Quote:
|
Originally Posted by 9th Engineer
If you tell an intelligent student that evolution occurs over extremely long stretches of time, then say that it is caused by discrete events such as genetic isolation from others of the same species combined with environmental changes it's only natural that the student will want to know exactly how an event which is a few tens of years in duration can provide genetic pressure for the millions of years we were told was needed that is great enough for specification but not so great that it kills off the animals(*deep breath*).
|
Who says that genetic isolation or environmental changes only last a few decades? And you don't need any particularly "great" pressure for speciation, just the separation. Both groups are then under their own normal pressures, and there is no pressure to keep them in synch if they aren't interbreeding, so they diverge.
Yes, it would have been nice if he could have explained that, but it's a question that is worded in a way that might trip up someone without a good grasp of the material, and as you say:
Quote:
|
Now, the guy wasn't the brightest bulb in the lamp (I haven't run into alot of highschool science teachers that could explain past the textbook) and he probably only used the textbook for reference, but if you want me to learn something then at least let me point out where I need some more info.
|
Nothing else in the textbook has organizations arming students with tricky questions to stump the teacher. My guess is you would have found him just as "dogmatic" with any other chapter if subjected to the same level of questioning.