Evolution is an Updated Theory.
The answer to the question as to whether it is completely outdated, is no.
Evolution is a dynamic theory, updated daily. Evolutionary Psychology which describes how our brains developed and became “minds” is just one example. The discoveries made this month worldwide concerning mutations on crops, bacteria, virus, or anything else studied by science, are other examples.
It cannot be said that Evolution is an outdated theory. It is rather a theory, refined on an almost daily basis. Even Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Erasmus, had a theory on the development of species, which one could say has “evolved.” In those days people routinely bred livestock for certain appealing traits, and the selection of plants and crops was also known and widely used. What Charles Darwin and Alfred R. Wallace discovered was that humans and all species evolved. But it was the mechanism for evolution—natural selection—that Darwin hit upon that made all the difference. The selection for favorable traits adapted and reproduced through time was referred to by Wallace as the “struggle.” Darwin called it natural selection and wrote in depth about adaptations he found on his travels.
Much like the theory of evolution itself, changes and updates, what in the natural world could be called variations or mutations, come to theories as well. Science is a process, and not a movement, or a cause. The alternative to Evolution sometimes taught in schools is based on a movement, on a cause. Intelligent Design, or Creationism, as it is often called is not based on Science, but based on faith. This does not strip it of significance, but subjects it to scrutiny. All Evolution does is propose that God is not necessarily involved.
It is as if we were to remove all the foundations upon which astronomy, biology, and chemistry, (and these are just the primary A.B. and C. sciences) and say that we may still present their natural laws, but we must also provide alternative views such as Astrology, Bible –Genesis -ology, and Alchemy. Of course, once you present the bible you have to provide all other creation myths equally, and no one could ever make it through school.
That people in the modern world say there is no proof of evolution shows that people are easily accepting of ludicrous and contradictory ideas. It tells us that those people disparage the idea that we are primates like the other apes, even as they are willing to take vaccinations routinely preventing disease, that clearly were developed through use of theoretical evolution in the lab!
There is nothing in Evolution that says God does not exist. Darwin even studied for the clergy and remained a Christian throughout his life. This does not mean that he would refuse antibiotics, to save his daughter Annie’s life, when she died of tuberculosis and Scarlet fever. He would doubtless accept that science created penicillin, at least in part, by acting upon his theories.
All of knowledge is subject to evolution. It is integral to science that what we know about Anthropology, (study of humans) and Primatology (study of all apes), is updated, new information gathered and added regularly. As more is discovered about Biology, Neurology adds to Evolutionary Psychology, and Psychology itself becomes Ecopsychology. This is revolutionary because Ecopsychology encompasses our psychological belonging not just to the rest of the animal kingdom, but to our earth, and even cosmic, origins as well. It would not exist to take us from darkness if we didn’t know about the origins of life.
Such an open minded collecting of knowledge is also crucial to our advancement, but also to our very survival. Inspired by Erasmus Darwin, a young Mary Shelley conjured up Frankenstein. You might say that she invented science fiction, but something else as well. She developed a tale that evolved from E. Darwin’s work. People, inspired perhaps by such tales are now perfecting cryonics. Bodies frozen now are hoped to be resurrected in 1,000 years, and all will be dependent upon evolved technologies based on what Charles Darwin’s granddad was talking about. Just as something interesting to think about to explore more ideas, are those frozen people in Heaven?
But we have not created animated corpses, (just yet). Although, we have created toxins, nuclear weapons, gulf spills, and climate change. So ignorance of Nature’s laws still provides us lots of directions in which to set off for more answers. None of them allow for close-mindedness. We must absolutely run Intelligent Design through the rigors of Science, and may the best theory win.
All of knowledge is subject to evolution. It is integral to science that what we know about anthropology, (study of humans) and primatology, (study of all apes), is updated, new information gathered and added regularly. As more is discovered about Biology, Neurology adds to Evolutionary Psychology, Psychology itself becomes Ecopsychology, and Biology looks more carefully at our Biophillia and the crucial importance of genetic diversity among all interdependent life forms. The new information shows us the connections between us and all living creation and provides us clues on how to protect ourselves. Or as Darwin put it: “There is grandeur in this view of life that…endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.
