My dear daughter,
Of course I like biology and related sciences, but they’re not my favorite scientific subjects. Even so, one has to recognize the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection is the most successful scientific theory to date. It also represents the greatest revolution in science and rational thinking of all times.
Ever since 1859, if a single fact had been brought to falsify Evolution’s conclusions, the theory would have been dropped and a better one would have to be researched.
Still, several great scientific discoveries made since then have confirmed Evolution. That’s unheard of in any other scientific field.
If a single fossil had been found in the wrong strata layer, Evolution would have been falsified. That has never happened, not after millions of fossil discoveries.
Crick, Watson and Wilkins discovery of the DNA molecule structure in 1953 has also proved Evolution. All of our genetic information is coded in DNA and evolutionary relations in the evolutionary tree can be traced, reconstructed and observed in DNA.
DNA actually shows us we share up to 96% genetic information with other modern apes. And that we even share a genetic background with rice, flies or amoeba.
The fact that all living things, from plants to fungus have DNA, is itself another proof of Evolution. Or the fact that you can treat a dog with medicine made for humans.
Nonetheless, mostly because of religion, a great deal of people around the world refute Evolution, trying to reframe it as an “alternative” explanation among many of equal value, or trying to come up with supernatural motives behind it, such as intelligent design. None of it has any regard to the truth, they are all wishful thinking at best. People tend to get very irrational when science or facts do not conform to their subjective worldviews, for a number of reasons.
I personally think “believers” would be more successful attacking the Theory of Gravitation than Evolution. In fact, we know very little about gravity, we can prove very little about gravity and the little we know may be wrong.
Our best guess at gravity was given by Albert Einstein – he showed gravity is the curvature of space-time caused by the presence of matter or energy. This has been proven through numerous observations. But no one knows exactly what is the mechanism that causes gravity, or why it is the weakest of the fundamental forces of nature. Or what truly happens in a point of infinite curvature. Most important, this Theory of Gravitation does not work in the subatomic framework. In fact, modern physics needs a theory to merge Gravitation with Quantum Mechanics, which would be a Theory of Everything. There are many candidates, but none which have been proved experimentally.
Why not attack Gravity instead of Evolution then? Well, one thing people can see is they are still grounded, and not floating around in space. And the good book doesn’t mention gravity.
Love,
Dad
Aspergers Dad 