The Other Side of Evolution: Its Effects and Fallacy — John Shaqi
The Other Side of Evolution: Its Effects and FallacyPatterson, Alexander
Religion
The Other Side of Evolution: Its Effects and Fallacy
Patterson, Alexander
Bible and science; Evolution
The distribution of plants and animals is another favorite argument
of this theory. Certain animals are said to be found only in certain
regions, the bison only in North America, the kangaroo only in
Australia, the armadillo only in Mexico. Evolution triumphantly
asks, Were they created only in these places? We now simply remark
that difficulties as to Creation do not prove Evolution. Evolution
says the ancestors of these came from other parts ages ago and by
long isolation and environment became what they are.
Facts again are against the theory. Huxley himself says that in the
neighborhood of Oxford are animal remains like those of Australia;
that Britain was once connected with the continent, and so these
animals passed over. The same is true he says of the isolated fauna
of New Zealand and South America. (Address in _Daily Post_, March
27, 1871.)
This argument might be used against Evolution as well as the
previous arguments. Two islands in the Pacific, only fifteen miles
apart, have the animals of Asia in one and of Australia in the
other. One of the Bermudas has lizards like those of Africa and
another like those of America. In fact it is evident that animals
and plants have scattered widely.
THE MORPHOLOGICAL ARGUMENT.
The comparative study of plants and animals presents another
argument for Evolution. It is found, for example, that there is a
similarity of plan in the fin of the fish, the wing of the bird,
the flipper of the whale, the leg of the animal and the arm of
the man. So also in a measure with all other corresponding parts.
This Evolution says, shows that all these animals are genetically
connected and all came from the same ancestors.
Huxley himself replies to this argument in these words, "No amount
of purely morphological evidence can suffice to prove that things
came into existence in one way rather than another." (_Study of
Zoology_, p. 86.) Another great scientist, Prof. Quatrefages,
professor of anthropology in the Museum of Natural Sciences, Paris,
writes on this as follows: "Without leaving domain of facts, and
only judging from what we know, we can say, that morphology itself
justifies the conclusion that one species has never produced another
by derivation." Prof. Conn admits, after going through the whole
subject with the latest facts, that unless some further explanation
can be found, homology does not prove descent. (_Evolution of
To-day_, p. 76.)
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