Portal:Evolution/Intro

The theory of evolution is an explanation for the existence of life on Earth through random, natural processes. More formally known as the General Theory of Evolution, it was defined by the evolutionist Gerald A. 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. It is the idea that particles increased in complexity to form the building blocks of life, then the first cell formed, which ultimately gave rise to people, all without any need for an intelligent Designer. This is the concept that evolutionists really promote and creationists oppose. It encompasses chemical evolution, the origin of life, biological evolution, and the common descent of all life on Earth. The concept dates back to the ancient Greeks, and was repopularized in modern times by naturalists such as Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin who provided the biological aspect with a mechanism (natural selection). Much of its theoretic development was based on philosophical materialism (matter is the only reality), and it either implicitly or explicitly denies the existence of God (atheism). As a worldview, it serves as the antithesis of religious creationism, and is supported evangelically today by what is known as scientific naturalism.