I had no idea

[james_davis_nicoll]

As pointed out in email, JEP on evolution.

Comments

[erikagillian.livejournal.com]

I found that if you get them to name their objections, it's not evolution, ie descent with changes, that they object to but more natural selection can produce life as we know it.

(The particular Christian I'm trying to win over, and she will listen which seems to be unusual, has trouble with speciation and 'gaps in the fossil record.' I'm looking for good sources to convince her, starting from scratch, if anyone has ideas.)

It was also interesting to explain to them that 'life' does not, cannot, begin at conception. And the best they can come up with is a unique human life. Relying on DNA for the unique.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

Is this person good with math? Maybe point her to the mathematical theory of population genetics, with its estimates of how rapidly advantageous changes can sweep through a population (much faster than a geological time scale.) From there, it's more a matter of wondering why species stay the same, rather than wondering how it is they can change.