Posted by Chris on April 26, 1998 at 10:57:02:
In Reply to: Just show me posted by Walker on April 25, 1998 at 23:09:24:
: I don't know what you're getting at. If someone want to convince me of something, I want evidence and proof.
: In my way of thinking (which could certainly be flawed) evolution has the evidence but not the proof.
: Scientific proof requires a repeatable, verifiable, universal, predictable experiment. Newton's laws have
: this, evolution doesn't. Supernatural things like ESP don't even have evidence to back them.
Science doesn't do proof--that's mathematics. Science only deals with evidence and experimentation to reach its conclusions. You are asking for more than science can offer--even Newton's Laws (which definitely aren't universal, by the way).
: We probably do share a common ancestor with chimps. Can you provide an experiment to demonstrate it? I know I'm
: asking for a lot. But I would really like to end the creationist/evolution debate. Such an experiment
: would go a long way toward accomplishing my goal.
If you think the creation/evolution debate is a scientific one, then you are giving the creationists more credit than they deserve. It is their claim that evolution has not been "proven," whatever that means, but why then do 99.99% of all practicing biologists accept it as a fact? Your scepticism is a good thing, and people have been wrong before, but maybe you should look a little more at what scientists have to say about it before you decide that evolution is a claim akin to ESP. rpcman has recommended a number of good books on his other pages--read a couple of them. Also, be sure and check ou this site:
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution-fact.html
I think it puts your questions into the proper perspective.