Understanding Evolution for Teachers is a website run by the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) in Berkeley. Part of the website addresses a number of misconceptions about evolution and one of them is: Misconception: “Evolutionary theory is incomplete and is currently unable to give a total explanation of life”.
What I particularly like about their explanation is the "jigsaw puzzle analogy" that they use to illustrate the concept. Looking at the figure, you can immediately see the relevance—the fact that a few pieces are missing does not mean that we can't see the big picture.
There is no doubt about the general structure of evolutionary theory in spite of the fact that some pieces of the puzzle haven't been put in their proper place. There is no doubt about the fact that neither creationism nor any other explanation fits the scientific data.
I don't know who first came up with the jigsaw puzzle analogy. I first heard about it on talkorigins many years ago but I've forgotten who the author was. Please let me know if you remember. This figure needs to be widely disseminated because it makes an important point. I hope the University of California and the Understanding Evolution website won't object as long as we attribute it to them.
[Hat Tip: John Dennehy]
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