Evolution

So this is my long awaited evolution post. Alright, its not really long awaited. But Nitin just reminded me about it a few days ago and since he was interested, I thought, why not.

We were studying Evolution in Biology a few weeks ago and my teacher was explaining the different theories and evidence there is that could give us a possible answer about how we have managed evolve into the people we are today. My snarky self couldn't resist from finishing his sentence, "...and even with all this evidence, there's a whole bunch of people who actually very firmly deeply believe that we've been been dropped down on the earth just as we are now from the glorious heavens above." Well obviously after this it was his duty as a teacher to tell me not to be disrespectful and dismissive towards the beliefs of other people. Ah, but I being the terrible rebel as I am found myself with the need to justify my statement to him and explain my argument (We're just a class of 4 people, nobody really cares about Biology much!)

*begin rant*

I'm not what people call a narrow minded person. I like to think of myself as follower of liberal thought. If somebody has a set of beliefs, I don't think it is my right to dismiss them, but I would like to think it is my right to question them at least. Where evolution is concerned, I admit that there are a lot of theories that are trying different means to understand how life first began on the earth, how human beings came into being.

If you tell me we exist due to the theory of panspermia, I can understand it. Its got its evidence agreeing with it and even more evidence rejecting it and therefore it is something I can consider. If you tell me we're all come from clay or tell me about the RNA world hypothesis, I'm fine with it. There is a scientific thought process that has gone behind the RNA world hypothesis that may or may not be true. Again, I don't mind accepting it. If you tell me that before Darwinian evolution there was another kind of evolution involving intermingling of genetic lineages and crossing over of genetic material between different species, once again I can accept it. But if you're telling me there are people who want to ignore all this evidence, ignore people who have given up their entire lives trying to find this evidence and these theories and just choose to believe that someone up there one day decided to play the toy maker and pop us all down because He felt like it, I refuse to agree with it.

The fundamental problem I have with Intelligent Design or Creationism is not the whole argument about the existence of a God, but the argument of faith. People believe in Intelligent Design because its the easy way out. But when other people are trying to explain it using different scientific, rational and empirical methods, all they do is just plainly dismiss these theories on their argument of faith, which does not have any logic or sense whatsoever. But ah, faith is not supposed to make sense, is it?

My blatant dismissal for Intelligent Design has got nothing to do with my belief or disbelief in God. God, according to me does not enter the pictures anywhere. If people say that they don't know who or what set The Big Bang into motion or what happened before it and attribute it to God, its an acceptable and even understandable thought process. If they say that it was God who created the first life forms on earth, whatever they maybe because we as human beings do not know or have this ability to know the purpose of our lives or creation, again its something I can understand and even accept. These are ideas I can't dismiss because we, as human beings don't know anything about them. So I, an insignificant human being don't have the right to hold an opinion about matters that are beyond my perception. I am well prepared to accept the fact that it could have been a supernatural force beyond our perception who we like to call God, who could have created everything.

We always like to atributte the incomprehendible (is this a word?) mysteries to God and that is something I can well understand because we human beings are curious people. We like to know how things work. When we don't have a possible explaination towards how something works, we need someone who we can attribute creation to and that is why the need of having a God like figure to worship is perfectly understandable.

Its not a classic I'm right and you're wrong situation, but more of a I'm not sure whether I'm right, but I think you may be wrong, but if you think you're right and give me resonable explaination about your views, I'll believe you. But if people refuse to even consider the possibility there all the collected evidence may be pointing towards the fact that Mr. Adam and Ms. Eve were fictional, I shall dismiss them. Maybe I sound like one of these people who refuses to see other points of view but in my warped up mind, my logic makes sense. Next thing people are going to find me doing is converting into flying spagetti monsterism because that's what I believe in and you see, my faith deep enough for me to discard whatever anyone else says.

*end rant*

On a more hypocritical and a lighter note, I'm really glad that someone did create fictional Mr. Adam and Ms. Eve because without them almost half of contemporary and classical fiction would not have existed. I don't think I could have lived in a world without Paradise Lost. I happen to care much more about literature than biology.

PS: Sorry for the wikipedia links, I know they're not the most reliable and unbiased of sources, but I really couldn't be bothered to search for information websites and I also happen to love wikipedia.

PPS: I also apologise for ranting but you can't say that I did not warn anyone.