Evolution is a difficult concept for some to understand, especially if they don't have much experience with life science. Is evolution a fact or a theory? Does evolution explain the origin of life? These are important questions which people need to be able to understand and answer. Evolution is not minor - it is, in fact, the cornerstone of all modern biology. Theodosius Dobzhansky wrote: "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." A 1998 report from a committee commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences echoed this, saying evolution is "the most important concept in modern biology."
1. Debating Evolution
Although there are debates among scientists regarding the details of evolution and how, exactly, evolution proceeds, there is no debate regarding the process of evolution itself. The overwhelming consensus of the scientific community agrees on the truth of evolution and there are but a handful of reputable scientists who have expressed doubts about any significant aspect of it. This means that understanding modern biology - and also modern medicine - requires an understanding the process of evolution. That is what this FAQ is for - explaining evolution in a way that isn't too technical, but which still manages to get the most important concepts across.Evolution can be a confusing term because it is used in more than one way. Many people in the general population have developed an incorrect understanding of evolution for a number of reasons. One is the misinformation spread by creationists - by misrepresenting evolution, they may hope that it will be easier to get people to disregard it. Another is simple ignorance of the topic itself and the specific ways in which science uses certain terminology. Without a clear definition of evolution to start with, no deeper understanding of evolution is possible.
The biggest confusion about evolution involves the question of whether evolution a fact or a theory. Often you can find critics claiming that evolution is "just a theory" rather than a fact, as if that were supposed to demonstrate that it shouldn't be given serious consideration. Such arguments are based upon a misunderstanding of both the nature of science and the nature of evolution. It's true that evolution is a theory, but it's a scientific theory and that isn't the same as "just a theory." What's more, evolution is also a fact. Evolution can be both a fact and a theory precisely because of what evolution really is, as opposed to the caricature created by creationists.
There is one particular aspect of evolution that needs to be given specific attention: the somewhat artificial distinction between what is called "microevolution" and "macroevolution", two terms often used by creationists in their attempts to critique evolution and evolutionary theory. You'll often see creationists argue that microevolution is true and happens but macroevolution is impossible. The truth is that the difference between
microevolution and macroevolution is only a question of degree, not of kind. There are no logical or biological barriers preventing microevolution from becoming macroevolution over the course of time.
This question isn't as simple as it sounds, but the short answer is yes, evolution is science. Evolution meets the criteria generally accepted by scientists as defining science, and the vast majority of scientists accept evolution as science. Evolutionary theory today stands firmly on a very large body of repeated, verifiable scientific evidence and scientific research. There is no difference in quality between the science behind evolution and the science behind plate tectonics, atomic theory, meteorology, or even the germ theory of disease. Attacks on the science of evolution are thus, by implication, attacks on the entire enterprise of modern science itself — and with some creationists, that's deliberate.
As if evolution and evolutionary theory were not already confusing enough, many creationists complicate matters further by promulgating the mistaken idea that evolution is the same as or includes
abiogenesis, which is the study of the origins of life. One common way this is done is to argue that evolution cannot explain how life began while creationism can and, therefore, creationism is superior to evolution. The truth is that evolutionary theory is only about how life has developed over time; as such, it assumes the presence of life without implying anything necessary about where life came from, how, or why. The science behind both are related, but they aren't identical fields of scientific inquiry.
Timeline of events surrounding evolutionary theory. Events include on this timeline include those related to the development of evolutionary theory and the controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution and creationism in schools.
