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Can evolution explain change from one specie to another?
Transcript of the above video
Are you an atheist?
I am definitely an atheist, yes.
Why are you an atheist?
It is because there is no God.
Atheism assumes that you can disprove the existence of God. I’m an atheist.
What Darwin showed in his work on evolution, natural selection is that we don’t need to invoke any supernatural force or power to account for the development of life through time on earth.
The ongoing processes that that are observable in today’s world.
The catering kind – the coyote and the domestic dog and there is the feline kind, which is the cat, the tiger and the kitten, and you’ve got humankind. Darwin said there’d be a change of kinds over many years so could you give me one example of observable evidence of a change of kinds?
For instance, the fossil record shows the common ancestors of all carnivores, that cats and dogs were once linked, once united by a common ancestor.
How long ago?
I believe it was like 60 million years ago.
The scientific method must be observable and repeatable, so could you give me one piece of observable evidence for Darwinian evolution?
I would point to, as one great example, is look at the genetics of the stickleback.
What’s that?
Stickleback fish are very interesting collection of species that were recently isolated after the end of the Ice Age.
What do they become?
There are various species of sticklebacks.
Stayed as fish?
Human beings are still fish.
Human beings are fish?
Yes of course they are.
Can you give me an example of Darwinian evolution, not adaptation or speciation but a change of kinds.
These are changes of kinds.
Still fish.
They’re distinctly different fish.
We have thousands of examples.
Can you give me one?
Look at Lansky’s experiments of bacteria then.
What do the bacteria become?
The bacteria are still bacteria.
That’s not Darwinian evolution. That’s not a change of kinds. is it it is a change it is a change in the genetic makeup the bacteria.
Which is still bacteria.
What do the bacteria become?
A new kind of bacteria.
Still bacteria. There’s no change of kinds. To summarize, the observable evidence that you give me for Darwinian evolution is bacteria becoming bacteria.
No, it is bacteria acquiring new metabolic capabilities.
You said before that there are lots of evidence for evolution. I just want one observable evidence for Darwinian evolution.
You asked me to tell you when I’ve watched one species evolve into another, isn’t that right?
No, one kind into another. There are 14 different definitions of species. So I want a change of kind.
When you’re talking about kinds or change in families, you’re actually talking about macro-evolution. You’re talking about changes on the level that separates cats from dogs.
Did you give me any examples of Darwinian evolution?
When you say examples of that, then you have to sort of look it over along a timeframe. You say change of kind, you mean the evolution of one species from another or to another? Yes we have that in action actually in the Galapagos.
Give me one instance.
We have an example from a group of birds called Darwin’s finches.
What do the finches become?
They become genetically new and anatomically new recognizably different species.
They’re still finches.
Well of course they’re still finches.
Then there’s no change of kind. Darwin spoke of a change of kind. Can you think of any observable evidence for Darwinian evolution where there’s a change of kind?
I will have to think about them a little longer.
Can you give me anything that I can see, observe and test, which is a scientific method for Darwinian evolution of a change of kind?
Could you give me observable evidence, which is the scientific method for Darwinian evolution, for a change of kind?
Okay I gotta think about it. So you want the evidence of it.
I would say….
I cannot, I think. It’s a hard question actually.
Could you give me any observable evidence for Darwinian evolution?
Let me think about that for a second.
Observable evidence, something where we don’t have to exercise faith, something that can be observed, like the scientific process, observable.
That’s a good question. That one I’m not quite sure.
You can’t think of any observable evidence for evolution?
No.
How do you know it’s true?
I’m not sure.
So Darwinian evolution is not observable, it’s not scientific.
I guess so.
So it’s unscientific.
It could be proven.
Do it for me.
It’s hard. That’s just too broad.
It’s unobservable. That’s why you need millions of years.
Yes exactly.
Well you’re trusting the biology majors and the biology professors know what they’re talking about and they can’t even give me evidence of a change of kinds.
Then there isn’t one. If they don’t give it, then I wouldn’t say there was.
I just go on what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned from class.
You believed?
Yeah.
You know what that’s called?
What?
Blind faith.