Reply #20: Devolution means a delegation of powers [View All]

The term Devolution, which normally means a delegation of powers, is sometimes erroneously used to refer to the evolution of a species into more "primitive" forms. Many lay people see evolution as "progress", reflecting the ideas of Lamarckism. However, scientists recognise that evolution by natural selection is directionless, and so "devolution" is still actually evolution.

Evolution and devolution
One of the most common misunderstandings of evolution is that one species can be "more highly evolved" than another, that evolution is necessarily progressive, or that its converse is "devolution". Evolution provides no assurance that later generations are more intelligent, complex, or morally worthy than earlier generations. The claim that evolution results in moral progress is not part of modern evolutionary theory - that claim is associated with Social Darwinism which held the subjugation of the poor and minority groups was favored by evolution.

In many cases evolution does involve "progression" towards more complexity, since the earliest lifeforms were clearly much simpler than many of the species existing today. In that sense, there clearly has been a gradual movement over time from simple organisms to complex - and in some cases intelligent - lifeforms. However, there is no guarantee that any particular organism existing today will become more intelligent, more complex, bigger, or stronger in the future. In fact, natural selection will only favor this kind of "progression" if it increases chance of survival. The same mechanism can actually favor lower intelligence, lower complexity, and so on if those traits become a selective advantage in the organism's environment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution#Evolution_and_devolution


So, evolution does explain Republicans! :)