UP #1: Scientific Method and Evolution
With selected student responses
QUESTION 1: What is the difference between a theory
and a belief? You may want to look these terms up before
answering. Be as specific as you can, and give an example of
From "H": A theory is an
explanation of something well supported by tests and
evidences.(ie. the Cell Theory) A belief does not necessarily
have to be supported by anything other than one's faith in
it. (ie. reincarnation or religious belief)
From "B"= A theory is a broad
explaination that synthesizes many different once-unrelated
facts and findings to explain natural processes or phenomena.
Beliefs are a personally accepted truth even in the abscence
of evidence and fact. These might be religious beliefs or
beliefs about people.
QUESTION 2: What characteristic determines whether organisms
belong to the same species? Why are, for instance, are Rottweilers,
bulldogs, and poodles - phenotypically (ie physical
appearance) very different - considered to be members of the
same species - dogs? Why are all humans,
despite our numerous phenotypic differences, considered to be
From Debi = I think the characteristic is their proteins.
Each species has different proteins and can distinguish them
from other similiar species. The closer the relation between
the two species, the more the proteins resemble each other.
That is why all dogs and all humans, despite physical
differences, are considered to be a part of their same
From Erika = A has to do with the common
characteristics carried by each. Each Rottweiler, Bulldog,
and Poodle have four legs, tail, covered in hair, they bark,
and even have wet noses. These are some of the similar
features looked for by species.
From Altman: Interbreeding is the main
characteristic that determines species. If their offspring
also interbreed then they are considered the same species. If
their offspring does not breed, than it is a different
species, as in the case of horses and donkeys. The general
rule applies that if two organisms interbreed and have
fertile offspring, than the two organisms are of the same
From Walker = To be considered a seperate
species, the the organisms cannot interbreeed and produce
offspring that can reproduce. Rottweilers, bulldogs, and
poodles are considered the same species becasue they can
interbreed, alibet producing a mutt, and the offspring can
also reproduce. Humans, despite all differences can
reproduce, reproduce, reproduce etc.
QUESTION 3: What does the term Survival of the Fittest mean? How does the environment influence the survival of an organism?
From Elizabeth = Survival of the Fittest means that only the
strong survive. The weak will die out because they will not
be tough enough to handle all obstacles that the environment
can throw at them. When bad times occur such as a drought the
stronger animals will be able to stay alive, and the weak
will only get weaker and eventually die. An organism has to
learn to adapt to the changing conditions in the environment
or they will never survive.
From Sammy = "Survival of the
Fittest" suggests that the best adapted living organism
will survive the test of time. The environment is ever
changing, resulting in constant readaption of organisms in
order to survive.
From Charles = Survival of the fittest
refers to the process in which individuals who are better
adapted to live in a particular environment are more likely
to pass on their genetics that those individuals who are less
well adapted. Over a period of time the environment that an
organism lives in may change and if it does to a great extent
an organism may have to adapt to the new conditions or
perhaps die. It is also possible for organisims to change
habitats in response to a changing environment. Environmental
changes may influence evolution.
From TJ = Survival of the fittest was a concept that was
first documented by Charles Darwin. The basic idea behind the
concept is that the organism that is most suited to a
particular environment will have a better chance of survival
in that environment, especially over a period of time. If an
organism has traits or qualities which give it an advantage
in its environment, there is a better chance that this
organism will live to produce offspring which in turn will
possess these same characteristics. Over thousands of years
these traits become highly specialized to the organism's
environment because time has declared them the
"fittest" for living in that environment.
QUESTION 4: Totally Optional: (ie none of my business):
but if you would like to answer this, I would like to hear
your thoughts. I will not share these answers with the class.
Do you feel that there is an 'either / or' choice between your religious beliefs and
evolutionary theory - ie. that you must reject the idea of
evolution because of your religious beliefs, or that you
can't believe in God if you accept the evidence for
evolution? Is it possible to have both a belief in God and an
acceptance of the evidence supporting evolution?
We won't discuss
these answers in class, but thank
you all for your thoughtful comments and ideas. Thanks also
for all the great book and movie recommendations!!!! A few
Darwin was a religious man:
Darwin (as well as many scientists) never doubted the
existence of a divine Being responsible for things - he
simply believed that God expressed himself through the
operation of natural laws that could be studied and observed.
It has been said that Darwin renounced
evolution and converted to Christianity on his deathbed.
Shortly after his death, a Lady Hope claimed she visited
Darwin on his deathbed, and witnessed the renunciation. Her
story was printed in a Boston newspaper and subsequently
spread. Lady Hope's story was refuted by Darwin's daughter
Henrietta who stated, "I was present at his deathbed ...
He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or
Pope John Paul II declared
in November 1996, "The evidence gathered in the past
fifty years makes a significant argument in favor of this
theory. The convergence, neither sought nor fabricated, of
the results of work that was conducted independently is in
itself a significant argument of this theory. The Church's
Magisterium is directly concerned with the question of
evolution, for it involves the conception of man: Revelation
teaches us that he was created in the image and likeness of
God (cf. Gn. 1:27-29). With man, then, we find ourselves in
the presence of an ontological difference, an ontological
leap, one could say. The sciences of observation describe and
measure the multiple manifestations of life with increasing
precision and correlate them with the time line. The moment
of transition to the spiritual cannot be the object of this
kind of observation but falls within the competence of
philosophical analysis and reflection, while theology brings
out its ultimate meaning according to the Creator's