Evolution (Evolution)

by David Turell , Sunday, March 30, 2008, 18:41 (6082 days ago) @ dhw

dhw says: " The other part of the theory of evolution is natural selection, which does not depend on chance at all. However, there are two points that some atheists overlook ... perhaps yourself included, though I don't know what your beliefs/disbeliefs are. Firstly, natural selection works on existing material. It doesn't generate anything." - I thoroughly disagree. Natural selection is not magical and is totally passive. It does depend on chance in 'working on existing material'. I suggest reading David Raup, "Extinction; Bad Genes or Good Luck", 1991, in which he makes the point that many magnificently 'fit' organisms were done in by bad luck. Pity the poor dinosaurs! And how about 250 million years of trilobites, and their mysterious disappearance? The comment that we know who the 'fittest' are because of their survival is circular reasoning, and out the window, based on his book.