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From: leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Example of Evolution
Message-ID: <2270@yale-com.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 28-Oct-83 09:59:09 EST
Article-I.D.: yale-com.2270
Posted: Fri Oct 28 09:59:09 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 31-Oct-83 21:13:46 EST
References: rabbit.2123
Lines: 25

The problem with these examples is that they are convincing only to those
who already are convince.  I remember talking to a "evolution sceptic"
many years (>10) ago, before the current furor about "creation science".
He also asked for "examples", and I gave some of the above.  His answer was
"yes, but that's not REALLY evolution.  There aren't any examples of new
species."  Even more:  "I want to see a cat evolve into a dog".  To look at
the latter first:  Considering how far apart cats and dogs are, this isn't
a reasonable example.  But it's an example of the kind of thinking involved
in the "new species".  People THINK they know what a "species" is; they have
all sorts of intuitive ideas about when animals are "the same" or "different".
In fact, most of these ideas are simply, demonstrably false.  In the biological
definition, two animals are of different species unless they can inter-breed
and produce fertile offspring.  (Obviously, for bacteria etc. one must make
different definitions.)  Even this, however, is way too subtle for most
people to accept when "they can see the evidence in front of their eyes".
It might do them some good to do some gardening, and find that broccoli,
kale, and califlower [sp? on all 3] - or is is asparagus instead of broccoli? -
are all products of different "versions" of the same plant, which can still
inter-fertilize, and were separated out by human selection for maximal devel-
opment of different features.

You might also get into the question of why it is "obvious" that a chow and
a greyhound are both dogs, considering the "obvious" differences.
							-- Jerry
					decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale