Evolution- Your Inner Fish

Summary

The origin of life is an issue that has attracted debates for decades and has been the subject of arguments in different fields. Evolutionism and creationism have made an effort to answer this question by providing different perspectives about it. While creationism is largely influenced by religious beliefs and views, evolution is largely influenced by historical scientific evidence. Jerry Coyne seeks to demonstrate that evolution is true in its explanation of the origin of life in his book, Why Evolution is True. To prove that evolution is true, Coyne (2010) drives out common fears and misunderstandings regarding this theory. He provides clear scientific evidence and confirmation that supports evolution as the correct explanation of where life originated. Evolution is proven by natural selection and evidence from other disciplines/fields such as anatomy, genetics, geology, molecular biology, paleontology, physiology, comparative embryology, and biogeography.

At the heart of Coynes argument that evolution is true is the idea of natural selection and gradualism. With regards to natural selection, Coyne suggests that life origins from nature act since things develop randomly. Therefore, nature acts influence the formation of life and the development of the universe. With respect to gradualism, Coyne argues that things change over time. In essence, organisms undergo changes over time such as how birds become reptiles. However, some of Coynes ideas are disproven by existing evidence including the disregard for fossils that are inconsistent with evolution. The idea that things do not make sense biologically in light of evolution is shown to be false by the numerous biological achievements before the theory. However, regardless of these defects, Coyne satisfactorily proves that evolution is true.

My understanding and perceptions of evolution have changed this term, especially after reading the book Why Evolution Is True. Based on insights obtained from the course, I have learned that there is overwhelming scientific evidence that demonstrates the veracity of the theory of evolution. Existing scientific evidence on this concept is applicable to diverse fields in the areas of science and medicine. The applicability of ideas of evolutionary theory to other disciplines provides a broader basis for understanding the concept and its applicability. In addition, this proves that the concept of evolution is holistic in its explanation of the origin of mankind. Therefore, existing scientific evidence proves that evolution is the accurate answer to the question of the origin of humans.

Why Evolution is true

Evolution and creation are two topics that have generated numerous controversies among scholars in different fields and the general public. The controversies surrounding these topics occur from their contradictory or differing views on the origin of life. Debates on the origin of life have been made worse by the existence of theories providing believable explanations and evidence to demonstrate their points. It is similar to the story of creation; the evolution theory has reasonable evidence to support its claims regarding the origin of life. While these two different views have reasonable evidence to support their claims, there have been concerns about whether they provide sufficient scientific evidence. Scientific evidence is basically at the core of controversies surrounding the debate regarding evolutionism and creationism. This paper is a personal reflection on why I believe that evolution theory is true and provides sufficient scientific evidence on the origin of life.

Components of the Theory of Evolution

In his book, Why Evolution Is True, Jerry A. Coyne defines the theory of evolution by describing six components. Coyne (2010) attempts to address the issue of evolution by providing a detailed explanation of the theory based on its major components. He seeks to promote an understanding of the principles of evolution,...

…argue that creationism is wrong but focuses on scientific evidence to prove that evolution is true. Coynes book supports the claim that evolution is true using two major concepts i.e. natural selection and gradualism. He states that things including organisms develop as a result of nature acts.

With respect to gradualism, Coyne emphasizes that organisms go through changes over time such as how birds become reptiles. While some of Coynes arguments can be contested by scientific evidence and creationism, his claims are sufficient enough to demonstrate that evolution is true. Even though it is important to consider all fossil records and previous findings in biological sciences, Coyne proves that evolution is true.

Before undertaking this course and reading the book, I was not fully convinced that evolution is an accurate explanation of the origin of life. I believed that the concept of evolution was only one of the ways that explain how life originated and does not capture all aspects of this issue. However, this term has changed my understanding and perception of evolutionary theory and its explanations regarding the origin of life. I now believe that there is overwhelming scientific evidence to demonstrate the veracity of this theory. I have learned that the concept of evolution is applicable to many disciplines in the areas of sciences and medicine. The wide applicability of this concept further demonstrates its accuracy in addressing the question of the origin oflife. Therefore, studies on the origin of human life as well as human health and disease need to incorporate the ideas of evolution. This results in a better understanding of human development as well as the development of other species of animals and plants. Based on what I have learned this term, I can conclude that evolution is an accurate explanation of the origin of mankind…