?Please explain Evolution to me in simple terms

by Guest with Questions 125 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Guest with Questions
    Guest with Questions

    and please don’t give me links to read. I don’t want a complicated version; just a very simple explanation on the theory of Evolution, and if possible, in your own words. Many of us are very ignorant on this subject and it seems that a few here are very knowledgeable so I hope you can help me and others also.

    Also if you believe in the theory of common descent, could you explain that to me also?

  • Terry
    Terry

    Everthing there is has a smallest part.

    All those "smallest" parts are actually the same stuff: atoms.

    Plants, animals, minerals, gas, planets, frisbees, moon rocks; all are made of atoms.

    Think of atoms as letters in a large alphabet.

    The letters "P" "T" "S" and "O", can be like hydrogen, helium, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon atoms.

    The characteristic of atoms (the nature of atoms) is to attract and repell depending on what parts of them are arranged randomly a certain way.

    Think of it as tossing SCRABBLE tiles with "P" "T" "S" and "O" first this way and then, that way over and over again.

    You can get these possibilities:

    1.PTSO

    2.PSOT

    3.PTOS

    4.POST

    5.OPST

    6.OPTS

    7.OSTP

    8.OTPS

    9.SPOT

    10.STOP

    11.SOTP

    12.SPTO

    13.TOPS

    14.TOSP

    15.TSOP

    16.TPOS

    etc. etc.

    You'll notice that 5 of the above turn out to be "something" rather than random nothings.

    Why? Only because it was possible. No miracles; just possibilities.

    That is the simplest explanation for why "something" rather than mere chaotic "nothing" is the predictable result of constant combinations of atoms (or letters).

    The more letters you have (the more atoms you have) the more possible combinations are possible.

    Some become "something" and many/most become not much at all.

    IF YOU CAN COMPREHEND THAT you can begin to comprehend what evolution is all about. But, that is the most important starting point.

  • nicolaou
    nicolaou

    The basic theory of evolution is simple. It has three main parts:

    It is possible for the DNA of an organism to occasionally change, or mutate. A mutation changes the DNA of an organism in a way that affects its offspring, either immediately or several generations down the line.

    The change brought about by a mutation is either beneficial, harmful or neutral. If the change is harmful, then it is unlikely that the offspring will survive to reproduce, so the mutation dies out and goes nowhere. If the change is beneficial, then it is likely that the offspring will do better than other offspring and so will reproduce more. Through reproduction, the beneficial mutation spreads. The process of culling bad mutations and spreading good mutations is called natural selection.

    As mutations occur and spread over very, very long periods of time, they cause new species to form. Over the course of many millions of years, the processes of mutation and natural selection have created every species of life that we see in the world today, from the simplest bacteria to humans and everything in between.

    Nic'

  • Twitch
    Twitch

    Things grow. They change. They make new things. They die. The new things grow and try to do better. And so on.

    Everything is connected, in constant motion, interactions cause excitement but underneath it all is the tendency to slow down, nothing is ever lost, it just changes.

    blah, blah, blah.

    I'm hungry,.....

  • Legolas
    Legolas

    Listen........Watch "What The Bleep Do We Know" and read "The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness" by Carl Johan Calleman.....Then you will be in the 'Mystery'...not in the 'now'!...You'll see what I mean!

  • Warlock
    Warlock

    Simply put, evolution is a myth.

    Men wrote the Bible, and men wrote all the books explaining evolution. Those who wrote about evolution are as loony as those who wrote about a creator.

    Warlock

  • RAF
    RAF

    Evolution is a normal process what is still a myth/theory (not a proof) is to state that we are the product of what at the begining was a fish

    When it had to be a cell which evolved (whatever time it took) created/assisted or not by a super being (but what kind of supa being for sure ?) The myth/theory continu in saying that the fish at end became a monkey why not a swin (since we have more in common genetically with it) to finally become a human being ...

    It's all about that ... and since they chose the monkey (just because it looks more like us instead of the swin which have more in common genetically) it looks like since there is no real answer it's easier even for a scientist to clame that the monkey is our ancestor.

    Why not ? but not a proof ... why ? because no link founded when we should have found them already (and those mentionned not compatible genetically) So ...

  • Leolaia
    Leolaia

    Easiest way to explain it is to compare biological evolution with what happens in language. Everyone implicitly knows that languages change and that languages like French, Spanish, and Italian are "related" by descent, evolving from Latin originally. Also, if you look at language in closer detail, you would see that language has a range of variation in structure that is not much different in principle from genetic variation and that innovations arise in language in similar ways to mutations in biology (linguists usually say that a change that occurs over a span of time can be glimpsed at any moment in its progress as variation in the language). Innovations then spread out in a population of speakers (within isoglosses), and the social context favors certain linguistic forms over others (such as what is considered "correct" or "good" English) which is parallel to selection in evolution. When intelligibility is no longer possible between different populations descended from a single original speech community, the two groups are often considered speakers of separate languages.

  • DeusMauzzim
    DeusMauzzim

    Ok let's go for the 'simplest explanation award' You should understand without the links but they are there for further reading.

    Think of evolution as a system with twoparts:

    • The system itself is the gene pool of a species (this is really just all the inheritable characteristics of a species put together, like blue eyes, black eyes, immunity for this or that etc.) (more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_pool)
    • Part one is the motor: these are the mutations that occur in the gene pool: these cause different characteristics to appear (like purple eyes, or six fingers for example). Mutations are responsible for the variety in the gene pool
    • Part two is the regulator: this is natural selection: individuals with harmful or inconvenient characteristics (like very bad sight, or black hair in a region with snow) have a greater chance of being killed by predators. In this way, these harmful characteristics disappear from the gene pool. Individuals with good characteristics (like good sight, or white hair in a region with snow) have a better chance to escape. They live long enough to reproduce, and give their characteristics to their offspring. In this way good characteristics spread in the gene pool, while bad characteristics disappear. Natural selection is just the environment selecting for or against characteristics.

    If two groups of the same species become isolated (for example, on two different islands), then you will have two systems, that is two gene pools, each with their own mutations and natural selection. In this way, the groups become so different until eventually they can not reproduce with each other. Then you will have two different species. Repeat this process for 3,5 billion years and you have all the variety of life on earth.

    Hope this helps!

    Regards,

    Deus Mauzzim

  • quietlyleaving
    quietlyleaving

    good topic, guest - I like the simple explanations so far, they do make sense.

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