They've butchered the definition of what is generally known as "The theory of evolution", and missed off some important major uses of the word evolution as it applies to other sciences.Gman wrote: I tend to like this definition of evolution from creationwiki as a break down.
"The word evolution basically means "gradual change". In the broadest sense the word is all-pervasive; stars, galaxies, languages, attitudes, maturity and political systems all evolve through time.
Beyond this broad definition, the word evolution is used in a number of different ways, leading to a great deal of confusion. Three major uses of the word evolution include:
• Biological evolution: the observable scientific fact that the genetic characteristics of species change over time, as a result of recombination, mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift.
• Stellar evolution: the field of astronomy that describes the theoretic changes that stars are believed to undergo during their life cycle, including star formation. Since these changes are believed to occur over millions or even billions of years, astrophysicists theorize about how stars evolve by observing numerous stars, each at a different point in its life cycle, and simulating stellar structure with computer models.
• General theory of evolution: the speculation that all life originated naturalistically without any act of creation (abiogenesis). All life on the planet is related because it originated in a single cell or population of cells (common ancestry). All the biological complexity, adaptivity, and artistry on the planet is solely the result of random changes and natural selection over millions and billions of years.
The distinction between these two uses of the word "Evolution" is important, because creationism acknowledges that biological evolution is a true and scientific reality, but argues that the theory of evolution is a speculative farce, overwhelmingly discredited by the scientific evidence."
I'd add
- Cosmic evolution: The shift in the cosmos over time, including inflation, expansion, emergence of the first particles, & the ratios of matter:antimatter
- Chemical evolution: The various processes by which elements are built up and broken down, most evidently in stars
If you wanted to get abiogenesis in there as a use of the word evolution, then it might fit under something like "Organic evolution: the investigation of how organic materials (amino acids, proteins, nucleotides, etc) can arise and change, with a particular emphasis on materials that are able to replicate".
