Expert: LEBoyd - 4/3/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a question regarding evolution.  I win a chatroom at the carm website, and I had a very interesting discussion with a man who was an atheist.  I brought up the fact that the second law of thermodynamics teaches that everything is headed  toward ceasation.  He said that didn't apply to earth.  Also, I asked him why evolution stopped with the human race.  He said it slowed down due to survival of the fittest.  He also said there is actually evolution happening now.  How do you refute those arguments?

ANSWER: Jamie,

First, I've found it difficult to show the errors of evolution to a stout believing atheist.

However, with that said, Newton's second law is a great argument.  Interestingly, I've never heard that "it doesn't apply to earth."  My question would be first, "then how did Newton discovery it?"  And my second question would be "why doesn't it apply?"

The slowing of evolution is also against the rules of survival of the fittest.  Many animals are "endangered" or protected because they apparently aren't evolving fast enough.  Likewise, if survival of the fittest is correct, then we should not care whether some of these little critters die off or not.

How does he know evolution is still occurring?  If evolution takes so long - eons and eons - then man has not been around long enough (even at a few millions years) to be able to record it.

Ask him if he has ever really read Darwin's Survival of the Species.  Ask him if he has ever read "Rare Earth" (written by atheists that believe in evolution, yet don't believe it's possible that there is another planet like earth.)  Once he reads both of those, then ask him why he wants to believe there is no creator.

Hope this helps.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for answering my question.  He said the second law only appies to open systems, and he said earth is a closed system.  I think I have that right.  I have one more question.  When I go online to educate myself on evolution and the laws of thermodynamics, it pretty much goes over my head.  Do you have any recommendations on some websites that are easier to understand?  Once again, thanks.
Jamie

Answer
Jamie,

I don't know of any specific websites to recommend.

The "closed system" argument is a common one for atheist.  What they said is that matter cannot pass to or from the "closed system", but that energy can.  Therefore, matter cannot increase or decrease on earth, but energy (e.g., from the sun) can.

The argument against this is Einstein's famous equation E=MC2.  This says that energy (E) is equal to mass/matter (M) times speed of light (C) squared.  That means that energy is equal to matter.

They then say "Well, that's only at the speed of light squared."

To which I say, "Okay, so it's must be moving quickly but it doesn't change the fact that E=MC2.  Energy is equal to matter."

Hope this helps.