Here is an argument I have drafted using the existance of wisdom teeth as evidence for evolution. While I could have used almost any other vestigial structure I chose wisdom teeth because most people are familiar with them. This argument is intended for a debate against creationists, which is not whom many of you are.
So if there are any suggestions or additions I would appreciate them. Here it is:
85% of Americans have their wisdom teeth removed, which means that chances are all of you know exactly what they are. But as a brief recap, they are four teeth that make up the third molars in our mouths. These teeth commonly cause pain and trouble later on in life by causing cysts, impacts, and damage to the gums and nerves. Thus, they are removed by dental surgeons in order to prevent any of these problems from occurring.
So if evolution is all about selecting individuals that survive better than the rest than why would evolution select a third molar which serves no practical purpose but rather causes pain and dental trouble later on in life? Well you see, evolution works on the scale of tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of years. It can take millions of years before there is enough change in a group of organisms to warrant a new species. Homo Sapiens are around 200,000 years old. Which considering we are some of the youngest species of animals yet by far the most successful in such a short period of time is extraordinary. Which means that the teeth are left over from when we were not a different species but rather a member of another species.
This is supported by what we know of our oldest ancestors, the Neanderthals
Now, if you look closely you can see the two molars on the human skull. (They are the first two teeth from the left, they look wider than the other teeth). This is why wisdom teeth are a problem, our teeth already have to be spaced closely together as well as being more compact, there is simply not enough room for another set of molars and that is why they cause a problem. If you see the Neanderthal you can identify the third set of molars which we call 'wisdom teeth' (the first teeth from the right on the Neanderthal skull). Observe how they fit quite well inside the jaw, it is still a somewhat tight fit but you can see that they are not impacting into the molars next to them but are growing straight in the way that they should. This is why we have wisdom teeth, evolution has changed our skulls and bodies in a significant way from the Neanderthals which sported a more robust anatomy. But evolution has not completely changed the third molar. Why do I say 'completely'? Because we can actually see how in certain parts of the world the third molar is frequently absent from the population yet in others it is common. We are actually IN the process of losing our wisdom teeth through evolution. The agenesis (the failure of an organ or body part to grow during development) of wisdom teeth ranges from nearly 0% for Tasmanians all the way to nearly 100% in indigenous Mexicans.
But what if we are wrong, and G-d gave us the wisdom teeth? Why exactly? According to theologians of the Christian faith the world was created in 4004 BCE. Around 1000 years prior to the Bronze age. The average life expectancy of the Neolithic age (predating the Bronze age) was around 25 years of age, the average life expectancy of the Bronze age was around 35 years of age. Wisdom teeth only develop fully around 17-25 years of age. Assuming no impaction the wisdom teeth will be finished growing at around the age of 25. Now, one of the reasons why we live a lot longer in the modern era rather than Neolithic times is because of medicine and a significantly better understanding of how our body works. Now G-d never created humans with this understanding, according to the bible mankind never became intelligent until after Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge. This means that according to the bible G-d never intended a human being to live beyond an average of 25 years of age. Wisdom teeth only become fully useful if they are completely and correctly grown (which is why some people never have to get them removed) which takes 25-26 years time. If G-d never intended us to live beyond 25 years of age because he did forbid us from eating from the tree of knowledge than by the time wisdom teeth would be finished growing, on average we would already be dead. Why would G-d ever give us wisdom teeth if they do not actually serve any sort of purpose because we would be dead before they could become useful? If G-d is a logical and orderly being as the bible describes him to be than why in the world would he give us something that at best is completely useless as well as taking up space, but at worst a source of severe pain and infection? When man ate of the tree of knowledge AGAINST G-d's will we gained the ability to seek and crave knowledge. According to the bible this is the basis for why we have risen above the other species and why we are so much more intelligent. And as part of that intelligence we gain a greater understanding of the human body which leads to modern medicine. And that greater understanding is why on average a human being in modern times will live almost 3 times the lifespan that G-d originally wanted us to live. According to the bible G-d never wanted us to live on average greater than 25 years, but why would he give us wisdom teeth if they can only become useful to us at the age of 25? He wouldn't, it is illogical and thus, it means that we could not have been created according to intelligent design because the fact that we have such a flaw and such a useful vestigial structure is an error, and we all know how according to the bible, G-d does not make errors.
The existence of wisdom teeth and the variation in abiogenesis throughout the world gives a clear testament to the existence of evolution and it shows how evolution takes great periods of time to make such subtle changes as the removal of four teeth.
So if there are any suggestions or additions I would appreciate them. Here it is:
85% of Americans have their wisdom teeth removed, which means that chances are all of you know exactly what they are. But as a brief recap, they are four teeth that make up the third molars in our mouths. These teeth commonly cause pain and trouble later on in life by causing cysts, impacts, and damage to the gums and nerves. Thus, they are removed by dental surgeons in order to prevent any of these problems from occurring.
So if evolution is all about selecting individuals that survive better than the rest than why would evolution select a third molar which serves no practical purpose but rather causes pain and dental trouble later on in life? Well you see, evolution works on the scale of tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of years. It can take millions of years before there is enough change in a group of organisms to warrant a new species. Homo Sapiens are around 200,000 years old. Which considering we are some of the youngest species of animals yet by far the most successful in such a short period of time is extraordinary. Which means that the teeth are left over from when we were not a different species but rather a member of another species.
This is supported by what we know of our oldest ancestors, the Neanderthals
Now, if you look closely you can see the two molars on the human skull. (They are the first two teeth from the left, they look wider than the other teeth). This is why wisdom teeth are a problem, our teeth already have to be spaced closely together as well as being more compact, there is simply not enough room for another set of molars and that is why they cause a problem. If you see the Neanderthal you can identify the third set of molars which we call 'wisdom teeth' (the first teeth from the right on the Neanderthal skull). Observe how they fit quite well inside the jaw, it is still a somewhat tight fit but you can see that they are not impacting into the molars next to them but are growing straight in the way that they should. This is why we have wisdom teeth, evolution has changed our skulls and bodies in a significant way from the Neanderthals which sported a more robust anatomy. But evolution has not completely changed the third molar. Why do I say 'completely'? Because we can actually see how in certain parts of the world the third molar is frequently absent from the population yet in others it is common. We are actually IN the process of losing our wisdom teeth through evolution. The agenesis (the failure of an organ or body part to grow during development) of wisdom teeth ranges from nearly 0% for Tasmanians all the way to nearly 100% in indigenous Mexicans.
But what if we are wrong, and G-d gave us the wisdom teeth? Why exactly? According to theologians of the Christian faith the world was created in 4004 BCE. Around 1000 years prior to the Bronze age. The average life expectancy of the Neolithic age (predating the Bronze age) was around 25 years of age, the average life expectancy of the Bronze age was around 35 years of age. Wisdom teeth only develop fully around 17-25 years of age. Assuming no impaction the wisdom teeth will be finished growing at around the age of 25. Now, one of the reasons why we live a lot longer in the modern era rather than Neolithic times is because of medicine and a significantly better understanding of how our body works. Now G-d never created humans with this understanding, according to the bible mankind never became intelligent until after Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge. This means that according to the bible G-d never intended a human being to live beyond an average of 25 years of age. Wisdom teeth only become fully useful if they are completely and correctly grown (which is why some people never have to get them removed) which takes 25-26 years time. If G-d never intended us to live beyond 25 years of age because he did forbid us from eating from the tree of knowledge than by the time wisdom teeth would be finished growing, on average we would already be dead. Why would G-d ever give us wisdom teeth if they do not actually serve any sort of purpose because we would be dead before they could become useful? If G-d is a logical and orderly being as the bible describes him to be than why in the world would he give us something that at best is completely useless as well as taking up space, but at worst a source of severe pain and infection? When man ate of the tree of knowledge AGAINST G-d's will we gained the ability to seek and crave knowledge. According to the bible this is the basis for why we have risen above the other species and why we are so much more intelligent. And as part of that intelligence we gain a greater understanding of the human body which leads to modern medicine. And that greater understanding is why on average a human being in modern times will live almost 3 times the lifespan that G-d originally wanted us to live. According to the bible G-d never wanted us to live on average greater than 25 years, but why would he give us wisdom teeth if they can only become useful to us at the age of 25? He wouldn't, it is illogical and thus, it means that we could not have been created according to intelligent design because the fact that we have such a flaw and such a useful vestigial structure is an error, and we all know how according to the bible, G-d does not make errors.
The existence of wisdom teeth and the variation in abiogenesis throughout the world gives a clear testament to the existence of evolution and it shows how evolution takes great periods of time to make such subtle changes as the removal of four teeth.