In the early 20th century, Darwin’s theory of evolution and Gregor Mendel’s heredity ideas were combined into a joint mathematical framework. Julian Huxley wrote a book in 1942 titled “Evolution: The Modern Synthesis.” The Modern Synthesis of evolution combines the concept of Darwinian evolution with Mendelian genetics into a unified Neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory. It describes genetic changes in the population that lead to new species formation. It also represents the Mendelian population, gene pool, and gene frequency. The theory includes genetic variations, reproductive and geographical isolation, and natural selection. Organisms that are better adapted to the environment are selected by nature. Mendel’s theory added the genetic mechanism of trait inheritance to Darwin’s body of work.
Modern synthesis (20th century). (2022, October 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_synthesis_(20th_century)
Detractors of the neo-Darwinian theory believe:
1. The teaching of evolution degrades values, undermines morals, and fosters irreligion or atheism.
2. The two theories were cobbled together and modified by many folks over time. It is a Rube Goldberg Hodge-podge.
3. After WW2, Social Darwinism and eugenic theories had fallen out of favor in the United States and much of Europe.
4. Natural selection does not explain the evolution of terrestrial animals from aquatic forms. It does not explain the effect of the use and disuse of organs and the presence of vestigial organs.
5. Darwin did not know about genetics or the principles of inheritance. Also, his theory doesn’t explain the origin of variations in plants and animals.
6. Darwin’s theory is based on variations, struggle, natural selection, and differential reproduction. Minute variations, which do not confer any significant advantage to the organism, are useless and will not affect the evolutionary process.
7. Darwin had it wrong. His theory has been disproven by science. Science is living in denial of that fact. Science has taken an ideological stance. Scientists hold onto Darwinian ideas with religious fervor, even when such statements aren’t supported by observational science. They adhere to the religion of naturalism which is atheism.
8. Darwin’s theory, “The Origin of the Species,” does not explain the origin of the species. It also doesn’t explain how the information and the code systems in DNA came into being.
9. Random chance and mutations creating a new life form are impossible.
10. Junk DNA sequences are not useless junk, after all. The change from one species into another is the most fundamental problem of evolution. They exaggerate the evidence for selection and speciation to make it seem like they could accomplish what Darwinism requires. Platitudes, perfunctory statements, and spurious conclusions justify the religious beliefs of these atheists.
11. The significant features of the fossil record are an embarrassment to Darwinian evolution. The early development in vertebrate embryos is more consistent with separate origins than with common ancestry. The non-coding DNA is fully functional, contrary to neo-Darwinian predictions. Natural selection can accomplish nothing more than artificial selection and minor changes within existing species.
12. If the standard criteria of empirical science judged Darwinism, Darwinism would be deemed false. Neo-Darwinism persists despite the evidence against it. Darwinists manipulate the evidence and mix it with theology to recycle a wrong theory that should have been discarded long ago.
