Why is the theory of evolution often misrepresented as standing for big bang, formation of stars and the elements, abiogenesis and actual biological evolution? Where did that misconception come from?
by 
773491
ANSWERS: 5
-
Because the buzzword Evolution has become a shorthand for anything that contradicts the book of Genesis. If you are a believer in the Bible as literal truth, all of the things you mention are anathema, but Evolution and Darwin are the biggest target, and are taken to represent the rest. Others then pick up the lazy usage.
-
I have to agree with Alec on this. Evolution has become a catch all word for everything outside the bible teachings. People like quick short easy phrases to think by, like the lazy mans way to knowledge. They love to lump things into neat little categories.
-
big bang, formation of stars and the elements, abiogenesis, evolution.... it's a scientific garbage heap. . people should learn the terminology if they actually want to have an intelligent discussion on these subjects . those who don't aren't worth the trouble
-
I think Kent Hovind was the first to 'formalise' the approach that there are 7 parts to evolution. It is misrepresented quite deliberately to then shoot down that misrepresentation and say "see, evolution is wrong and that means the bible (not the Baghavad Gita or Book of Mormon or Taoist Teaching or Buddhist Teaching or Aboriginal Dreamtime or Qu'ran or Nordic, Babylonian, Egyptian or any one of a hundred thousand creation stories...) is right... Some people trust these fraudsters and repeat their nonsense, believing it to be truthful.
-
Ideas tend to travel in packs, like wild dogs. The idea of the Bible as literal truth hangs out with the ideas you've mentioned, as well as lots of other anti-science and anti-progress memes. Memes just do better surviving in sets than on their own -- they prop each other up to form a coherent world-view. Often these systems of ideas are fragile: if you debunk one of them, the whole structure starts to come apart. Adherents recognize this unconsciously, and counter the danger by aggressively defending all of them, thus fighting an 8, 9, or 10 front war simultaneously. Ironically, these ideas are perpetuated through a kind of natural selection: the ones which fit together best tend to survive. The irony is that the survival of the meme "evolution is wrong" actually validates the principle of natural selection, albeit in a non-biological context.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC