of course the universe evolves. Hasn't anyone heard of stellar evolution? Or about the universe expanding? inflationary theory? big bang? critical density?

You seem to want to "slice and dice" the universe into manageable bites (in a manner perfectly accordant with the increasing specialization of science, as fine-tuned to suit the Darwinian exegesis when needed); and I want to find the root and reason of the whole, that is to say the entire physical universe, together with whatever "beyond" it may have; for that may very well be where its cause subsists.

You can look at individual trees all day long, and never get a glimpse or an inkling of the forest....

Indeed. And that does appear to be at the root of this dispute.

I want to find the root and reason of the whole, that is to say the entire physical universe, together with whatever "beyond" it may have; for that may very well be where its cause subsists.

Then you probably won't find your answer in science. Which is not to say that any particular "sliced and diced" element of science is false, just that it isn't any kind of Grand Unified Answer to Existence that you seem to be looking for.

Might as well 'fess up: Science is due for a rational critique from the "philosophy side" of the Great Cartesian Divide....

Science operates just fine without heavy doses of philosophy. It's philosophy that seems to be having a rough time swallowing the science.