Why do you believe/disbelieve in evolution?

If you don’t ‘believe’ in it, you don’t understand it.

It’s not a matter of debate. It’s hard science that you benefit from our understanding of every single day.

I don’t. I know that there are a lot of evidence that its “real”, but I’m far too religious to buy into this in my life right now.

@delirium – I’m not seeing what word choice has to do with it – explain, please?

The only evidence I’ve seen to “not support” it are from a totally religious origin.

Religion is not a fact or a source of fact.

@troubleinharlem Do you believe in gravity?

because all the evidence gathered supports it and no evidence exists that contradicts it.

I don’t “believe” it exists. It just does.

This is me preempting staying up all night and just putting up some old lengthy responses I’ve made on the topic:

http://www.fluther.com/disc/43101/what-are-the-gaps-in-evolution/

http://www.fluther.com/disc/29249/evolutionists-why-are-there-still-monkeys/

Because it just makes sense.
Everything changes over time. Continents drift, mountains rise, tech improves, human social rules change, forests grow and wither, islands form….
Why would lifeforms not be subject to this change overtime?

(and just to cover all bases: Evolution does NOT attempt to solve the question of “How did the universe form” or “How did life begin”. It is about how lifeforms have changed since then)

I don’t see what the ‘religion’ tag pertains to…...but here goes:

There is evidence that primitive organisms existed before more complex organisms. Organisms produce new organisms. If less complex organisms existed before more complex organisms then it follows that the primitive organisms must have some reproductive link to the complex organisms. This is the fact of evolution, similar to the fact that gravity happens. The theory of evolution, similar to General Relativity, explains the mechanisms by which the fact happens.

I believe that the theory of evolution is a tentative explanation for the evidence that we have. This evidence is coherent and well accepted. The explanation of the theory is based on observable mechanisms that have vast explanatory power. The paradigm associated with evolution is continuing to expand the reach of evolutionary theory. There is no other theory of the origin of species that has not been disproved.

If another theory is introduced that is more progressive than Darwinian Evolution, is coherent, has valid explanations of mechanisms we can observe, and explains how complex organisms formed from primitive organisms, then I would gladly accept it as a replacement for Darwinian Evolution.

This has to be one of the top 5 most recurring questions on Fluther. It’s asked so often that you’re much more likely to find lengthy well-reasoned answers by doing a search on it – personally I wouldn’t put nearly as much energy into answering something I’ve already answered multiple times.

Sorry if I sound like a jerk.

I don’t believe in it. I think it’s the best hypothesis to explain the observations.

This has been asked before, but I’ll bite again because I appear to be in an antagonistic mood and bored with work today.

I believe in evolution. I say believe because one can believe or disbelieve facts. I believe in facts for which I have seen convincing evidence. There is no evidence against evolution. Every bit of biology, geology, and paleontology supports the theory.

The only way any information out there right now can be construed to not support the theory is if one lacks a full understanding of the scientific facts and of the modern theory of evolution.

@daloon It’s not a hypothesis. It is a theory built upon multiple hypotheses all of which have been thoroughly tested and substantiated.

@pinkparaluies What does religion have to do with it? Are you a biblical literalist who thinks the world was created in 6 literal days about 3,000 years ago? If so we can obviously have no debate as you would have cast your lot with abject scientific ignorance. If, on the other hand, you are a reasonable person who happens to have deep religious faith, I offer you this question, originally posed by microbiologist Richard Lenski:

“I find it baffling, however, that someone can worship God as the all-mighty Creator while, at the same time, denying even the possibility (not to mention the overwhelming evidence) that God’s Creation involved evolution. It is as though a person thinks that God must have the same limitations when it comes to creation as a person who is unable to understand, or even attempt to understand, the world in which we live. Isn’t that view insulting to God?”

@gussnarp You are correct, of course.

@daloon Nothing personal, I just find it important to be clear on terms, since even the right ones are often misused in this “debate”.

I always imagine that somewhere out there, reading but not commenting, is someone who is actually on the fence and will be convinced by sound reasoning and logical argument. That may be more of a stretch than not believing in evolution

It’s scientifically proofed and is a result of reason not a stupid need to believe in something like God which is a more comfortable idea than evolution.
“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.” Carl Sagan

@gussnarp Not a problem. I would prefer to be corrected when I get sloppy or am just plain wrong. That’s what science does—rely on evidence. If I speak unclearly, then I hope someone will clear it up.

The question for me is not really “do you believe in evolution?”

The question is, do you believe that the scientific method (observation, experimentation) is a way to find out what the world is really like.

If you do, and you really go through the evidence, it seems to me that it is pretty much proven that evolution happens and has happened.

You must also separate between various versions of “evolution” here.
1) Do you believe that mutations and selection for the survival of offspring happens? (If you do, that is evolution.)
2) Which current hypothesis of the exact lineages of various species you believe in? (You can “believe in evolution” in the first sense even if you think the current idea of how it actually has worked in history is completely wrong.)
3) If you are religious, do you believe God can work through evolution, or does His creation need to be literal? (You can believe in evolution and in God.)
4) What is your theory of the origin of life? (This is different from evolution.)

If Evolution is good enough for The Baby Jesus, it’s good enough for me.

@pinkparaluies

Your answer is entirely nonsensical.

Do you ever feel like we’re facing an endless stream of bullshit with not enough basic scientific understanding in society to keep up and cover it all (start at the 55 second mark)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wp3m1vg06Q

Choosing not to believe in evolution is an insult to millions of well educated, intelligent people and scientists in particular. They have put a lot of time into searching for supporting and disputing evidence and reached the only logical conclusion that evolution is a phenomenon that can be observed to take place and to have been taking place all through nature.

Evolution explains the variety that can be seen in nature and development of different species, lifeforms and life in general. Denying that is silly.

@Ivan

@pinkparaluies:Your answer is entirely nonsensical

Ivan I interpreted it as “I know there’s sound scientific evidence to believe in it, or at least be open-minded about the subject, but I’m far too entrenched in my faerie-tale beliefs to do that”

Evolution is not a question of belief. Belief has to do with whether you think God exists or whether you believe your dreams can tell the future. Evolution on the other hand is a fact.

So whether you personally want to believe in it or not is your choice, just like you may want to believe that the Earth is flat or that rain comes because the local shaman sacrificed a virgin to the gods (people actually did both for thousands of years). It does not change anything, it just makes intelligent people (ie people further down the evolutionary path than yourself) respect you less.

While I think I agree with @Jack79 about evolution being out of the sphere of faith/opinion, I have to point out that there is no such thing as an “evolutionary path” that we get along, “developing” into better or more higher order things. Evolution is blind to that sort of thing, it only operates in the now, it does not “aim” to produce more intelligent beings, etc. It is only about whose offspring survives. Sometimes even being dumber, slower, etc, can actually be a competitive trait, evolution-wise. For example, if animals hunt in packs, and the fastest runner is the one that fights with the prey, and often dies, it is better to be slower than him.

If you wish to believe in a “plan” or “path to follow” for evolution, you need to introduce some sort of god into it.

No, I was not implying it was a predetermined path, simply that some species are further down than others (ie we are more evolved than Homo Erectus). Was looking back, not forward. Certainly not sure where it leads (some species branched off into evolutionary dead ends).

And I actually do believe in God. I just don’t think He liked playing with mud that much back when the Earth was young.

The mistake is thinking that “evolved” means “better”. Evolution does not work to make things better. It does not have a plan like that. It just adapts to current circumstances.

But if you believe in God using evolution as a tool, I suppose He can nudge it that way for you. ;)

It is like comparing apples and oranges evolution is a theory that evolved from a belief system and parts of it are tested by science. Evolution as a theory can be tested experimentally It is fully compatible for a believer in God to also be a scientist, even an evolutionary specialist. For more on this and how to sift out religion from science and culture see http://biologos.org

Of course evolution exists. I can’t believe people still ask this question.

Who else but a Supreme Being could have thought of putting evolution into motion? It’s just so perfect !

@Aster

What’s even more perfect is that evolution doesn’t need anyone to put it into motion.