Do you accept Neo-Darwinian Evolution?

Zombrex

This is sort of a companion piece to the poll on Christianity forum.

There is an assumption that most atheists would accept evolution as the most plausible explanation for the existence of complex life on Earth, but I thought it would be interesting to see if this actually holds.

I would be very interested in anyone who is an atheist or agnostic who doesn't accept evolution as currently understood by biology, for what ever reason (feel free to give that reason or not).

*Warning* If people do give reasons why they don't this isn't a "You're so stupid" thread. By all means discuss but no lynching or aggressive responses please. This is more of a fact finding thread than a proving evolution thread, I'm interested to see where atheists stand on this, not demonstrate to everyone who doesn't accept evolution that they should.

adamd164

No

I'd frankly be amazed to find an atheist who didn't accept evolution. Any atheist who doesn't accept evolution cannot subscribe to evidence-based reasoning, since evidence-based reasoning leads to acceptance of evolution.

Zombrex

No

adamd164 wrote: »

I'd frankly be amazed to find an atheist who didn't accept evolution. Any atheist who doesn't accept evolution cannot subscribe to evidence-based reasoning, since evidence-based reasoning leads to acceptance of evolution.

A bit too lynching or aggressive

Also subscribing to evidence based reasoning would require evidence first, so it would be best to listen to why an atheist rejected evolution before deciding that the reason goes against evidence-based reasoning. Such assumptions is in fact going against evidence based reasoning :pac:

Mena

No

I voted yes, but I would have considered myself an atheist before I actually knew what evolution was.

Zombrex

No

Thanks for the responses guys. Pretty over whelming in favour of evolution

Dades

No

Wicknight wrote: »

Pretty over whelming in favour of evolution

I'm all in favour of it. The sooner we can converse using only our minds - the better, afaic.

5uspect

No

Dades wrote: »

I'm all in favour of it. The sooner we can converse using only our minds - the better, afaic.

Until some twat evolves the ability to spam everyone...

Rb

No

It's good to see people admitting they don't know enough about it to say yes/no, as opposed to just selecting no based on said lack of knowledge (which is something we saw with the Lisbon Treaty last year).

condra

No

I also accept the theory of gravity, the result of the Ireland/France game, and paypal.

Daftendirekt

No

Yes.

I'd be quite surprised to come across an atheist who didn't.

Zillah

No

condra wrote: »

I also accept the result of the Ireland/France game

Truly proof that the irrelegious have no concept of justice.

Turtwig

No

I'd be more interested on a poll about if you were an atheist/agnostic before you learnt what evolution actually was?

Me : Yes.

ShooterSF

No

Rb wrote: »

It's good to see people admitting they don't know enough about it to say yes/no, as opposed to just selecting no based on said lack of knowledge (which is something we saw with the Lisbon Treaty last year).

Ability to change one's mind if God pops down and tells us otherwise as opposed to a treaty supported by all major parties and will never be, under any circumstance, offered to the public again for another vote (once it was voted for)....
Anywho, pretty off-topic. Evolution for me...

Rb

No

ShooterSF wrote: »

Ability to change one's mind if God pops down and tells us otherwise as opposed to a treaty supported by all major parties and will never be, under any circumstance, offered to the public again for another vote (once it was voted for)....
Anywho, pretty off-topic. Evolution for me...

Evolution is good.
The Lisbon Treaty is good.
Vote Yes

Daftendirekt

No

Rb wrote: »

Evolution is good.
The Lisbon Treaty is good.
Vote Yes

It's over and done with. Let's never speak of it again.


Shudder

sink

No

Yes, but I prefer the term 'modern evolutionary synthesis'!

Galvasean

No

For some reason the term 'Neo-Darwinian' conjurs up images of Nazi Germany in my head. Damn Creationists, they've ruined another perfectly good term of phrase! :mad:

ShooterSF

No

Galvasean wrote: »

For some reason the term 'Neo-Darwinian' conjurs up images of Nazi Germany in my head. Damn Creationists, they've ruined another perfectly good term of phrase! :mad:

That's where I got that from... Couldn't figure out why neo-Darwinian painted pictures of a bald Darwin

cavedave

No

Why not also ask if we believe the standard model? Why does evolution have the monopoly on being scientific theory for atheists? Granted evolution makes the first few pages of Genesis look a bit sill but so do many scientific theories.

Morbert

cavedave wrote: »

Why not also ask if we believe the standard model? Why does evolution have the monopoly on being scientific theory for atheists? Granted evolution makes the first few pages of Genesis look a bit sill but so do many scientific theories.

Evolution is the idea that explains all of life's diversity, and how great function and complexity can emerge without an intelligence guiding the development. It often plays a pivotal role in whether or not someone accepts atheism. The standard model doesn't really play such a role.

ChocolateSauce

I voted don't know because I didn't know what was meant by "neo"-Darwinian evolution. But isn't it just called "Darwinian" evolution?

Anyway, yes I totally accept evolution. I accept it as being more certain than the holocaust.

dlofnep

No

Yes, of course.

5uspect

No

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

I voted don't know because I didn't know what was meant by "neo"-Darwinian evolution. But isn't it just called "Darwinian" evolution?

Darwin didn't know about genes. Modern evolutionary theory is genecentric.

Dragan

No

Everything dies, some stuff is better at not dying, or breeding in great numbers before it does.

That about sums up evolution for me, so yeah, i can dig it.

robindch

No

Dragan wrote: »

Everything dies, some stuff is better at not dying, or breeding in great numbers before it does.

Three words:

Differential reproductive success.