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The chicken or the egg causality dilemma is commonly stated as "which came first: the chicken or the egg?". The dilemma stems from the observation that all chickens hatch from eggs and all chicken eggs are laid by chickens. "Chicken-and-egg" is a metaphoric adjective describing situations where it is not clear which of two events should be considered the cause and which should be considered the effect.

Scientific resolution

Although the question is typically used metaphorically, literal answers have been formulated for whether the chicken or egg came first.

If the question refers to eggs in general, the egg came first, as the first egg-laying animals evolved millions of years prior to birds.

Explanation by Roy A. Sorensen (1992)

A simple explanation of why the egg came first was by Roy A. Sorensen in his one-page-article in 1992. He argued that although it is indeterminate which animal was the first chicken, the question of whether the chicken or the chicken egg came first has a determinate answer.

Since an animal does not evolve into another species during its lifetime, and since organisms can fail to breed true, so it is necessary for first chicken to develop from the first egg and it does not matter that we cannot point specific first chicken (first egg)

Evolutionary explanation

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If the question refers to chicken eggs specifically, the answer is still the egg, but the explanation is more complicated.

In 2006 question was discussed between David Papineau, John Brookfield.

An animal nearly identical to the modern chicken (i.e., a proto-chicken) laid a fertilized egg that had DNA identical to the modern chicken (due to mutations in the mother's ovum, the father's sperm, or the fertilised zygote). Put more simply by Neil deGrasse Tyson: "Which came first: the chicken or the egg? The egg – laid by a bird that was not a chicken." For Samuel Butler (and Richard Dawkins), "The chicken is only an egg's way of making another egg."

Linguistic problems

• "chicken" — 1. is not related to genome most of the time 2. does not refer to specific sequences (different sequences can be called "chicken")
• "chicken egg" — can be in two versions: 1. contains a chicken (used in short and long scenarios above) 2. an egg laid by chicken (trivial and "chicken" is always first in this case or "proto chicken egg");
• "chicken or egg" — is a typical false dilemma: option of mutants is omitted, option of multiple species (breeds, e.t.c) is omitted
• "egg" — assumes the egg referred to in the question is a fertilized one, but it can be unfertilized chicken egg; consumer eggs are almost never fertilized;

Biblical perspective

Christian theologians, however, insist that the chicken came first and often cite the book of Genesis as evidence. According to Genesis 1:21 NIV on the fifth day of creation:

... God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."

Philosophical perspective

Ancient philosophers were not aware of biological evolution. In works by François Fénelon it is attributed to Aristotle (384–322 BC) but without quote.

Question can be found in Moralia by Plutarch (c. 100 AD), volume 3 p. 242 (translator: William Watson Goodwin):

Soon after he proposed that perplexed question, that plague of the inquisitive, Which was first, the bird or the egg?

See also

• Evolutionary biology
• Sexual reproduction
• Common descent

References

1. Engber, Daniel (2013-03-20). "FYI: Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg?". Popular Science. 282 (3). Bonnier Corporation: 78. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
2. Roy A. Sorensen. 1992. The Egg came before the chicken. Oxford University Press.
3. Breyer, Melissa (2013-02-11). "Finally answered! Which came first, the chicken or the egg?". Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
4. Fabry, Merrill (2016-09-21). "Now You Know: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
5. Neil deGrasse Tyson (2013-01-28). "Just to settle it once and for all: Which came first the Chicken or the Egg? The Egg -- laid by a bird that was not a Chicken". Twitter. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
6. "Genesis 1:21 NIV - So God created the great creatures of - Bible Gateway". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
7. http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/1213#lf0062-03_label_480

• Paradoxes
• Chickens
• Eggs in culture
• Metaphors referring to birds