Explaining Evolution

[SkepticalScience]

Hello All. . .

Anyone have any real good links or thought experiments that could illustrate evolution for me?

I guess my mother in law told my wife last night over lunch that, "I didnt' come from a monkey. . .I don't believe in evolution"

I am probably gonna see her soon . . . and i know she will bring it up. . .

So i was wondering if anyone could give me something i could tell her.

Thanks!
SS

 

[Hexxenhammer]

Tell her she's right, she didn't come from a monkey. She came from a prehistoric ape. On a more serious note, the simplest explanation is the best. Evolution is simply "decent with modification". I don't know how anyone can dismiss those 3 simple words or deny them.

 

[geni]

There's always talkorigins.

Btw am I the only person who thinks this is in the wrong forum?

 

[Dancing David]

Given the fact that alot of the people who dismiss evolution do so from a religous perspective.... I would say thi sis the right forum.

But trying to convince people that evolution is a viable theory is very difficult. We can point to artificial selection as a stepping stone towrad natural selection. Saying something like "Well humans breed cattle and dogs for various traits, why not natural selection picking traits as well."

But the counter-evolution is getting better, they now say "well I believe that micro evolution is possible and demosnstrated , but you can't show that that leads to new species."

Which then gets into the debate about the line between species and how can you prove that one species can change into another.

Basicaly it is best to agree to disagrre, they won't discuss evolution and you won't discuss god.

 

[SkepticalScience]

Thanks guys. . .

Yea, I decided to post this in the religious forum, because most of the people that deny evolution are generally devoutly religious.

I was just hoping that someone here might have come across a similar debate with religious folk.

I am thinking of coming up with a document list of sorts:

1. Do you believe that parents exist both in the animal and human kingdom? (Yes, go to 2. No, explain why)
2. Do you believe that parents pass along traits to their offspring? (Yes goto 3. No, explain why)
3. Do you believe that some of the children would be more adapted to their enviorment than others? (Yes goto 4. No, explain why)
4. Do you think that the children more adapted to the enviornment will produce more children than the ones not as adaptable? (Yes goto 5. No, explain why)

etc. . . . .


I think that might be a good method. . .

I'll share the list after i am done if anyone wants