3 ms·
> assuming from the very start that all human species ancestors are some kind of ape No one makes that assumption. We know from copious hard evidence that hum
by mkl 7y ago
> assuming from the very start that all human species ancestors are some kind of ape
No one makes that assumption. We know from copious hard evidence that humans and modern apes are closely related, and from more limited hard evidence that there were other animals with features similar to both humans and apes long ago. More recent human ancestors were not apes (they were more human-like), and way distant past ancestors were not apes (they were before even prehistoric apes existed), and none of our ancestors were modern apes (which have evolved into their modern forms since our last common ancestors with them, and those common ancestors were not apes as we know them today). Some human ancestors were prehistoric ape-like animals.
Teaching well-established scientific knowledge in schools is essential, and about as far from criminal as it's possible to get. Your "all human species ancestors are some kind of ape" is not well-established scientific knowledge, but your faulty assumption of how you imagine others' knowledge to work.
You seem to be starting with the assumption that evolution isn't real (based on a primary school reaction?!), rather than deriving the knowledge that it is real from the evidence. (Yes, I have actually done this. I had a summer job deriving evolutionary relationships directly from genetic data. It's not difficult, and the connections between species just pop out of the DNA sequences with a bit of maths.) Evolution wasn't just made up, it was figured out from the evidence, just like gravity, electricity, chemistry, etc. Like all scientific fields, our knowledge of it is not complete (and never will be).
- siempreb 7y ago> Teaching well-established scientific knowledge in schools is essential Well established? It's simply not proven, period. You should only teach kids what you are 100% sure about, and when you're not than you have to honestly say that it's an assumption. Otherwise it is not teaching but conditioning. > Evolution wasn't just made up, it was figured out from the evidence, just like gravity, electricity, chemistry, etc. Gravity, electricity, etc.. are things you can prove, not the evolution of an ape into a human. I have no clue why so many people desire to believe that our ancestors were apes, I think it's rather pathetic, and most likely due to conditioning.
- the_af 7y ago> Well established? It's simply not proven, period. You should only teach kids what you are 100% sure about Forget teaching science at all, then. That's not how scientific knowledge works. Evolution is not "proven". No empirical science theories are ever "proven". But evolution as a theory is pretty much as good as it gets. Yes, some details get reworked from time to time, but the fundamentals are our best bet. > Gravity, electricity, etc.. are things you can prove No. How do you "prove" gravity or electricity? > not the evolution of an ape into a human Other people have told you multiple times no-one believes apes evolved into humans, so please stop arguing against this strawman. Modern apes and humans share a common ancestor which was neither ape nor human, and the evidence for this is pretty strong.
- siempreb 7y ago> Other people have told you multiple times no-one believes apes evolved into humans You're kidding me? That's what I see with most ape -> human believers, they are 100% sure about things they assume or cannot know. Typical example, thx for that.
- the_af 7y agoMe: > Other people have told you multiple times no-one believes apes evolved into humans, so please stop arguing against this strawman You: > That's what I see with most ape -> human believers Do you see the problem in this exchange?
- michaelmrose 7y agoGravity is a great example. Newtons and Einstein's models for gravity are now known to be incorrect. There exists no correct,complete, and complete model of how gravity works. We still teach what we DO know about gravity especially newtons much simpler but incomplete model.
- lyxsus1 7y ago> I have no clue why so many people desire to believe that our ancestors were apes Technically, we are apes, you and me. Hominids, Great apes. The degree of certainty we have about that and about core concepts of evolution is such that there's simply no room left for an honest discussion. If we look for places to explore alternative ideas, there're: sci-fi, comics and religion.