15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense

Questions

1) What is the occasion for this article?

- the Creationists increasingly get influenced in the discussion about evolution. Fx. Intelligent
design in the US. Some places creationists even want to change the law concerning teaching
about creation of man.

2) How does John Rennie refute the argument against Evolution which says that it is only a
theory?
- A theory is more believable than a hypothesis, and even though transformations are not
observed directly, the indirect evidence is clear and compelling. The absence of direct
observation does not make psysicists’ conclusions less certain.

3) What is “natural selection” and why is it different from the idea of the “survuival of the
fittest”?
-  way to describe natural selection. A more technical description speaks of differential rates
of survival and reproduction.
- The key is adaptive fitness
- Natural selection: desirable features (eugenics (racehygiejne), natural environment (shall
deside whats desirable)). Those who are best fit to a certain environment – survival of a
fittest.

4) Explain the terms macroevolution and microevolution. Why is this distinction important?
- Micro: changes within species over time. One type evolves into another
- Macro: how taxonomic groups above the level of species change.

5) What particular evidence makes it difficult to take creationists seriously?

- few antievolution manuscripts. We have fossil records, DNA evidence.

6) What are the problems involved in saying that humans descend from monkeys?
- why are there still monkeys if we came from the monkeys.

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7) What misunderstandings of the Second Law of Thermodynamics are behind the argument
put forward as no. 9?
- organism can fuel their rise toward complexity by consuming other forms of life

8) Explain how the example of the fruit flies with Antannapedia can illustrate the connection
between mutation and evolution.
- the fruit flies have point mutation => creates new features. Legs instead of antennae
[Anteni], a very complex structure has come up by accident.

9) How may natural selection be connected with the development of a totally new species
(speciation)? Would evolutionists accept any other process behind speciation? What
processes would not be acceptable to an evolutionist?
- population – isolated – changes – different kind of population due to different environment.
- The evolution has to be scientific or natural, not created by man.

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 10) How could one define a species? (12) In which way is it in fact possible to study the
formation of a new species according to this definition?
- organisms that normally do not or cannot breed outside their community. Researchers:
anatomical differences, mating behaviours, habitat.

11) What is the main problem in pointing out certain intermediate forms of fossils in the
taxonomic hierarchy of evolution?
- incomplete fossil record

12) What is the old creationist argument (1802) by William Paley meant to illustrate? How?
- pocket watch analogy.
- Wrong; the watch is not part of nature as we are, it’s not organic materials.

Characteristics:
- often theories that have been misunderstood by the evolutionists,
- the creationists can’t defend themselves in this article. This article is not objective, and it’s
mostly about the scientific point of view, a challenge to the creationists.
-  “maybe you could do better” they need arguments not just negative toward science.

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