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To: PatrickHenry
Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things.

Wrong. Evolution is a theory AND a fact. The theory of evolution is that variations are passed on to offspring, and selected by relative reproductive success. The fact of evolution is that allele frequencies change over time, and have throughout the history of life on Earth. The theory may or may not be correct--the evidence for it is extremely strong--but the fact is irrefutable.

15 posted on 08/29/2004 9:34:22 AM PDT by Physicist
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To: Physicist
Evolution is a theory AND a fact. The theory of evolution is that variations are passed on to offspring, and selected by relative reproductive success.

We could point out that Darwinian evolution isn't the only theory out there which attempts to explain the fact of evolution. There was Lamarckism, derived from the work of the French scientist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, who explained the mechanism of evolution by teaching that transformation of species occurred as the result of many individuals simultaneously adapting to common environmental stimuli.

That was somewhat modified (I don't know the details) into the doctrine that characteristics acquired through environmental influences are inherited, advocated by Lysenko, which was official Soviet doctrine.

There is also the theory of improbable aggregation, which suggests that random atoms fly together from distant parts of the galaxy to generate new species. This theory is advocated by no one, but it is often presented by creationists when they are looking for a theory to ridicule.

18 posted on 08/29/2004 11:09:00 AM PDT by PatrickHenry (A compassionate evolutionist!)
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To: Physicist
Wrong. Evolution is a theory AND a fact. The theory of evolution is that variations are passed on to offspring, and selected by relative reproductive success. The fact of evolution is that allele frequencies change over time, and have throughout the history of life on Earth. The theory may or may not be correct--the evidence for it is extremely strong--but the fact is irrefutable.

None of that addresses the conversion of inanimate/dead objects into reproducing objects. The disclaimer was narrow, by my read, but misapplied the word "evolution" where the theory of evolution doesn't even tread. The disclaimer says, in part ...

Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things.

The disclaimer appears to be focused on the transition from dead to alive, and incorrectly uses the term "evolution" to describe that transition.

32 posted on 08/29/2004 4:02:46 PM PDT by Cboldt
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