roli said:
Tell me, do you believe that evolution occurs by chance or intended purpose?
I don't think by intended purpose.
Chance is perhaps better word for it....BUT not quite.
I think a better word is ability to ADAPT (or adjust) to the environment they are in.
I will give a couple of different examples, and that are different to Painted Wolf's post.
Elephants can live in either semi-arid deserts or in tropic jungles, but could not hope to survive during the Ice Ages. Mammoths, on the other hand, can survive better in such colder weathers, because of their woolly hairs. Hence the mammoths have adapted to the cooler changes. They are extinct due to either their natural predators or hunted down to extinction by man.
Man (Homo sapiens) and their primitive counterparts have gone through the same things. During the Middle and Upper Paleolithic periods, the Ice Ages, required man and their counterparts, like the Neanderthal man to hunt and gather food. They are to seek new range to hunt, hence they moved like nomads. The Neanderthal died out in Europe long before the end of the Ice Age, possibly around 30,000 BP (Before Present).
Anyway, when the Ice Age ended in the northern regions of Europe and Asia, man had to adapt to changing environment. The people in the north, who continued to live in colder regions, would still hunt, fish, and gather food. But further down in more warmer and temperate regions, Man have to adjust. He can settle down, and grown his own food, in a mixture of agriculture and animal domestication. They learned when to plant their crops, depending on the seasons, and workout when they receive the best average rainfall. This is the Neolithic period that began around 10,000 BP. They did other things to store food, so pottery was invented. They lived longer than the hunters in the past. The hunters haven't disappeared, but the farmers made better living and learn new skills and technology.
Eventually, around 5000 BP (or 3000 BCE), grouped together in larger group, and villages became town, and towns became city. Example of this, is the ancient Egyptian city of Buto; originally there were 2 separate predynastic towns of Pe and Dep. This urban living coincided with the discovering of metallurgy, ushering the Bronze Age. People living in the city even longer than those living in Neolithic settlements.
People with pale skin adapt better in colder weather, but get sunburn quite easily in desert. People with darker skin, were able to live better in arid environment and under the harsh sun.
Have you ever notice that people living in the north, are generally taller than those, living further south, towards the equator? I have noticed that it is true that Chinese living north of the Yangtze River are generally taller than those living in the south. Could it be the genes? Environments? Or because of different diets? I don't know myself. I am from the south, but I am fairly tall. About 5 generations ago, on my father's side, my ancestors did live originally in the north, but moved south near Hong Kong. My grandfather was the tallest man in his village, at 6'2''. You may not think that tall, but when you considered that most of my relatives on my mother's side, they were around her height, averaging to about 4'1" to 5'2".
Anyway, there's more to evolution than just chance; I certainly don't believe in intended purpose. Intended purpose, seemed to imply a God or designer. It depends on the living condition and environment, as well as biological adjustment to suit these conditions. I believed that any intention are of inherent nature rather than divine interferences or intervention.
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