I do believe we've already addressed this one, but I'll go on:
Sources:
"The SCIENTIFIC METHOD requires that an hypothesis be ruled out or modified if its predictions are clearly and repeatedly incompatible with experimental tests. Further, no matter how elegant A THEORY is,
ITS PREDICTIONS MUST AGREE WITH EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS if we are to believe that it is a valid description of nature. In physics, as in every experimental science, "experiment is supreme" and
EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION of hypothetical PREDICTIONS is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. {Emphasis Mine}
http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_l ... ndixe.html
I notice you didn't emphasise "In
physics, as in every
experimental science".
It is, of course, a source for teachers to use when teaching physics labs. In fact, Rochester University (the source of that [strike]article[/strike] teaching handout) offers a degree incorporating evolutionary biology - in the biological
sciences.
Furthermore:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_experiment wrote:
A natural experiment is an empirical study in which individuals (or clusters of individuals) exposed to the experimental and control conditions are determined by nature or by other factors outside the control of the investigators, yet the process governing the exposures arguably resembles random assignment. Thus, natural experiments are observational studies and are not controlled in the traditional sense of a randomized experiment.
(as previously mentioned)
Ernst Mayr PhD Professor Emeritus, Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University...
"Darwin introduced historicity into science. Evolutionary biology, in contrast with physics and chemistry, is a historical science—the evolutionist attempts to explain events and processes that have already taken place. LAWS AND EXPERIMENTS ARE INAPPROPRIATE TECHNIQUES FOR THE EXPLICATION OF SUCH EVENTS AND PROCESSES. Instead one constructs a historical narrative, consisting of a tentative reconstruction of the particular scenario that led to the events one is trying to explain." {Emphasis Mine}
Ernst Mayr, Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought; Scientific American, 24 November 2009
Any Questions?
"
Darwin introduced historicity into science."
"
Evolutionary biology, in contrast with physics and chemistry,
is a historical science"
"the evolutionist attempts to explain events and processes that have already taken place. Laws and experiments are inappropriate techniques for the explication of such events and processes, Instead one constructs a historical narrative, consisting of a tentative reconstruction of the particular scenario that led to the events one is trying to explain."
My question is: Given that this has been addressed before (twice?) and that Mayr
explicitly calls evolutionary biology science, while discussing that the same techniques used in Chemistry and Physics aren't necessarily applicable to historical evolution*,
why are you still bring it up? Why did you bring it up in the first place, when it outright contradicts your position in the first sentence? How could it possibly be misconstrued as supporting the view that evolution isn't science?
(* coincidental link to previous quote - the previous quote describes the importance of experimentation in 'experimental sciences', not in all of science - though somewhat redundant given the context of the previous quote)
Are you seriously suggesting "Darwin introduced historicity into science. Evolutionary biology, in contrast with physics and chemistry, is a historical science" supports you in any way?
This says it all:
"...Darwin’s founding of a new branch of the philosophy of science, a philosophy of biology." {Emphasis Mine}
Ernst Mayr, Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought; Scientific American, 24 November 2009
We have ourselves a "Philosopher"!!
Is "Philosophy" Science ? Does it follow the Scientific Method?
It can be, by some accounts all of science would be a subset of philosophy (as would maths and logic). Then you have the people who call many things "a philosophy". Depends who you ask, but the person in question clearly thinks evolution is a science. That particular quote doesn't seem to me to be particularly literal regardless. Science is certainly an epistemology, and epistemology is quite a big deal in philosophy.
Or you could, you know, just explain why you think not having a controlled variable would somehow make testing impossible.
Well since Scientific Hypotheses
ARE THIS:
It's an
"If This" (Independent Variable)... "Then That" (Dependent Variable) type of scenario or "Not That" (Null's).
If you don't have: (Dependent/Independent/Control Variables) then it's not a Scientific Hypothesis.
What makes you think that? The sources you've given either think evolution has those or doesn't need those. The latter is explicitly supported by the previous quote, if anything you could interpret the latter to be a response to the former with the context of this discussion (a nice coincidence).
modern experiments on evolution
We've identified the problem, you don't know what evolution is:
Modern experiments on evolution:
Evolution of drug resistance
Evolution in controlled experiments (in microbiology)
Evolution by artificial selection (various)
Evolution is a process of the development of life through selection pressures, inheritance and random change.
From two of the Fathers of evolution theory...
‘General Theory of Evolution’, defined by the evolutionist Kerkut as ‘the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form.’
Kerkut, G.A., Implications of Evolution, Pergamon, Oxford, UK, p. 157, 1960.
You know, having published books that discuss evolution doesn't make you its father.
Regardless, first of all the author distinguishes between a "general" and a "specific" theory of evolution (already indicating he's not addressing it all), and second, the actual theory of evolution doesn't require anything of the sort. Evolution could occur in an infinite world on which life never begun (but just always existed), it could occur in life created by natural or supernatural means, and it could occur if there were multiple sources of life.
"Evolution comprises all the stages of the development of the universe: the cosmic, biological, and human or cultural developments. Attempts to restrict the concept of evolution to biology are gratuitous. Life is a product of the evolution of inorganic nature, and man is a product of the evolution of life."
Dobzhansky T.G. "Changing Man", Science, 27 January 1967, Vol. 155. No 3761. p 409
Outside of biology, we aren't discussing the theory of biology, it'd be equivocation to use the two alternately. "Man is a product of the evolution of life" is the closest that gets to discussing biological evolution.
Ergo....
Ergo nothing, neither quote remotely supports what you've said, both make more reference to abiogenesis (the origin of life) than evolutionary biology.
Using the "Scientific Method", can you explain these..
1. Functional DNA/RNA/Proteins NEVER spontaneously form "naturally", outside already existing cells, from Sugars, Bases, Phosphates, and Aminos, respectively.
It's Physically and Chemically IMPOSSIBLE.
That's just the Hardware!
This doesn't stop evolution being a science; this doesn't stop evolution occurring; if you want to discuss hypotheses relating to early life, we can do that when we aren't discussing the truth of or scientific nature of (the study of) evolution - which isn't relevant. Even if life couldn't begin naturally, evolution could still occur.
To refute, Please show a Functional 30 mer- RNA or Protein (most are 250 AA or larger) that formed spontaneously "Outside" a Cell/Living Organism, CITE SOURCE! The smallest "Functional" DNA (Genome) is a little over 100,000 Nucleotides... so that ain't happenin
Fortunately I don't need to do anything of the sort. This is an argument from ignorance, this is a false dichotomy (implied by 'to refute'), this is false equivocation (as to what evolution is).
2. How Did Stupid Atoms CREATE Their Own Software....?
I'm not even sure what this is supposed to mean.
Just because somebody puts the word "Historical" before "Science" doesn't make it "Science". It makes it an Equivocation (Fallacy) especially if the Antecedent is the Antithesis of "It".
1) That's not an equivocation fallacy, that's an oxymoron - and there's no reason to think historical science is oxymoronic (see 2)
2) Assuming historicity is antithetical to science is begging the question
3) Please stop giving quotes that oppose your own position, and then suggesting they're evidence for your position. Especially when you're saying "[Evolution is science]" supports the idea that evolution isn't science.