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Darwin in Doubt - Persistent Problems With Darwin's Theory of Evolution, 150 Years After "The Origin"

by Andy Chains  
7/24/2010 / Education

There was a time when our planet was a totally dead world. Today there is a rich abundance of life. Darwin's Theory of Evolution is an attempt at a purely naturalistic explanation of the development of all life.

The basic assertions of Darwin's Theory, as expressed in 'The Origin' (1859), are well known, namely that simple organisms of many millions of years ago have gradually changed into the vast array or organisms alive today, the changes being produced by the action of Natural Selection preferentially preserving advantageous and inheritable characteristics.

My background is mostly in Physics/Maths, which I have taught since 1982. I have a BSc in Physics and an MSc in Scientific Computing. Hence, my approach to Darwin's Theory is from the point of view of an interested amateur with a scientific background. Fortunately, it is not necessary to be a specialist in Biology or Palaeontology in order to understand what Darwin's Theory asserts, and assess its credibility based on the relevant data and arguments.

It came as a real surprise to me to discover that most of the data presented as evidence for Darwin's Theory, including that in 'The Origin', does not relate to or support his main assertion, namely that of extremely gradual organic change via huge sequences of intermediate life forms. The evidence for such sequences might exist as living descendants of intermediate life forms and/or in fossilised remains - but such evidence did not exist in 1859 - and it does not exist today, after 150 years of searching.

In 'The Origin' Darwin expressed his concern about the absence of fossil evidence for sequential change - so he clearly took it seriously, though he must have expected such evidence would turn up it time. But it has not. All we have are well-defined groupings of fish, reptiles etc plus stand-alone individuals, of dubious status, claimed as 'missing-links' - but no sequences, alive or long-dead, corresponding gradual but great organic changes.

One reason (maybe the only one?) why Darwin's Theory was and is so readily accepted, and actively and even aggressively, advocated by many, in spite of the lack of direct evidence, is indicated by Richard Dawkins, who says - on page 249 of his 1986 publication 'The Blind Watchmaker':

'In Darwin's view, the whole point of the theory of evolution by natural selection was that it provided a non-miraculous account of the existence of complex adaptations. For what it is worth, it is also the whole point of this book.'

But this will not do.

Human recorded history goes back thousands of years - but modern science, as founded by the true greats, such as Newton and Galileo, has only existed a few centuries - and it is only in the last hundred years or so we've had the subsequent explosion of technologies which so characterises our modern age.

It is fundamental to modern science that theories are based on relevant data, and not influenced by preferred beliefs - and that they are held with a 'light hand' - if the data goes against a theory then the theory goes. And if one investigates beyond the usual superficial presentation in the media or educational texts, it is clear that Darwin's Theory is in trouble - for entirely scientific and rational reasons.

Time to get Darwin off our 10 notes?!

Copyright 2009 Andy Chains (andychains.com)

Download the above article (in PDF format) at http://www.andychains.com/darwin

Andy Chains - Born 1952, Yorkshire, England
BSc Physics 1976. PGCE. MSc Scientific Computing
Further Education Teacher - Physics & Maths
More articles at http://www.andychains.com/articles
Free classic literature at http://www.andychains.com
Copyright 2009 Andy Chains (andychains.com)

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