By CA - 12 January, 2014
The theory of evolution is the most widely accepted explanation of how life evolved. The theory states that
once there was a simple organism that started to multiply. From this organism
all life on Earth descended. As gene pools inside multiplied organisms were
constantly changing, organisms changed, and only good changes were preserved
because organisms with weaker genes struggled to survive, and further multiply.
During billions of years, innumerable numbers of good changed occurred,
resulting in today's complexity of life.
Charles Darwin shared this theory with the
scientific world which, over the course of years, updated the system of
evolution with most recent discoveries. A vast number of fossils were found. We
learned of methods in which genes shape behavior of organism to preserve
themselves. These biological findings point to the fascinating ability of genes
to survive and spread.
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| Charles Darwin |
However, biology has worked against the
theory as well. Darwin's revolutionary work „On the Origin of Species“
was published in 1859. In that time, most scientists were yet to accept the cell theory which
stated that the basic unit of organisms is the cell. G. H. Lewes, a
contemporary of Charles Darwin wrote:
"The simplest form of organic life is
not -- as commonly stated -- a cell, but a microscopic lump of jelly-like
substance, or protoplasm..."
Darwin's generation
knew very little of cell's complexity. Even today many scientists would agree
on the notion that the cell is still more complex than we are aware.
Having in mind what Darwin knew of biology, it was more convenient for his age than ours to ascribe spontaneity to the origin of the first living organism. As cell biology increases in depth, explaining the origin of first life form becomes a greater challenge. When you have an organism capable of
multiplying, the evolution is set in motion. A problem emerges in explaining
what happened before that. Abiogenesis is the branch of science dealing with this question. It stands as the base to the theory of evolution and it tries to show that life can originate from non-living matter. If we inspect the simplest organism on Earth, we can conclude that it is by far more complex than the most modern
high-tech designs. And evolution cannot take place until this first "high-tech design" comes into
existence. Regarding abiogenesis, there is no satisfactory scientific mechanism explaining how the first organism originated from non-living matter.
The theory of evolution has won over the scientific world. On the other hand, with
every new discovery related to complexity of life, the theory loses more ground in its joint with abiogenesis. With theists offering the element of divine
intervention, the predominantly atheistic science should respond.
