Question Archive
Did evolution have to result in human beings?
Because evolution involves seemingly "random" mutations, it seems that the Earth could have been the home of a different assortment of creatures. But belief in a supernatural creator leaves the possibility that human beings were fully intended. An omniscient creator could also have created the Universe's natural laws so as to inevitably result in human beings.
Related topics: Evolutionary Biology |
Does thermodynamics disprove evolution?
A common argument against biological evolution is that the theory contradicts the second law of thermodynamics. The second law says that disorder, or entropy, always increases or stays the same over time – but evolution results in more complex life forms over time. However, this objection is grounded in a misunderstanding of the second law.
Related topics: Math/Physics/Chemistry | Evolutionary Biology |
Isn’t the origin of life highly improbable?
From all we know about the state of the Earth 3 to 4 billion years ago and what we know about the complexity of the building blocks of life — DNA, RNA, amino acids, sugars — no entirely plausible hypothesis for the spontaneous origin of life has been found.. But this does not mean that divine intervention is the only possible explanation.
Related topics: Evolutionary Biology | Genetics |
What does the fossil record show?
The fossil record provides a unique view into the history of life by showing the forms and features of species through time. This is particularly important for evolution, because it shows the changes in species across long periods of the Earth’s history. In this way, it provides insight into the evolutionary tree.
Related topics: Evolutionary Biology | Fossil Records |
How can evolution account for the complexity of life on earth today?
A complex biological structure with many interacting parts might appear, at first glance, as if it were originally created in its present form with all its interlocking components fully formed and intact. It doesn’t seem possible that they developed step by step via biological evolution. In Darwin’s Black Box, Michael Behe introduces a term that he and other proponents of Intelligent Design use for this concept: irreducible complexity.
Related topics: Evolutionary Biology | Intelligent Design |
How do randomness and chance align with belief in God’s sovereignty and purpose?
In popular usage, chance often means “without purpose.” Thus some materialists have described evolution as proceeding by “blind, purposeless chance.” But to mathematicians, statisticians, and scientists, chance simply means non-determinacy.
Related topics: Intelligent Design | Math/Physics/Chemistry |
Does the Cambrian Explosion pose a challenge to evolution?
The term “Cambrian Explosion” refers to the appearance and rapid diversification of most major living animal body plans in the fossil record within an interval of perhaps 20 million years or less, a relatively short period in evolutionary history. This time is known as the Early Cambrian, and began around 543 million years ago.
Related topics: Fossil Records | Intelligent Design |
