Evolution - Fact or Fiction?

I would like to hear the views of everyone regarding this topic.

Salaam(peace)
*

 
Do share your immediate thoughts or reactions on this issue? We value your views! Login Now! or Sign Up Today! to share your views with us.. Gurfateh!

Evolution is a theory of speciation and the best explanation currently available for the diversity of life that exists. In this respect it is certainly not fiction. There are many examples of evolution occuring as we speak.

Is there another view that anyone else can espouse that has the same ammount of predictive and explanatory power?

I thinm Dear Muslim's point in asking for views is because of the rejection of the claims of Evolution by Islam.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/5251-evolution-fact-or-fiction.html
For that matter Chrsitanity, Judaism and Hindusim also seem to reject evolution as they harp about the Adam and Eve story.

It is interesting to note that despite all these religions decrying each other - yes even hindusim has the same story of Adam and Eve, albeit with different names, they seem to have borrowed extensively in mthology/legends and stories of yore from each other.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251

As of now, the scientific community has accepted evolution as the path to current life form. Even now the society is experiencing evolution - ever noticed the kids with much sharper minds then we had in comparable age.

Akal Sahai

It is neither entirely facts nor fiction. It is a theory. It has emerged from observatiions. It is something you believe to be true, but u ave no proof, just your observations. As soon as you find a contradiction in your observations, the theory dissolves.

There is plenty of proof for evolution --far more than any other view. It is hardly based on "your observations" like any good scientific theory it has been test, retested, veified and provides the best explanation possible for the many different forms of life. For example, many animals share genetic codes that serve as dramatic evidence for common ancestors (primates and humans are a prime example of this). Another good example of this is that the vast majority of animals have a "face" (2 eyes above a nose and a mouth) all the result of a common ancestor. Are you suggesting that the entire field of genetics is something that we just "believe to be true"? How about other fields of science?

The term "theory" in science has a very specific meaning and does not just mean that someone believes it. The scientific method is rigorous, testable and verifiable and towers above any other method for describing the natural world. It is not as though the theory of evolution results from simple observations of behaviour.

I think the mistake that people make is believing that science and religion collide --they do not and are complimentary. Now I'll use the much cited story of Adam and Eve. As always with religious stories someone picks and chooses what is to be taken literally and what is metaphoric. Given, that there is strong scientific evidence for the existence of a common ancestor for the higher primates and humans (we share 95% of our genome with this group) why would we continue to stubbornly believe that no evolution has occured in the face of years of scientific evidence suggesting otherwise?

Babar Sher thank-you for the clarification. In terms of Islam and evolution the above points give my view on the matter. In my view, religion should play no role in explaining creation. There is nothing inconsistent with saying that God created the world and a part of that world is a process called evolution. To me it is the equivalent of arguing against electricity on the grounds that it somehow takes away from God --rather electricity is a part of the world that God created.

hello jee's

evolution fact or fiction??

let me re address the question for this forum

CONCIOUS EVOLUTION. FACT OR FICTION??

this is the real issue at heart
are we evolving conciously. look at all religions and philosphy
as man becomes more conciouss and aware of his surroundings, in terms of science, art, religion
are not all religion essentially the same if you do a timeline of history
compare with knowledge at time, you see parrelells unreal if this isn't true
are you concious than your parents fact you have computer, tv etc, and they still use telephone.
how will our childrens concioussness evolve
a truly universal one i hope and pray.

is concioussness evolving through space, time, matter
has the galaxy gone through an unfolding, a learning,
from the first matter god created is it not all flowing , growing from there
through the stars, planets universe, this earth the planets, the animals.
finally us as perfect creation of god's image. co-create of our own existence.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251
look 99.9% of all animals lived have already been extinct.
so are we just working towards god's perfect architype of us.
'sacha surma'
we have mitochondria in our cells which were one time separate beings
then our bodies merged with theirs
now all energy you use in your body is stored in these 'foreign bodies'

i don't believe darwin evolution - very limited to physical material world


regards my brothers

Brother 21khalsa13,

Although I am sympathetic to what I think that you are saying I'm not sure what you mean. The consciousness that you mention at first seems to be very physically/scientifically based --a sort of awareness of surroundings, etc. This can certainly be measured and is certainly described by science. The other stuff you mention seems unmeasurable and is very unclear to me. I can think of many different meanings for the term "consciousness" (phenomenal -how something feels, content --propostional or thoughts or ideas that I have that lead me to reason, state consciousness --the state of being aware, etc.) but am unsure what it is that we can say is shared by a galaxy, mitochondria, etc and how it can develop.

Although I can certainly understand and am sympathetic toward pantheism (everything is god), I have trouble understanding how one can consistently hold this view while maintaining that the universe can become "more" conscious --according to this view it would seem that everything already is conscious. In fact, you state that you have problem with darwin's physicalism yet the notion of more of something (thus quantifiable) is clearly in the physicalist/scientific paradigm.

The way I understand what you have written you are staunch believer in a dichotomy between mind/consciousness and body/physical stuff. However, given what I take your position to be it would seem more reasonable to maintain a modified monisitic position (that mind and body are two expressions of the same stuff) --in which case discounting darwin as to physical would be a misnomer.

I also have problems with this statement. There is nothing to suggest that increased speciation (evolution) is going to make us closer to "god's perfect architype". Despite what people commonly believe evolution does not necesarily mean a "better" organism. In many cases (due mostly to artificial selection) the changes that are "selected" are just a lucky fluke (ex. small mamals survived the mass extinction event around the time of the dinosaurs due to the relatively smaller resources required because of their size --mamals are not necesarrily "better" but rather lucky).

What is your notion of a "development" of the universe based on? I can think of two large systems that hold such a view (Samkhya in Indian philosophy and Aristotle in Western Philosophy) but this is only based upon assumptions nothing more.

Once again, I do have sympathies for where I think that you are headed but would like to understand it better.

Thanks,

Ravi Singh

refer to earlier post


we have 3 realms we can currently work with


virtual/spiritual

mental

physical


in the virtual realm there is perfection

god's archetypes of life

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251
in the mental realm is life's thriving since the begining to reach these heights of existence.

in the physical we wait patiently for god to manifest in our everday world
-> sat yug again

i believe sat yug has always been here
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251
just takes strength of of being to align ourselves to it

i. all the prophets , bhagats, gurus, gods. have
we still learning therefore we seek
therefore we sikh ------------> saikhyia


lots of love
yours

The evolutionary theory (at least in regards to humans) is rejected by many religous groups in favor of the story in Gensis. The story not only speaks of the divine creation of man, but lays reason for the philosophy of women being subservient to men (esp. their husband).

Ironically, this was the reason the apostle Peter gave for women (but not men) to cover their heads when they pray.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251

1 Corninthians 11:
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=5251
(New International Version)