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Darwinian Evolution

Darwinian Evolution

Tenth slideshow for a course on science.

GeorgeMatthews

January 28, 2017
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  1. What is an explanation? An account of the CAUSES of

    something, that shows why it had to happen of NECESSITY,
  2. What is an explanation? An account of the CAUSES of

    something, that shows why it had to happen of NECESSITY, and enables the PREDICTION of what will happen in other related situations.
  3. Assumptions Before Darwin ! Biblical creation story is true. !

    Earth is a few thousand years old. ! Geological features are relatively fixed and stable.
  4. Assumptions Before Darwin ! Biblical creation story is true. !

    Earth is a few thousand years old. ! Geological features are relatively fixed and stable. ! Organisms do not change or go extinct.
  5. Assumptions Before Darwin ! Biblical creation story is true. !

    Earth is a few thousand years old. ! Geological features are relatively fixed and stable. ! Organisms do not change or go extinct. ! Living organisms are best understood as products of deliberate design.
  6. Paley’s Watch If you found a watch in a beach

    you would be right in assuming that it was made by a designer. Living organisms are at least as complex as watches. So we are right in assuming that they were made by a designer.
  7. The Facts of Life ! There is a huge variety

    of living things. ! They are adapted to their environments.
  8. The Facts of Life ! There is a huge variety

    of living things. ! They are adapted to their environments. ! They are NOT randomly distributed.
  9. The Facts of Life ! There is a huge variety

    of living things. ! They are adapted to their environments. ! They are NOT randomly distributed. ! They can be grouped by common structures, habitats, ways living.
  10. The Facts of Life ! There is a huge variety

    of living things. ! They are adapted to their environments. ! They are NOT randomly distributed. ! They can be grouped by common structures, habitats, ways living. ! Their remains are in a definite order.
  11. Towards Evolution ! Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778): classification of animals and

    plants ! Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802): speculation about evolution
  12. Towards Evolution ! Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778): classification of animals and

    plants ! Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802): speculation about evolution ! Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829): evolution of acquired characteristics
  13. Towards Evolution ! Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778): classification of animals and

    plants ! Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802): speculation about evolution ! Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829): evolution of acquired characteristics ! Charles Lyell (1797-1875): uniformitarianism in geology
  14. Towards Evolution ! Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778): classification of animals and

    plants ! Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802): speculation about evolution ! Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829): evolution of acquired characteristics ! Charles Lyell (1797-1875): uniformitarianism in geology ! Charles Darwin (1809-1882): formulates theory of evolution
  15. Darwin’s big idea Evolution by natural selection 1. If there

    is a population of organisms . . . 2. and a natural source of variation among them . . .
  16. Darwin’s big idea Evolution by natural selection 1. If there

    is a population of organisms . . . 2. and a natural source of variation among them . . . 3. and they compete for food, safety and mates . . .
  17. Darwin’s big idea Evolution by natural selection 1. If there

    is a population of organisms . . . 2. and a natural source of variation among them . . . 3. and they compete for food, safety and mates . . . 4. and their variability is inherited . . .
  18. Darwin’s big idea Evolution by natural selection 1. If there

    is a population of organisms . . . 2. and a natural source of variation among them . . . 3. and they compete for food, safety and mates . . . 4. and their variability is inherited . . . 5. then over time they will diversify, giving rise to new species.
  19. Modern Creationism ! Part of Modern Christian Fundamentalism ! Scopes

    trial, Tennessee (1925): Should it be illegal to teach evolution?
  20. Modern Creationism ! Part of Modern Christian Fundamentalism ! Scopes

    trial, Tennessee (1925): Should it be illegal to teach evolution? ! Arkansas (1982): Should “creation-science” and evolution receive equal treatment in schools?
  21. Modern Creationism ! Part of Modern Christian Fundamentalism ! Scopes

    trial, Tennessee (1925): Should it be illegal to teach evolution? ! Arkansas (1982): Should “creation-science” and evolution receive equal treatment in schools? ! Dover, Pennsylvania (2005): Is “Intelligent Design” an alternative scientific theory of the origin of species?
  22. Open Questions ! What is the origin of life? !

    Does life exist on other planets?
  23. Open Questions ! What is the origin of life? !

    Does life exist on other planets? ! Is natural selection the major or most important factor in the evolutionary history of life on earth?
  24. Open Questions ! What is the origin of life? !

    Does life exist on other planets? ! Is natural selection the major or most important factor in the evolutionary history of life on earth? ! Can we use evolutionary theory to understand human psychology, society, or culture?