"So , I could certainly see , if variation was truly random that selection could theoretically pick from a pool of random variants . Unfortunately for evolutionists , the concept of randomness when it comes to new traits has never actually been proven . In fact , whenever animals experience an environmental shift , they have this bad habit of shifting right along with it , starting with an internal response from each creature who somehow `` senses `` this change . It 's hardly logical to call this random . But if each individual of a population experiences the same environmental cue , and each member simultaneously evolves the same traits epigenetically , not only will this speed up evolution exponentially , but it will also give each member the same traits at the same time -- which ultimately gives them the same basic fitness -- -- - which undermines natural selection , making mortality/breeding success mostly a lottery of circumstance , with a little sexual selection thrown in ."
"Well , yes , but this begs the question of whether , even assuming epigenetic inheritance is real , all individuals would experience the same epigenetic alterations . Now , I have no problem with the concept of epigenetic inheritance . But even if it were true it would n't do away with natural selection . Just as with basic genetic mutation , which is n't going to go away , one would expect some individuals to exhibit epigenetic alterations and others not to . This still means a population containing a range of variants that natural selection can act on , preserving some epigenetic alterations as opposed to others . Of course , if the claim is that epigenetic alterations are somehow directed by the environment , i.e . are teleological in origin , then the onus is on the advocates to demonstrate how this direction occurs . Until they do , there is no reason to suppose there is any direction at all ."
"if variation was truly random that selection could theoretically pick from a pool of random variants the concept of randomness when it comes to new traits has never actually been proven have this bad habit of shifting right along with it , making mortality/breeding success mostly a lottery of circumstance"
"Well , yes it would n't do away with natural selection one would expect some individuals to exhibit epigenetic alterations and others not to means a population containing a range of variants that natural selection can act the onus is on the advocates to demonstrate how this direction occurs"