Darwinism

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References

Newsweek magazine, July 27, 1998, “Science finds God”

Time magazine, December 4, 1995, “Evolution’s Big Bang”

Various books and various articles from the Internet

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Definition

Widely accepted definition:

“Evolution is a fully natural process, inherent in

the physical properties of the universe, by which

life arose in the first place, and by which all living

things, past and present, have since developed,

divergently and progressively.” (George G

Simpson, “The World into which Darwin led us”, 1960)

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TWO Theories of Evolution

Terms coined by G A Kerkut, British physiologist and evolutionist in 1960

The Special Theory of Evolution also known as “micro-evolution”

The General Theory of Evolution also known as “macro-evolution”

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Micro-evolution

Changes occur throughout life but within narrow limits

Animal breeders can select characteristics to breed in stock, dogs, cats, plants, flowers, etc - process of “artificial selection”

Key observation: no change crosses “phylogenetic” boundaries (“according to its kind”)

Many breeds of dog, but they remain dogs

Micro-evolution is not denied or challengedby anyone

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Macro-evolution

Darwin observed the effects of micro-evolutionary changes in artificial selection and extended that principle into a much larger and broader concept of “natural selection”

“Theory that all living forms in the world arose from a single source which itself came from inorganic form” (Kerkut)

Term “evolution” now used synonymously as macro-evolution

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Of brown and white bears

An illustration used by evolutionists

Begin with a large population of brown bears in the artic region

At some point in time a mutation occurred and out came a white bear

The white bear can hunt its prey much better than brown bears because it blends very well with the white environment so that hunting for food is easier

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Of brown and white bears

Hence the white bear has better chances of survival, and produces more white bears

That being a good mutation, over time the white bear population grows while that of the brown bears dwindles

Eventually all bears in the artic region are white

Evolution held up as a logical explanation why bears are white in the artic region

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Of brown and white bears

BUT, evolutionists fail to point out that the brown bears evolved over time into white bears – not white cats, or birds or fish.

Illustration is one of micro-evolution at work – not of macro-evolution.

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Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection

So, over eons and eons, new, better, more complex species evolve from lower species – macro-changes

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The Darwinian Evolution Model

Gradual evolution of simple phyla into more complex ones

From simple invertebrates to worms, to molluscs, to vertebrates

All encompassing - applies to ALL life, ALL species

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The Darwinian Evolution Model

A “natural” process

Evolution from random mutations, through natural selection, to macro-changes

Absence of any outside force to direct changes - atheistic in principle

Survival of the fittest

Require time - eons of time - 100-200 million years - because of dependence on random processes for gradual changes

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Dependence on chance

Compared to climbing a cliff

Get to the top in a single jump highly improbable

But step by step – each small step more probable

So, over long period of time, evolve

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Darwinian Evolution Model

The Darwinian Tree

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Acceptance

List of distinguished scientists make anyscientist who disputes evolution look foolish Pierre-Paul Grasse, French zoologistGeorge Gaylord Simpson, distinguished professor of

paleontology at Harvard

Carl Sagan, distinguished astronomer at Cornell University

Konrad Lorenz, eminent anthropologist

Rene Dubos, leading ecologist

Richard Goldschmidt, noted geneticist

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A Proven Fact?

“[Darwin] rendered evolution inescapable as a fact, comprehensible as a process, all-embracing as a concept.” (Sir Julian Huxley, “The Emergence of

Darwinism”, 1960)

“Today the theory of evolution is an accepted fact for everyone except a fundamentalist minority.” (Dr Stephen

Jay Gould, Harvard paleontologist, “Darwinism Defined: the Difference between Fact and Theory”, 1987)

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And yet…

“I am well aware that there is scarcely a single

point discussed in this volume on which facts

cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to

conclusions directly opposite to those I have

arrived. A fair result could be obtained only by

fully stating and balancing the facts on both sides

of each equation.” (Charles Darwin,

1859, in the Introduction to The Origin of Species)

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Darwinism in Crisis

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Serious Problems with Natural Selection

Cannot explain how life originated

No evidence of change in phylum

Contradicts observation that entire cosmos is progressing from order to disorder (entropy)

Chance cannot explain how life ascended from simple and lower intelligence to very complex and higher intelligence

Who or what is directing the climb of species?

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Darwinism in Question

Old Darwinian model no longer valid since mid-80’s

Evolution biology in early stages of a paradigm shift

Natural selection is increasingly qualified and over-shadowed

Growing consensus that natural selection cannot explain order

What happened to this “proven fact”?

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Tales from the Crypt

Fossil record considered to be the scientific evidence of evolution

Pierre-P. Grasse considers evolution to be based “primarily on documents provided by paleontology, i.e. the [fossil] history of the living world . . . . only paleontology can provide the evidence of evolution and reveal its course or mechanisms.”

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Dead Men Tell No Tales

Limitations of fossil record

The fossil evidence cannot repeat evolution

“evolutionary happenings are unique,

unrepeatable and irreversible”, and

hence impossible to prove (Theodosius

Dobzhansky, “American Scientist”, 1957)

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Evolution’s Archilles’ Heel

“If it could be shown that

this fact [gaps between

widely distinct groups] had

always existed, the fact

would be fatal to the

doctrine of evolution.” (Thomas Huxley, 1882)Consider the next most intelligent creature next to man. Why such a gap?

The Missing Link

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Evolution’s Archilles’ Heel

From Darwin himself:

“[Since] innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them imbedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth? Why is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links?”

“. . . why if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms?”

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Another Archilles’ Heel

A dependence on eons and eons of time for probability to work its course and effect the evolutionary changes

The need for long periods of time is implied in the meaning of the word “evolve”

If it can be shown that there is not enough time, the theory will be discredited

Eg probability for abiogenesis will require a time far longer than the age of the universe

Eg time it takes for species to appear on the scene is far shorter than what evolution would predict

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Recent Discoveries

60,000 fossils discovered in 1909 but was “buried” in the Smithsonian until mid-80’s – an attempt to suppress evidence?

Discoveries of major fossil beds since 1987 all around the world

There are now 250 million cataloged fossils of 250 million fossil species

Considered by many scientists to be a completeand adequate portrait of the geologic record, i.e. the evidence is complete

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One Fatal Blow

The evidence contradicts Darwin’s theory

“The known fossil record fails to document a single example of phyletic evolution” (Dr S M Stanley, John Hopkins University, 1979)

“no evidence of transitional form” (Dr David Raup, University of Chicago, 1978)

“extreme rarity of transitional forms” “Most species exhibit no directional change during their tenure on earth” (Dr Stephen Jay Gould, 1977)

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Another Fatal Blow

Patterns in the fossil record do not show gradual steady change over time as Darwin predicted, but sharp jolts of change which cannot be explained by natural selection

“The most thorough study of species formation in the fossil record confirms that new species appear with a most un-Darwinian abruptness.” (R Kerr, “Did Darwin Get It All Right?”, Science, 1995)

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Another Fatal Blow

There was a “big-bang” of life ALL over the earth, known as the Cambrian explosion (530 million years ago *)

Life did NOT start in just one place and gradually populate the whole earth

Life did not start small and then grow

It exploded everywhere in a short period of time!

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The Cambrian Explosion - The Data

The Theory – continuous evolution over time from single source

The Data – sudden appearance all over – and not from single source

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The Cambrian Explosion - The Data

Sharp Jolt, Sudden

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Current Evolution Model

ALL animal phyla appeared simultaneously From simple to complex, all appeared and evolved

simultaneously - not with simple evolving into complex

There are NO transitional phyla - no elusive missing links

ALL further development was confined to variations within each phylum. No new phylum has since appeared.

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Current Evolution Model

Development took place in a short period (5 million years) Not over 100-200 million years - not

the eons and eons of time required by the theory

Not enough time for Darwin’s random mutations to work the evolutionary changes

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Current Evolution Model

Data from anatomy, molecular biology and fossil record show that developmental path is pre-determined and channeled.

There is “an astonishing conservation in basic evolutionary pathways” (Stephen Jay Gould, Harvard Paleontologist, “Darwinian Fundamentalists”, 1997)

Statistically impossible for chance to produce the changes

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r-Evolution in the Darwinian world

“Virtually every major

discovery has put deep

cracks in the conventional

wisdom and forced scientists to

concoct new theories, amid

furious debate.” (Time magazine,

March 14, 1994)

Desperate attempt to provide explanations for current model

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A Monstrous Concoction

In 1940, Dr Richard Goldschmidt (Geneticist from

University of California) proposed the idea of “systemic mutations” that produced “hopeful monsters”

Once in a while, large scale changes occur

Produced a good mutation with chance to survive

Mutation then gradually evolve by natural selection with small changes into new phylum

Initially rejected and held with contempt by other evolutionists

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Resurrected Monsters

“Hopeful Monster” resurrected at various times

Quantum Evolution (Dr George G Simpson, Harvard, 1944)

Punctuated Equilibrium, (Dr Stephen Jay Gould, 1972)

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Punctured Theories

What would trigger large scale changes followed by periods of stability and no change? Why should this be?

All mutations are harmful – never yet seen a hopeful mutation that can evolve in new species

Need two good mutations - male and female - in order to propagate; even greater improbability

Still does not explain the “Big Bang”

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A Blind Faith

Blind Faith Reality

In experiments on theorigin of life

These experiments only confirm theneed for intelligence right at thebeginning

In the primitiveenvironment of the earth

Harshness of a hostile environmentwould never allow the primodial soupto form

Any form of early life would perish inthe hostile world

In the natural laws Laws of thermodynamics andbiogenesis actually deny possibility ofspontaneous generation

As pointed out by R L Wysong

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A Blind Faith

Blind Faith Reality

In probabilities Probabilities of evolution actually deny its possibility

In L-proteins (left handed molecules)

Defy chance formation

In the formation of DNA code

Chaos if DNA formed spontaneously by random

In mutations and natural selection

Both mutation and natural selection contradict each other

In gradual transformations Reality is conservation

In time to do miracles Infinite time cannot bring about the impossible

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A Blind Faith

Blind Faith Reality

In the fossil record Consistently disprove evolution No transitional form

In future scientific revelations

Consistently present more dilemmas for the evolutionists to resolve

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Science Fiction

Some scientists now embracing “panspermia” – life came from outer space, or was planted on earth by extra-terrestrial intelligence

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An Ideological Struggle

“From the earliest stages of Greek thought man has been eager to discover some natural cause of evolution, and to abandon the supernatural intervention in the order of nature.” (Henry Fairfield Osburn, 1918)

“Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable.” (Sir Arthur

Keith)

(Sir Julian Huxley, 1960)“God is unnecessary.”

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So is Darwinism fact or fiction?