Question

Based on what M. Benton (2008) wrote in Ch 8, which of the following statements would he disagree with?

a. If Oak trees could study the evolution of the diversity of life come up with a similar evolutionary tree as humans have, but draw it in such a way that their evolutionary lineage was at the top and center.
b. It is understandable that humans spend more time determining the evolutionary pathway of humans than of any other species.
c. The purpose of evolution was to produce Homo sapiens.
d. When our species has gone extinct other species will continue to evolve.

Answer 1

M. Benton would disagree with the statement that evolution's purpose was to produce Homo sapiens, as this contradicts the principles of evolution being guided by natural forces and not predetermined goals.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on what M. Benton (2008) wrote, the statement he would disagree with is 'c. The purpose of evolution was to produce Homo sapiens.' This is because the fundamental assumption in evolutionary biology is that natural forces, not predetermined goals, drive the development of life on Earth. The concept that evolution had the goal of producing humans goes against the basic principles of evolution, which are centered around the processes of natural selection, mutation, and speciation that lead to a diversity of life adapted to various environments over time. Not only does this view place humans at the pinnacle of evolution, which is a fallacy, but it does not take into account the evidence that 99.9% of all forms of life that have inhabited Earth are now extinct, indicating that extinction is a natural part of evolutionary history and not a process with a particular end goal like producing a single species.