[JimGunther]

I recently saw a young woman on TV who made the statement that
evolution is a theory, not a fact. Not long after that, I saw a re-
broadcast of the famous Carl Sagan TV series “Cosmos.” In that
series, Carl Sagan stated “evolution is a fact, not a theory.”

I find it odd that anyone would think that evolution is not a fact.
One of the many ways you can prove the fact of evolution is to look at
any living creature today and then take a look at that creature 10, 20
30 or however many you like thousands of years ago and see if the
creature, including man, has changed or not. You will find that
most, if not all, have evolved to some degree. I understand that
creatures ideally suited to their environment change very little over
time except for random mutations. However, the environment of the
Earth is always changing as well, which makes the creatures more
suited to the change more likely to survive.

What arguments do people raise in support of the notion that evolution
is a theory, not a fact?

[N0help4u]

Here are just some sites that say evolution is not fact

SCIENCE VS EVOLUTION 28

The Evolution of Man Scientifically Disproved

How to Disprove Evolution? - The Panda's Thumb



I have never heard of it being fact and not theory.
I think schools still have to teach it as theory.

[westnlas]

It is a fact that all creatures evolve. Evidence shows us that everything changes and adapts over time, in order to survive as their surroundings change. The theory that one creature can evolve into another creature is THEORY. We have proof that man has changed. That is fact. We still lack evidence that man evolved from another creature. That is theory.

Until we can obtain evidence that humans were other creatures at some point in the past, I will accept that we may have been created by a force not understandable to us.

[JimGunther]

N0Help4u I guess you have never heard of all the fossils that have been found all over the planet that show mankind in various stages of development. Or have never heard about the various strains of viruses that are becoming more resistant to antibiotics. The evidence is all around us. I know that some people have a problem with evolution due to religious beliefs, but again, that doesn't change the nature of the scientific evidence that exists on the subject.

[N0help4u]

Yeah adaptation and evolution are separated in the fact and theory because adaptation is pretty much fact.
Evolution I haven't heard it being proven to be fact.

[JimGunther]

Westnlas I don't think Carl Sagan would agree with you that there is no evidence that man is related to things such as apes, in his Cosmos series he even states that we are related to such things as trees due to DNA similarities! I am not willing to go so far as to say that one thing evolved from another, or that evolution has anything to do with God, only that it is obvious to me that evolution as a general concept occurs.

[N0help4u]

I have heard of how they put fossils together that were found miles apart just so they can 'prove' their theory.

[JimGunther]

N0Help4u I think you have a point there because it appears to me that adaptation to environment is basically what evolution is all about. A think a lot of people would prefer to call it something like adaptation as opposed to evolution as that word has become politically charged.

[JimGunther]

Yeah I have heard about stuff like that too, but there are crooks in every profession.

[N0help4u]

Adaptation and evolution are different in that the species adapts to its environment
Evolution the species changes from one thing to something else.

[N0help4u]

Say man was hairy and had the big jaw Etc, etc,. at one time how does that prove he WAS at one time an ape or whatever and not man at some primitive development?

[excon]

Hello:

If we get the language right, then we'll understand much better.

First we have a hypothesis. A hypothesis (from Greek ὑπόθεσις) consists either of a suggested explanation for a phenomenon, or of a reasoned proposal suggesting a possible correlation between multiple phenomena. The term derives from the Greek, hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose." The scientific method requires that one can test a scientific hypothesis. Scientists generally base such hypotheses on previous observations or on extensions of scientific theories.

Even though the words "hypothesis" and "theory" are often used synonymously in common and informal usage, a scientific hypothesis is not the same as a scientific theory.

In science a theory is a testable model of the manner of interaction of a set of natural phenomena, capable of predicting future occurrences or observations of the same kind, and capable of being tested through experiment or otherwise verified through empirical observation. For the scientist, "theory" is not in any way an antonym of "fact". For example, it is a fact that an apple dropped on earth has been observed to fall towards the center of the planet, and the theories commonly used to describe and explain this behavior are Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

No one doubts Newton's theory, but it is STILL a theory, not a fact. No one but the deeply religious doubt Darwin's Theory of Evolution. But, it has been proved via the scientific method time and time again. Just like dropping an apple - it ALWAYS falls toward the center of the earth.

The word fact doesn't appear in scientific literature.

excon

[N0help4u]

According to some we eventually evolve into aliens
And that is why there are more UFO sightings because they are coming here to keep us from destroying ourselves because if they don't save us from ourselves we can't evolve into them.

[JimGunther]

Well that limits the definition of what evolution is to the point that I don't agree with it. Moths in England changed changed color so that they would match the smoke-stained trees when the industrial revolution first started and the new darker ones survived because it was more difficult for the birds who eat them to see them. In short, I don't think that the definition of evolution means that every evolutionary change involves becoming a new creature.

[JimGunther]

And some people say we "evolved" from aliens.

[excon]

According to some we eventually evolve into aliens

Hello N0:

If we don't kill ourselves off, I assume that we will eventually master space travel. If so, for sure we'll go to far off planets and establish colonies there.

Will the people born there be aliens? I think they WILL be. They may even look different than us.

excon

[Fr_Chuck]

IS there evolution, yes, things do slightly change and man has made many things adapt. But that does not prove that the idea of evolution is what created man and the earth. That is why that is a silly idea and still considered a theory. Actually to me it is hard to believe anyone can actually believe that evolution is what caused us to exist.

[Fr_Chuck]

Question closed, Original poster continued to insult others