Quote:
Originally Posted by X-Factor
Ok I see your point, but WHY did these things develop, HOW did they come about?
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Assigning
cause and purpose to the workings of the universe is the neverending philosophical conundrum of mankind
And that's where strict Darwinism can run into mental roadblocks for some folks (myself included on occasion), but his explanation is as follows:
The theory of evolution states that all adaptations in creatures are due to
mutations. Darwin doesn't assign a
why to his theory, only a
how, which is this system of mutations over time. Some mutations are favorable, and continue to pass on, and modify over generations and generations, eventually becoming a well-defined trait (and sets of traits). Now this isn't saying that one day a snake was born with some crazy mutation such as a perfect heat pit, and 'boom there you have it,' but rather a verrrrrrry long and gradual set of favorable mutations that leads you eventually over many thousands of years to a specialized structure such as a heat pit. It can be very difficult to wrap your mind around a system derived totally of mutations over time, but this is the foundation of the theory.
Philosophy and Darwinism don't always go hand-in-hand, but essentially his
why is basically survival, and his
how is by
changes over time that favor survival in the most effecient and reproductively viable way...
