evolutionary thinking 1

Question 1

What did Anaximander comment on?

Answer 1

• fossils and where they were found geographically
• commented that marine fossils were found high in the mountains.
• this observation tells us that the mountains were previously underwater, and the earth has changed

Question 2

What is the Theory of Forms?

Answer 2

• species don’t change and are brought into existence fully formed
• all variants we see are imperfections brought about during that creative process

Question 3

How did Aristotle explain marine fossils in mountains?

Answer 3

• instead of explaining that the earth had changed drastically, his explanation was that floods and storms pushed fossils into the mountains

Question 4

How did Linnaeus begin to question and think about species change?

Answer 4

• as a botanist, he began to artificially breed and mix different plants
• he saw that the hybrids were very different
• saw that through hybridization, species were not fixed

Question 5

who was one of the last few people who outwardly denied evolution?

Answer 5

Georges Cuvier

Question 6

how did the implications of a mechanistic worldview effect how Cuvier perceived evolution?

Answer 6

• Mechanistic worldview: viewing living beings similar to complicated machines. All parts work together and have a purpose
• any change in one part of an animal (like evolution) would cause system failure to all other parts
• Any small change will result in breakdown of the whole (best evidence that there is no evolution)

Question 7

who was the first person to demonstrate extinction?

Answer 7

George Cuvier

Question 8

how did Cuvier implicate that stratigraphy was biblical evidence?

Answer 8

• Cuvier saw that strata had abrupt boundaries.
• He assumed this meant history was filled with sudden change
• he tied this to religious events like Noah’s arc

Question 9

What was Cuvier best known for?

Answer 9

• Catastrophism (changes happen due to abrupt events or cataclysms)
• due to his, thought the Earth was young (~7,000 yrs old)

Question 10

What was Cuviers main evidence AGAINST evolution?

Answer 10

• Mummies!
• saw mummies of cats and other animals, and saw they were identical to modern cats today.
• because the earth is young, and these mummies are about as old as the earth, evolution does not occur.