We didn't evolve

[deadly7]

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/15/1845200&from=rss
All I can say is: lmao Americans are ignorant.

[Sidoh]

All I can say is: lmao Americans are ignorant.

Do you have undeniable proof that we evolved?  Are you confident with every breath you take that our kind were once less complicated species?  Can you prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Darwin was absolutely correct?

[deadly7]

Do you have undeniable proof that we evolved?  Are you confident with every breath you take that our kind were once less complicated species?  Can you prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Darwin was absolutely correct?

Can you prove that we didn't?

[Sidoh]

Can you prove that we didn't?

That is completely beside the point.

You said that the people of America are ignorant.  In other words, you said that they are oblivious to the truth or have failed to receive the insight that will lead them to believe that evolution is the absolute, undeniable truth.  I honestly don't think that this is the case.

[deadly7]

That is completely beside the point.

You said that the people of America are ignorant.  In other words, you said that they are oblivious to the truth or have failed to receive the insight that will lead them to believe that evolution is the absolute, undeniable truth.  I honestly don't think that this is the case.

How so?

I think you inferred what I implied wrong.  It's mostly my fault for not expanding on what I said earlier, but how many of the people polled do you think were Christians?  How many do you think were devout Christains, the ones that oppose any learning of anything other than what the Bible says?  I'd bet it was a lot.  Also, I'm pretty sure you're using "ignorant" improperly.  Ignorance can go as far as simply not knowing something exists, not necessarily believing in it.  For example, I'm ignorant in Christian religion.  However, I do know what Christianity's "focus" is (I don't really know what word to use.. so sue me).  I don't think that makes me any less ignorant in it, but I am aware of it, regardless of the fact that I don't believe in it.

[Sidoh]

How so?

Because I'm not trying to disprove evolution.  I'm trying to point out that you calling Americans ignorant for not accepting evolution as the absolute truth is incorrect.

I think you inferred what I implied wrong.  It's mostly my fault for not expanding on what I said earlier, but how many of the people polled do you think were Christians?  How many do you think were devout Christains, the ones that oppose any learning of anything other than what the Bible says?  I'd bet it was a lot.  Also, I'm pretty sure you're using "ignorant" improperly.  Ignorance can go as far as simply not knowing something exists, not necessarily believing in it.  For example, I'm ignorant in Christian religion.  However, I do know what Christianity's "focus" is (I don't really know what word to use.. so sue me).  I don't think that makes me any less ignorant in it, but I am aware of it, regardless of the fact that I don't believe in it.

I'm comfortably confident that I'm using the word "ignorant" correctly.  Similarly, I'm reasonably sure that your accusations aren't very true.

the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness

Ignorance1) is a lack of knowledge. Ignorance is also a "state of being ignorant" or unaware/uninformed

You said that Americans are ignorant for not accepting evolution.  If they were truely ignorant because of this simple fact, then evolution would be the truth.  It would be a fundemantal, undeniable constituent of nature.  This is not the case: evolution is a theory.  At this point, no amount of evidence collected can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that evolution is the truth.

Do you honestly believe that over half of Americans don't understand at least the concept of evolution?  It's promoted in schools; it's talked about on nearly every science network there is.  I don't think it is possible that Americans are unaware of evolution.

The poll asked if people believed in evolution and accepted it as the truth.  It did not ask if they were aware of evolution.  I suspect a poll that boded the question "Do you know what evolution is?  Do you understand what it concludes?" the results would be contradictory to your conclusion.

[dark_drake]

My school had two foreign exchange students from Germany this year.  One from Switzerland, the other from Germany. Neither of them were religious to the point of doubting God's (or some higher power) existence heavily. They also said that very few of the people they knew at home were religious. I'd conjecture that that is the reason Europe was more willing to accept evolution as the end-all fact.

[iago]

I find it extremely hard to believe that evolution didn't happen.  There is plenty of evidence.  For example, we have lots of remains of past human species, like Homo Erectus and Neandertal.  There is some evidence (that I don't really understand -- I'm not an anthropologist) that Homo Erectus evolved into modern man and Neandertal didn't. 

Also, look at viruses.  Viruses are constantly mutating and adapting.  Look at the Bird Flu -- everybody is afraid that it's going to mutate and begin to infect humans.  If evolution doesn't exist, that wouldn't be an issue.  Same goes for antibiotic-resistant strains of certain diseases.

Next, look at animals.  They have evolved defenses that they didn't have, and I'm sure I've read that there's evidence.  They have a certain color, certain instincts, and certain defenses that they haven't always had.  As one example, look at whales.  Whales used to be land animals.  Whales have the remains of legs, and archeologists have traced back whales' development to a wolf-like animal. 

Evolution definitely exists, to some extent, in nature.  And I think that it applies just as much to humans. 

A lot of people attack evolution based on the fact that it's a 'theory'.  And that's true, it's a 'theory', but so is everything else in science.  There are very few actual laws, anybody who's taken Physics knows that. 

And incidentally, this survey was based on per-country statistics.  The majority of Americans don't believe in evolution, whereas the majority of the rest of the world does.  And I think that's the definite proof that everybody is looking for -- if Americans are the only ones who believe something, then it's probably wrong.  :-P

[Sidoh]

I find it extremely hard to believe that evolution didn't happen.  There is plenty of evidence.  For example, we have lots of remains of past human species, like Homo Erectus and Neandertal.  There is some evidence (that I don't really understand -- I'm not an anthropologist) that Homo Erectus evolved into modern man and Neandertal didn't. 

Also, look at viruses.  Viruses are constantly mutating and adapting.  Look at the Bird Flu -- everybody is afraid that it's going to mutate and begin to infect humans.  If evolution doesn't exist, that wouldn't be an issue.  Same goes for antibiotic-resistant strains of certain diseases.

Next, look at animals.  They have evolved defenses that they didn't have, and I'm sure I've read that there's evidence.  They have a certain color, certain instincts, and certain defenses that they haven't always had.  As one example, look at whales.  Whales used to be land animals.  Whales have the remains of legs, and archeologists have traced back whales' development to a wolf-like animal. 

Evolution definitely exists, to some extent, in nature.  And I think that it applies just as much to humans. 

A lot of people attack evolution based on the fact that it's a 'theory'.  And that's true, it's a 'theory', but so is everything else in science.  There are very few actual laws, anybody who's taken Physics knows that. 

And incidentally, this survey was based on per-country statistics.  The majority of Americans don't believe in evolution, whereas the majority of the rest of the world does.  And I think that's the definite proof that everybody is looking for -- if Americans are the only ones who believe something, then it's probably wrong.  :-P

None of that proves that its a fact.  We all know that evolution exists in nature, but none of what you've said proves without a doubt that it existed on the scale that Darwin purposed it did.  What I've already said still holds true.

There are other countries that had statistics close to the US'.  Beside that, I don't see how something that is subjective can be wrong.

[iago]

None of that proves that its a fact.  We all know that evolution exists in nature, but none of what you've said proves without a doubt that it existed on the scale that Darwin purposed it did.  What I've already said still holds true.

Like I said at the start of my post, nothing in physics, chem, or biology is a fact, it's all theories with statistics to back them up. 

And if it's the same article I read on Slashdot (which I assume in is), then, if you read TFA, the question was, "do you believes humans developed from a lower species?", NOT "do you believe that humans evolved from goo" or "do you believe that darwin was right?".  And I don't think there's many people who argue that homo sapiens and neandertals evolved from homo erectus, that's just considered common knowledge, isn't it?

There are other countries that had statistics close to the US'.  Beside that, I don't see how something that is subjective can be wrong.

Yeah, but it's fun to make fun of the US

[Sidoh]

Like I said at the start of my post, nothing in physics, chem, or biology is a fact, it's all theories with statistics to back them up. 

What does that change?  I was fully aware of that before you said anything.

And if it's the same article I read on Slashdot (which I assume in is), then, if you read TFA, the question was, "do you believes humans developed from a lower species?", NOT "do you believe that humans evolved from goo" or "do you believe that darwin was right?".  And I don't think there's many people who argue that homo sapiens and neandertals evolved from homo erectus, that's just considered common knowledge, isn't it?

Even if that was they were purposing, I'm fairly confident almost all of the people who took the survey would have interpreted it on the scale that Darwin purposed it was, because that is how they were taught.

Yeah, but it's fun to make fun of the US

[Warrior]

It's a known fact all intelligent life evolved from Joeus Oddus

[Eric]

Scientific theory can rarely be proven.  This simple fact alone, however, does not disprove a theory.  The purpose of science is not always to find proof, but rather to find logical order in the universe or in other words, God did it is simply not good enough.  This being said, I don't understand why some theories can be widely accepted by both religious and non-religious people (e.g. gravity), but other theories are disgarded simply because they're theory (evolution).

[dark_drake]

This being said, I don't understand why some theories can be widely accepted by both religious and non-religious people (e.g. gravity), but other theories are disgarded simply because they're theory (evolution).

Because gravity doesn't directly conflict with what is in the bible?

[deadly7]

Because gravity doesn't directly conflict with what is in the bible?

But if Jesus is in Heaven, and Heaven is up above the clouds.. it should be constantly pulled down and sinking because of Earth's gravitational pull!