Letter: Evolution theory based on facts, not on faith

Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 | 9:09 a.m.

Ken Lucas' attack on evolution in response to my recent letter contains some of the weakest of creationist arguments.

His contention that evolution is only a "theory" shows a lack of basic scientific knowledge. As used in the sciences, a theory is more than just a guess.

Any science book, or even a good dictionary, will show that a scientific theory is a set of general or abstract principles based on a body of fact with considerable evidence in support of the principles, as in "theory of light," "atomic theory" and "theory of relativity."

As for the fossil record being an embarrassment to students of evolution, that is absolute nonsense. In my decades of study and reading on evolution, I have never heard of anyone being embarrassed by the fossil record.

The most common reaction to the fossil record is fascination. Gaps in the fossil record are not problems; they are to be expected, since fossilization is an uncommon occurrence in nature.

Charles Darwin's doubts about evolution of complex organs such as eyes were due to a lack of knowledge on the topic in the 1800s. We now know not only that eyes did evolve, but that eyes have evolved in the animal kingdom numerous times.

Evolution is not a matter of faith. It is based on solid evidence. It continues to occur, as has been seen even in our lifetime with the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Intelligent design is a matter of faith, as there is absolutely no evidence supporting it.

WALLACE J. HENKELMAN