Quake3World

I just posted this somewhere else:

You don't 'believe' in evolution anymore than you believe that there are trees in the woods or oxygen in the air. Evolution is. That it occurs is fact. The model we use to describe it is a theory - just like we have theories to explain the interactions of light and matter, the subatomic nature of reality, etc.

Evolution's detractors rely on an uninformed perspective on what the term 'theory' really means in a scientific context. They only point out questions that haven't been answered yet, ignoring mountains and mountains and mountains of inarguable evidence (mostly because it is probably over their heads...hard to explain to someone who doesn't understand science concepts like pseudogenes, molecular vestiges, and the multitudes of other observations that defy explanation outside of evolutionary theory). As was once said "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." We continue to gather evidence, continue to make new observations...whereas the Intelligent Design and Creationist crowd (really two sides of the same ignorant coin) will be making the same tired arguments 200 years from now. It's geocentricism all over again.

As soon as one question is answered, they will move to another one that hasn't been...and start clinging to it like a child grasping at their security blanket.

Regarding what came 'before' the Big Bang...don't know, and science won't answer this question. We address what has happened since (since I think about 10 to the -43 seconds to be precise if I have Planck time right). Perhaps God did create the universe. But if he/she/it did, one thing is certain...EVOLUTION was the chosen mechanism for bringing about the fantastic diversity of life we see here on Earth. The theory of evolution is in better shape than relativity, to be honest, because unlike relativity, which cannot really be reconciled with the quantum nature of reality in its current inception, evolution has no other accepted scientific theory that disagree with it on any level.

Bilirubin wrote:

Already posted here, but still classic.

HM-PuFFNSTuFF wrote:Did you sustain some sort of head trauma?

Lookit the pic. Jesus obviously out weighs Big D, is younger, and in better shape. Survival of the fittest and all that, wut wut.

werldhed wrote:

bork[e] wrote:

Maybe I haven't followed this all closely enough of the years, but I find it hard to believe we came from monkeys, what is the actual understanding behind all this, cause if the monkey thing is what is being talked about here... rof

Evolution doesn't claim we came from monkeys. It says we share a common ancestor. Big difference.

but still that shouldn't put his unsettled mind at rest cause after all, we all evolved from a single cell organism... what's the difference if monkeys were our direct ancestors, a single cell organism should be embarrassing enough to those who find our relations with apes somewhat demeaning.

Tsakali wrote:...relations with apes somewhat demeaning.

Whadda yuh mean?

is there any explanation as to why we have a tail bone ?
is it a tail bone?
why do men have nipples ? is it just so we don't look odd or did we breast feed at some point in the past.

my favorite band Devo says we are de-evolving .
i'm just a spud boy

molecular vestiges are even more interesting.

tnf wrote:Regarding what came 'before' the Big Bang...don't know, and science won't answer this question.

Isn't the generally accepted idea that there is no 'before' the big bang? Time, as we know, it is intrinsically connected to space (space-time) and the speed of light, and since the big bang originated in a singularity, there simply was no space-time or speed of anything within that singlularity? People just have problems wrapping their brains around the concept of all space being compressed into a single point, thus asking confused questions like above. It's a non-question, like 'why do unicorn farts smell like bubble gum'?

You're right in the respect that the big bang brought both space and time into existence - people really get confused on this one when you talk about the universe expanding. The common mistake is to imagine the universe expanding to fill some pre-existing space. The kids I teach really have a hard time understanding that its not doing this. So yea, you hit the nail on the head there. My point was directed at the people who question the reason for the big bang - the why as opposed to the how.

Grudge,

It's an interesting discussion to undertake, our models (or best formalizations of theory), will imply outcomes and the conspicuous lack thereof amongst other things*. Nothing may have preceded the big bang by this metric, but other reformulations of the theory have the big bang occurring in a metaverse or as a consequence of higher-dimensional p-brane interactions (neither of which is currently accepted, but for point making here).

*It is nonsensical to ask questions outside the scope of a model from within that model. Similarly, models with predictive scope can produce limiting results which are discarded as physical nonsense on their face, they're taken to breakdown in these instances.

Breakdown is usually judged by fuck off values, infinities sprouting where they ought not, extreme discord with prior accepted models and/or observation, etc. The matter may not always be so clear cut, but for true nuance on the subject a practicing physicist is best asked.

The Big Bounce.

True, encountering infinities is often nature's way of letting us know that we haven't quite figured everything out yet.

axbaby wrote:is there any explanation as to why we have a tail bone ?
is it a tail bone?
why do men have nipples ? is it just so we don't look odd or did we breast feed at some point in the past.

my favorite band Devo says we are de-evolving .
i'm just a spud boy

our ancestors had tails. much like appendix, it just never completely evolved away. give it a few milennia.

nipples are because genitalia are developped at a later stage in the womb.

Peenyuh wrote:

HM-PuFFNSTuFF wrote:Did you sustain some sort of head trauma?

Lookit the pic. Jesus obviously out weighs Big D, is younger, and in better shape. Survival of the fittest and all that, wut wut.

Translation: "Yes, several times".