Divine Selection: Unveiling the Truth Behind Dawkins' Guppy Theory
Published: 26 March 2024
Dawkins Playing Bait-and-Switch with Guppy Selection
In Richard Dawkins' book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, he presents what he claims to be proof of evolution. However, his argument suffers from the logical fallacy of equivocation or "bait-and-switch." Dawkins switches the meaning of the word "evolution" midway through his argument, leading to confusion and misrepresentation.
Dawkins defines evolution as "a systematic increase or decrease in the frequency with which we see a particular gene in a gene pool." This definition is something that creationists do not deny. In fact, it aligns with the biblical Creation/Fall/Flood/Dispersion model, which explains how creatures adapt to their environment through natural selection.
Dawkins devotes a significant portion of his book to proving that natural selection is a fact. However, creationists have long acknowledged the concept of natural selection, even before Darwin. It is an integral part of the biblical worldview. Dawkins compares natural selection to a sculptor removing clay, shaping organisms. But these changes are in the opposite direction required to turn bacteria into biologists, which is the true point of contention.
Similarly, creationists have no issue with sexual selection—the selection of characteristics preferred by the opposite sex in mate choice. This can have a significant impact on the survival and reproduction of species. However, sexual selection fails to account for certain phenomena, such as the peacock's extravagant tail, which Darwin sought to explain with his theory. Furthermore, it hindered the discovery of an important function for the giant toucan beak—temperature regulation.
Dawkins presents evidence for both natural selection and sexual selection but wrongly assumes that this somehow proves particles-to-people evolution or disproves biblical creation. While these processes are observable and real, they do not demonstrate the creation of entirely new features or organisms.
Guppies
One example Dawkins uses to support his argument is the study of guppies conducted by his colleague, Dr. John Endler. Dr. Endler examined various populations of guppies in mountain streams in Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela. He observed that brightly colored males seemed to impress females, indicating sexual selection. However, these brightly colored males were also more visible to predators, which would naturally select against them.
Endler noticed that the "drab" guppies in these streams had spots that blended with the pebbles at the bottoms. To test the role of sexual selection, he conducted experiments in ponds with different types of gravel. When guppies were allowed to breed freely, the number of spots increased, indicating the influence of sexual selection.
After six months, some ponds were made predator-free, while others had weak or strong predators introduced. In ponds with weak or no predation, the number of spots continued to rise due to sexual selection. However, in ponds with strong predators, the number of spots decreased significantly. Males with more spots were easier for predators to spot and devour, so only those with fewer spots survived.
Dr. Endler also discovered that gravel size played a role in spot size. Both strong and weak predators promoted larger spots in pools with coarse gravel, while finer gravel resulted in smaller spots. In predator-free ponds, the opposite occurred: fine gravel promoted larger spots and coarse gravel promoted smaller ones.
Why This Matters
The study on guppies provides valuable insights into natural and sexual selection. It demonstrates how both factors can influence the survival and reproduction of organisms. However, it does not provide evidence for particles-to-people evolution or disprove biblical creation.
Think About It
Consider how natural and sexual selection can impact the traits and characteristics of organisms. How does this fit into your understanding of creation and adaptation within a biblical framework?
