Q&A: Evolution
Evolution
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Regarding evolution:
The whole idea of evolution is that evolutionary processes took place by chance and randomness.
1. If so, how can one say that the Torah fits with the idea of evolution?
One could say that God supervised and caused all the evolutionary processes to happen, but then it is no longer evolution (because evolution claims that these are random and unplanned processes).
2. More generally (not a question of faith but a question in science) — does the Rabbi agree with the idea of evolution?
After all, how can one claim that such major changes really occurred solely as a result of mutation, which in most cases actually works to the organism’s detriment?
Beyond that, let’s take for example the claim about animals that gradually became birds by their legs turning into wings. Even if that is true, and there was a mutation that gradually began causing the leg to turn into a wing, still, until the leg became a wing, the mutation would not have been an advantage but a disadvantage to the organism, which in the meantime had a crooked leg (supposedly on the way to becoming a wing). In that case it should not have reproduced as one with an advantage but as one with a disadvantage, and so it should have gone extinct.
Answer
Let me begin by saying that you are asking fundamental questions that have been discussed to exhaustion in the field of evolution. If this really interests you, I suggest reading some material on the subject. In almost anything you read, these questions will be addressed.
- See my book God Plays Dice, and an article here on the site: https://mikyab.net/%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D/%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%98-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%98%D7%AA%D7%99-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%A1%D7%99-%D7%90%D7%91%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94/
- I tend to agree with it (I have confidence in the scientific method). But I am not an expert in this field. What survives is the improved mutations — those with better survivability. So even if most are indeed in a worse state, that majority dies out. What remains and gets passed on genetically is mainly what improved.
- Your last question has also been discussed extensively, and it is not necessarily correct. There are many intermediate states and many pathways (probably infinitely many pathways) between state A and state B, and evolution will “choose” a pathway such that each of the intermediate states (or almost each one) has some survival value (or at least is good enough and short enough in time not to go extinct).