Atheists, this is for you. I'm quite confused.?

Question

Now I'm not saying that ALL atheists believe this but quite a few do.

This is the theory that blows me off so please explain.

If monkey's gradually evolved in to humans then why did only a certain amount evolve? Why are there still monkeys on Earth? Shouldn't they have evolved as well?

I do not mean to offend anyone if I do. So please explain in a not so sarcastic manner.

Answer 1

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Evolution

Answer 2

Yeah, you're thinking of evolution like it's some kind of ladder.  It's not, it's more like a tree.

I suggest you get hold of a book called "Evolution For Dummies".  It's very good indeed.  I have it, and I've been learning loads from it.  It explains the basics brilliantly.

Answer 3

We didn't evolve from monkeys.  Evolution does not tell us this.  Why not study the evidence for evolution instead.

Answer 4

I don't take offense, and I'm glad you're trying to educate yourself.  There is a very common misconception that humans evolved from monkeys or apes.  This is not what scientists have concluded from research.  We are related to monkeys and apes, i.e. our physiology is similar but not the same as theirs.  Scientists believe that both humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor but once differentiated, continued evolving in different ways.  That is why there are still monkeys, apes, etc existing with humans today.  Hope that helps.  I will post a link that explains a lot of evolutionary concepts.

Answer 5

Oh my. Thats all I have to say about that.  

Answer 6

the apes you see today are not the ones that were around a million years ago.

Answer 7

If you're going to ask questions like this, why not just do some basic research? We did not evolve from monkeys. We, and the other apes e.g. gorillas, orangutans etc evolved from the same ape-like ancestor into the different species of today OK?

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Answer 8

The short answer is no, because this isn't what actually how evolution works.  People who have taken the time to read about evolution and accept it (which includes Christians and people of many other religions, not just atheists) know otherwise.

>>So please explain in a not so sarcastic manner.

Please understand that when a question shows up at least twice a day for three years (as has this one), it's hard to maintain some courtesy.  On top of that, a lot of us have tried to patiently explain biology to people (and here in the religion section instead of the biology section) only to get blown off. So it's hard to NOT be sarcastic.  But I'll try my best.

Your question is like asking "If the USA was established by Europeans, then how come there are people who still live in Europe?  Shouldn't the UK have grown to become a second USA by now?"  Of course, you know this isn't the way countries are formed.  What happened is a colony of English people went over to North America and eventually founded the USA, while the island country of England continued separately and is now called part of the United Kingdom.

Likewise, modern monkeys did not "gradually evolve into humans".  Monkeys and humans share a common ancestor.  This ancestor was Australopithecus.  Some of this species migrated to one location, some of this species migrated to another location.  They deveolped separately from each other.  As more and more generations went by, the separate gene pools changed more and more, until finally the two populations were both different enough from the original.  

Like many people, you have an inaccurate view of what evolution is actually about and what it proposes.  You haven't taken the time to actually study the subject.  I suggest reading these essays:

http://talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-intro-to...

http://talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-misconce...

http://talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-god.html

Answer 9

We evolved from a common ancestor that we share with modern apes. Monkeys and apes are not the same.

Answer 10

We didn't come from monkeys. Monkeys simply came from the same common ancestor. Although I now don't need to answer your next question... (Why are there still monkeys on Earth).. I will anyways. Species don't need to evolve. If they are fit for their environment they never will evolve.

I have no belief in any religion because science proves creationism wrong. History shows a human need for god, and religion, and that religion comes from man.

Answer 11

Have you noticed the variety of humans?  How about the variety of dogs?  Variety of cats?

You see these species shared their ancestors (dogs with dogs, cats with cats, etc) at some point in the very distant past.  Some dogs are closer to wolves which are closer to the older versions of the dog, while others are well more like toys.  The same goes for cats.  And humans show similar lines of evolution.

It has to do with selection.  A group of early humans develop a taste for a specific environment and a specific appearance.  They live according to the desired environment and breed according to the desired appearances.  This creates lines of ancestry that have specific traits.  Not all humans share the same desires and therefore their adaptation and evolution is marked by the influences of their environments and breeding habits.   That is how it works for all breeding creatures and is the reason for differentiation between species.

Answer 12

You are a monkey's cousin, not a monkeys descendent.

Please read about evolution before asking questions - it is a really really difficult concept to grasp unless you have done some research.

The key to remember is that things dont need a person to motivate them in order for them to happen.  

Answer 13

Oh dear.

Answer 14

Drink!  

Answer 15

ok we didn't evolve form monkeys we came from a common ancestor but anyway, americans came from europeans but there are still europeans.

Answer 16

I don't know if we evolved from monkey's but the possibility is simple

Geographic location and the moving of the continents animals moved all over the big continent when it split different climates where created thus different animals evolved into different forms.  This is actually proven by different species that have evolved differently in different countries.

Answer 17

what i don't get, and others simply don't answer is... why are there not any more closer relatives of humans.  i know we are homo sapiens, but what about the others, if monkeys are close to us, why don't we have anything closer to us?

Answer 18

No, not all of them would have evolved.  Only the primatesthat we came from.  It was a series of geographical changes.  The forests our ancestor species lived in turned into prairie land.  So, now instead of swinging from trees, they are walking on the ground.  Standing upright let them see over the grass better for predators.  Then a change in diet, eating meat is better than plants because they didn't have to spend all their time looking for food.  That also allowed less body bass in the gut so now they could run faster.  Start discovering the world around them.  Walk taller, start using tools that their hands  allowed them too.  Also mutations to the jaw muscles, allowing the braincase to expand.  Bigger brains. The more they learned, the more the ywere able to learn.

Chimps do use tools, and they can communicate with sign language.  Some baboons wash their food in streams.

It was random chance that allowed us to evolve better and better.  Certain situational changes allowing us to improve, by survival of the fittest.  those that were unable to keep up, died.  So only the genetic best carried on their genes.  And those that were unable to keep up died off.  This is over the span of THOUSANDS of years.  You can see it within the human race by different cultures.  The attributes that the opposite s*x find attractive, people have.  Cultures where the women like broad shouldered strong men, that is what you get in the men.  Cultures where men like big butts on women, the women have big butts.  Cultures that like lankly skinny men, that is what the men look like.  Cultures that like petite women, you have petite women.

Answer 19

This is a common mistake that people make when thinking about human evolution.

A mistake that religions are all too keen on maintaining so as to distract people from the actual way the theory of evolution suggests we evolved.

We, man and monkeys, came from a common ancestor. A common species earlier down the line.

At no point have there ever been monkeys that were half-way to becoming human. From one common ape-like creature, two different species developed and went off in their seperate ways.

Answer 20

Evolution is not simply a function of time, it requires a balance of both environmental pressure (to spur change) and environmental support ( to allow survival during the change). Our common ancestor with apes had just the suitable kind of environment and the requisite response. Others that did not evolved differently.

Answer 21

Over several generations of breeding from our ancestors we eventually became homo sapien. Think of it as if though it were like a family tree that kept passing its genes to the next generation and the branches from this tree spead to form a varied amount of different species over time that adapted to its environment.  My answer is as basic as it gets but for a more in depth correlation to this you might want to look at Darwins study of finches on the Galapagos Islands.

Answer 22

This atheist does not believe humans evolved from monkeys. Gradually or otherwise.

Answer 23

Labradoodles evolved (so to speak) from poodles. If poodles gradually evolved in to labradoodles, then why did only a certain amount evolve? Why are there still poodles? Shouldn't they have evolved as well?

If you can wrap your ahead around how it is possible that the descendents of some poodles becamse labradoodles and other descendents did not, you are probably smart enough to answer your own question.

Answer 24

It is a common misconception about evolution that we evolved from monkeys.

Answer 25

Umm... because our breed was a split off from the original ape species that are our ancestors. It's like asking why ducks still exist along with Platypus.

Use of logic and modern scientific findings allowed me to critically judge all the information that is known to me, religion included. To answer your question as to a source of my atheism.

Answer 26

We didn't evolve from monkeys dear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_evolu...

Answer 27

Geological location. The same reason why those who live in the desert are more accommodated to the heat than those who live in the cold.

Answer 28

*Cheers*

"If monkey's gradually evolved in to humans then why did only a certain amount evolve? Why are there still monkeys on Earth? "

You're absolutely right. You're quite confused.

Answer 29

Monkeys are perfectly well adapted to their environment.

SOME monkeys developed mutations that made them better suited to live as humans.  But the other monkeys are still fine for being monkeys.

I'm using "monkeys" loosely here.  Should really say "primates."

Answer 30

The reason you don't understand stems from a fundamental misinterpretation of the mechanics of evolution.  I'll try to give a brief synopsis.

1)Offspring inherit genetic traits from their parents.

2)Traits that provide a benefit to survival or reproduction will propagate because organisms with those traits have an advantage over those not possessing those traits.

3)There is nothing in these mechanics that precludes different beneficial traits from being propagated among different members of the species.  Think of it as specialization.  One group may have characteristics that provide an advantage in certain areas (not necessarily physical) while a second has different traits that provide an advantage in other areas.

4)These two groups diverge and thrive in their ecological niche (evolution still continuing).  In their niche, the genetic traits evolved by apes have served them well enough to ensure their survival thus far.

5)Genetic inheritance continues and in the future (provided humans don't destroy them) it is possible that apes may develop to further resemble their human relatives if ecological pressure is conducive to the same types of genetic traits.