This post is the first in a four-part series on evolution. Each new post will be published within a week of the previous entry.
Out of all the scientific theories introduced in the past couple of centuries, few have equaled the level of controversy and passion that the theory of evolution has prompted. In a series of upcoming posts we will dig into this highly debated topic more thoroughly, considering some terminology regarding evolution, its credibility, and some of the consequences of a worldview grounded in evolution. Because of the broad scope of this topic and the numerous areas it covers — science, sociology, law, etc. — this series will hardly provide a complete overview. We’ll take a look at some of the most important aspects in the posts, while I will include several links you can follow in order to gain an in-depth study of a certain portion that may interest you. That said, let’s get started.
As it is typically discussed, evolution is the belief that all living things arose from non-living matter and gradually developed into more complex life forms. There are a variety of explanations concerning how matter came into existence in the first place, but for the time being we’ll take that for granted. Eventually, all the ingredients and conditions necessary for life to exist came together at precisely the right time. As the resulting life form developed and passed on its traits to successive generations, these generations adapted more effectively to their environment. With each new set of adaptations, the organisms became more complex and better suited for survival. Any organisms who were not as fit as their siblings died off, allowing the stronger ones to survive, thus propelling the evolutionary chain onward through billions of years.
Before we look any closer into this topic, I need to provide a quick clarification for the term “evolution”. In most cases, the term refers to the process stated in the above paragraph — life arising from non-life and gradually developing into more complex organisms. This belief is called “macro-evolution”. However, there is also “micro-evolution”. Micro-evolution refers to changes within a particular species, while macro-evolution refers to changes among species. A good example of micro-evolution can be found in dog breeding. When different kinds of dogs are bred, their offspring possess genetic traits from both parents. This results in an animal that, although somewhat different from its parents, is still a dog. Macro-evolution, on the other hand, holds that something like a fish could gradually develop into an amphibian, like a frog, which could then develop into a lizard, and so on. While micro-evolution (change within species) is very observable in the world around us, we cannot readily study macro-evolution. As a result, macro-evolution — or any other theory about the origin of life — cannot be proved from observation. Since no one who was around at the beginning of time is still alive today, we can only interpret the past by the evidence we see around us in fossils, the geological record, the complexity of life, etc. In the next post, we will consider this topic of macro-evolution more closely.
