Macroevolution

From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

Unclean animals, such as the canines, existed as only a single species following the global flood. Most organisms on Earth have speciated numerous times (shown as branches), and now exists as many genera (shown as boxes) with several species.

Macroevolution in general terms means large genetic change, but the precise meaning varies depending on who is using the word, and some creationists recommend not using the term at all.

1 Common meaning
2 Creationist Perspectives
3 History and use
4 Related References
5 See Also

Common meaning

A common definition for macroevolution is, "the evolution of higher taxa". In other words, it is long-term evolution that results in the formation of new taxonomic groups. The process of evolution, given enough time, will eventually lead to the development of groups above the species level (i.e new genera). Macroevolution is distinguished from microevolution, which is the lesser quantity of change that occurs within a population.

Macroevolution describes a complex evolutionary history, which includes many speciation events and extinctions. For example, macroevolution is used when describing the theoretical evolution of all arthropods from some ancient ancestral species. In contrast to this position, the creationists believe that there are many baramin or created kinds within the Phylum Arthropoda.

Evolutionists use macroevolution to propose an evolutionary relationship between organisms that are vastly different, and in fact claim that the process is responsible for the common descent of all organisms on Earth. In other words, the fairy tale of a frog turning into a prince is reality (albeit stretched over a long period of time). Furthermore, they rely upon a non-catastrophic interpretation of the fossil record as their only real evidence for macroevolution. Evolutionists remain unable to provide any empirical evidence that a new plant or animal species has ever originated as a result of the gradual accumulation of DNA through natural selection, producing new types of beneficial structures or functions which are totally lacking in the ancestral species.

Creationist Perspectives

There are at least three perspectives regarding the use of the term within the creation community.

Macroevolution Never Happened

It is frequently claimed by creationists that microevolution happens, but macroevolution does not. The quantity of evolution creationists agree with is frequently called "variation within a kind", which is believed to be synonymous with the term microevolution. The claims of evolutionists that all life on earth has descended from a single ancestral cell is frequently equated with the term macroevolution further adding to this view.

Macroevolution Describes the Kind History

Some argue that based on the common meaning of the word macroevolution, this term more accurately describes the history of each Biblical kind. Macroevolution in this context describes the entire evolutionary history of each created kind, which includes speciation and adaption after the Fall, the extinctions caused by Noah's flood, and then further diversification over the last few thousand years.

Most creationists agree that the created kinds are most closely synonymous with the Family level of the taxonomic hierarchy. It is also readily accepted that only a single species, from some kinds, was spared from the flood. Each species from the ark has evolved since the flood into a great many distinct genera, each with many new species. It is said that this history is best described as macroevolution.

With such a complex history in mind, it may indeed be more accurate for creationists to state that all organisms have undergone macroevolution since the creation. It is also highly arguable that evolutionists would describe the evolutionary history of a created kind as macroevolution.

Avoid Using These Terms

While either use of microevolution or macroevolution by creationists might be true for some specific examples, as a general rule, the use of these terms should be done with care. Many creationists caution against using either term on the grounds that they detract from the real issue, the gain or loss of information, and are misleading in talking about the size of the change instead of the direction of the change.

History and use

According to Talk.Origins, the terms macroevolution and microevolution were first used by evolutionary Russian entomologist Iurii Filipchenko in a German-language book in 1927, and were introduced to English-speaking biological community in 1937 by Filipchenko's former student Theodosius Dobzhansky. They have continued to be used by evolutionists, although many evolutionists argue that there is no real difference between the two terms. However, the terms appear to be used much more by creationists than evolutionists, probably leading to the false belief held by many evolutionists that creationists invented the term.