Knight's pick 1-14-2011

[Nathon Detroit]

The ever changing evolutionary landscape. Well said nicholsmom. :up:

... No data exists that would falsify it. if somehow it were to be falsified, it would be the virtual destruction or complete destruction of all theory in all of the physical sciences. That is how tightly they are linked.

Could this actually happen, though, taikoo? It seems to me that there isn't anything that could really falsify the ever-changing theory of the progression of things along evolutionary paths. It looks, from my vantage, like whenever any new data comes along that would tend to falsify it, the picture of evolution changes to fit the new data.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that our perception of the way things work should change with new information, but the theory of evolution is such an evolving thing as to render it unfalsifiable - or so it would appear.

What possible natural evidence would tend to falsify evolution rather than cause a major shift in the interpretation of the data so as to create a new model for evolution?

Oh right: what does evolution have to do with basic chemistry, the laws of motion, thermodynamics, electro-magnetism, that sort of thing? Not that these aren't used in the sciences concerning the study of evolution, just how would falsification of the ToE alter them?

:first:

 

[Town Heretic]

:BRAVO:

 

[nicholsmom]

:e4e: Thanks for noticing

 

[Sherman]

:thumb::banana: Great post!

 

[Stripe]

 

[Dr.Watson]

The most obvious rejoinder to the claim that evolution is unfalsifiable is to point out that all creationists know perfectly well that evolution is falsifiable, as demonstrated by the fact that they keep making claims which, if accurate, would prove the theory of evolution false.

There are many ways to falsify evolution. Find a bunny fossil in the Precambrian. That'll do it. Also, if we wouldn't have had the fused chromosomes that we do have, ToE would have taken a major blow.

Here's some more:

• If it could be shown that mutations do not occur.
• If it could be shown that, although mutations do occur, they are not passed down through the generations.
• If it could be shown that, although mutations are passed down, no mutation could produce the sort of phenotypic changes that drive natural selection.
• If it could be shown that selection or environmental pressures do not favor the reproductive success of better adapted individuals.

 

[Dr.Watson]

:BRAVO:

I hope this was sarcasm.