Final Draft
While many say that God created all living things for a specific purpose on the earth, the
theory of evolution has been considered a fact since 160 years ago when Charles Darwin
presented the theory of evolution, and ever since it has been considered a controversial
subject. Natural selection is the biggest contribution to our evolution into human beings as
shown by the proof and examples of evolution through animals.
So what exactly is evolution then? Evolution is the theory that a species will change over
multiple generations to better fit the environment and climate they live in. To this day we
are still evolving and growing as a society and people whether that be physically, mentally,
or even emotionally. To survive in a constantly turning and changing world, you must turn
and change with it. We are born to adapt to our environment. This world is survival of the
fittest. The theory of evolution can be a very difficult and tricky thing with so many
assumptions as to how our species came to be. Natural selection is the biggest reason we
evolved from chimpanzees to intelligent humans that make 100 story skyscrapers. Natural
selection is the idea that animals will adapt and change to their environment to reproduce
and survive. Humans are probably the best example of how natural selection works. We
evolved from monkeys that could only communicate by screaming and beating on their
chest to complex individuals. In the wild, it is shown that more attractive and smarter
monkeys would reproduce with each other instead of weak and dumb monkeys. This is
shown by a certain species called the rat snake, this species has three different variations of
itself all with different hunting methods due to its environment. Countless more animals
show variations of themselves due to the climate and environment that they live in. Natural
selection has shown to be very difficult to understand because it happens over many
generations of animals but it is the sole reason why humans are complex individuals, not
monkeys climbing trees.
Evolution has been one of the most controversial topics since almost 160 years ago when
Charles Darwin unveiled his theory of evolution. On one side you have hardcore Christians that
believe everything has an intended purpose that God put them on the earth for. On the other
hand, you have the majority of the population at least believing in the theory of evolution. “1/5th
of Americans today still don’t believe in evolution with over half of grown adults in America
believing in evolution”.(Masci PAR 1) Evolution is widely accepted by most scientists except for
a select few. Now evolution can be a scary topic for some to understand but with it being so
widely accepted by the majority of Americans and scientists I wanted to understand their
reasoning behind it. To my understanding for most people that do believe in evolution fall into
five categories “The causes of non-acceptance of evolution are groupable into five categories:
inadequate understanding of the empirical evidence and the content of the modern evolutionary
theory, inadequate understanding of the nature of science, religion, various psychological factors,
and political and social factors”.(Allmon PAR 1) There are many factors in what makes
somebodies core beliefs and I don’t expect or want to change anybody but just share my
knowledge of evolution and why others might have a different viewpoint than myself.
Animals also show signs of evolution just as much as humans. Another example of
evolution is the convergence of form between two animals that share the same environment. The
arctic fox shares the same genetic trait as a ptarmigan’s plumage which is over time they became
all white. This is because it will greatly impact their chance of survival by blending in with the
snow. It’s not that it was more advantageous for mating or any other reason that the white arctic
fox’s survived longer than other colored foxes. Humans are also a great example of how
evolution works. For example, we still have a tailbone without a tail. Humans used to have tails
for balancing but as we learned to walk on two feet it wasn’t necessary anymore so it fused with
the vertebrae and is called the coccyx. As stated earlier in the essay but humans show very close
similarities to our primal apes, monkies use rocks to smash things apart so they can eat them. We
all know lots of animals build nests and homes but chimpanzees are the only animals to build
structures. Lots of these tools and ideas are very similar to ancient fossil records some of the first
humans ever made. For example, influential writer Franklin Foer for the Atlantic stated “We've
been merging with tools since the beginning of human evolution, and arguably, that's one of the
things that makes us human beings”.
Evolution is a scary concept for some to understand. Their whole life they believed in
god and things that god makes every living being for a designated purpose. This might feel like
God doesn't care as much about your life as you thought. In the bible it states “Then God said,
“Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea,
the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that
scurry along the ground.”(Genesis 1:26) This is the main argument for most Christians that don’t
believe in evolution. There are lots of different types of Christians and what they believe in terms
of evolution. I’ve talked with a lot of my Christian friends and asked them how they felt about
the subject. Most of them answered that they believe in evolution but God helped the evolution
from the chimpanzees. I understand that evolution is a scary concept for some but how can you
ignore all the scientific evidence and most scientists agree evolution is correct except a select
few.
Overall people will believe in whatever they want which is their right, but to my
understanding and belief, evolution is true and real. Evolution has been proven to be a fact
through the scientific evidence and genetic traits animals have shown through adapting to their
environment by natural selection. Evolution is the explanation for our differences, the
explanation for our survival for millions of years, and will continue to be a source of research
and growth amongst our continuously growing world that adapts to its surroundings and its
understandings.
Works Cited
BioLogos. “What Is the Evidence for Evolution? - Common-Questions.” BioLogos,
BioLogos, 14 Jan. 2019,
biologos.org/common-questions/what-is-the-evidence-for-evolution.
February 6, 2019, and David Masci. “The History of the Evolution Debate in the United
States.” Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project, 6 Feb. 2019,
www.pewforum.org/essay/darwin-in-america/.
"Franklin Foer Quotes." BrainyQuote.com. BrainyMedia Inc, 2021. 19 September 2021.
“Genesis 1:26.” Genesis 1:26 Then God Said, "Let Us Make Man in Our Image, after Our
Likeness, to Rule over the Fish of the Sea and the Birds of the Air, over the Livestock, and
over All the Earth Itself and Every Creature That Crawls upon It.",
biblehub.com/genesis/1-26.htm.
Libretexts. “8.1A: Evidence of Evolution.” Biology LibreTexts, Libretexts, 3 Jan. 2021,
bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Microbiology/Book%3A_Microbiology_(Boundless)/8%3A
_Microbial_Evolution_Phylogeny_and_Diversity/8.01%3A_Origins_of_Life/8.1A%3A_E
vidence_of_Evolution.
Marshall, Michael. “Chimp Nest Architecture Has Lasting Foundations.” New Scientist, 20
July 2011,
www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128224-100-chimp-nest-architecture-has-lasting-found
ations/.
Martinón-Torres, María. “The Past, Present and Future of Human Evolution.” Nature
News, Nature Publishing Group, 14 Feb. 2018,
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-01807-7.
Staff, Live Science. “5 Useless Body Parts.” LiveScience, Purch, 11 July 2012,
www.livescience.com/21513-vestigial-organs.html#:~:text=The%20Tailbone%3A%20Gra
ndpa%20didn't,vertebrae%20we%20call%20a%20coccyx.
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