Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Monkey Madness (part 6)

Okay, so let's look at some questions that students could bring up in a science classroom that would further a scientific discussion. Notice I didn't say "religious" discussion. Remember, my concern here is with the science that is taught in the classroom. In fact, I encourage students to be the ones to help redirect teachers away from discussions that focus on religion when it comes to this topic.

  • Did Charles Darwin believe that there would be evidence in the fossil record to substantiate the theory of evolution? Is that still the belief among most scientists today? If so, what are some examples of the evidence? If not, why not?
  • What sparked Stephen Jay Gould's desire to devise a "punctuated equilibrium" (or equilibria) theory? How does this position contrast with Darwinian evolution? Who supports/opposes it?
  • Generally, does the fossil record show transitional species or intermediates (so called "missing links"), or does it show fully-formed, complex creatures?
  • Would you explain how some "missing links" have been shown to be frauds, like "Nebraska Man" and "Piltdown Man" and the "Archaeoraptor"? Why do you think some scientists feel it is necessary to make up evidence to prove evolution?
  • How would the fossil record differ from what we see now if a global flood had actually taken place and evolution between species did not occur?
  • Ernst Haeckel's drawings illustrating "embryonic recapitulation" in the 1860's were exposed as frauds by university science professors the same year they were fabricated. Still, well over a century later, prominent evolutionists, textbooks, and other publications promote his drawings as "proof" of evolution despite knowing they are false. Why? (Again, why is it necessary to fabricate evidence if there is abundant proof for the theory of evolution?)
  • When similarities in genetic makeup are noticed between species, what makes a common ancestor more plausible than a common designer from a "quantity of evidence" standpoint?
  • Biogenesis (life being produced by other life) is observable reality. Never has life been observed to arise from nonliving material. Doesn't the origin of life theory associated with evolution defy this scientific axiom?
  • What role do genetic mutations play in the theory of evolution? Do mutations ever add information or make things more complex? If so, when and how?
  • What is your position on the Anthropic Principle?
  • What are your thoughts about the Cosmological Constant related to Einstein's work?
  • Which came first, the chicken or the egg?


No comments:

Post a Comment