Hay guys, after reading people misusing the world "devolve" a few times this week across the net, I decided to do my part in unraping (see what I did there?) the English language.
So, let gets this clear. Devolve is not the opposite of evolve.
When people misuse this word, they often think of it as a negative evolutionary change. Like, if humans got dumber, they would call it devolving. But this is very incorrect. Here is what devolve actually means:
1. To pass on or delegate to another: The senator devolved the duties of office upon a group of aides.
2. Archaic. To cause to roll onward or downward.
3. To be passed on or transferred to another: The burden of proof devolved upon the defendant. The estate devolved to an unlikely heir.
4. To degenerate or deteriorate gradually: After several hours the discussion had devolved into a shouting match.
5. Archaic. To roll onward or downward.
Now, as you see, devolve CAN be used to mean negative change. It can be used to "To degenerate or deteriorate gradually". But you have to understand that this has absolutely nothing to do with evolution or evolving. Let's look at why.
If I walk from my living room to my kitchen, I have "walked". If I was to go back, I haven't "unwalked" or "antiwalked". I have simply walked again, in the other direction.
Evolution is the same. Evolution, even in a direction that might not look very advantageous or positive, is still evolution. It is absolutely not called devolving or anything like that. A primate getting a bigger brain is evolution, and a primate getting a smaller brain is evolution. I guess you could use evolution in the same way you use the word change. You don't "dechange" things, you "change" back.
In fact, in terms of evolution, there is no absolute rules on what is better and not. You might think that becoming dumber is always a negative change, but, this does not need to be true. Perhaps a smaller brain means you don't have to eat so much (the brain does use quite a lot of energy), or perhaps it means your now smaller brain isn't as exposed to damage.
That is all. You may now resume your debating and discussion, hopefully with one less potential misuses of an important term. Thank you.
