The Law of Evolution (verse, science, disease)

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by logician

And this is why string theory remains a theory and not a fact, because it is not yet testable in the real world. When theories become testable, and are verified by the tests, they they become factual.

It's a minor quibble, but a theory is a multi-factual beastie. It includes observed data (the fact) the explanation, the mechanism, the predictions and so on. The grammatical form of fact, theory and law perhaps lead us to suppose that they are interchangeable but to speak of a theory being a fact is not generally correct.

I have no idea of your scientific education, logician, and I don't want to seem condescending or pedantic. It might be that this is obvious to you but it might help give other people a clearer idea of the concepts involved.

[Sola'lor]

Originally Posted by andys

OK. Now that the term "theory" has been explained, I want to ask:
Do you Creationists and Intelligent Design advocates finally understand and acknowledge that the Theory of Evolution is as true as true can be?
Or do you have anything more to say?

I'll need to research the theory of evolution more. All I know about it is what I got from high school and the discovery channel.

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by Sola'lor

I'll need to research the theory of evolution more. All I know about it is what I got from high school and the discovery channel.

On your travels try The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. It's enjoyable.

[Sola'lor]

Originally Posted by Jaiket

On your travels try The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins. It's enjoyable.

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of wikipedia.

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by Sola'lor

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of wikipedia.

Ah, the trusty wiki. The entry for "Evolution" is packed with information. If you've any questions there is likely to be someone here on RF with answers.

[fantôme profane]

Originally Posted by Sola'lor

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of wikipedia.

If you are looking for a good website I would recommend this one: Understanding Evolution

And I would also like to second Jaiket’s book recommendation, The Blind Watchmaker is excellent, very informative and very readable.

[Inky]

Originally Posted by Jaiket

It's a minor quibble, but a theory is a multi-factual beastie. It includes observed data (the fact) the explanation, the mechanism, the predictions and so on. The grammatical form of fact, theory and law perhaps lead us to suppose that they are interchangeable but to speak of a theory being a fact is not generally correct.

Exactly. When speaking in terms of the scientific method, a fact is a direct observation, and a theory is an explanation of why some collection of facts have been observed. "This rock has a 2% concentration of zinc" is a fact. "Rocks sometimes contain zinc because of XYZ geological force" is a theory.

"In the most basic sense, a scientific fact is an objective and verifiable observation; in contrast with a hypothesis or theory, which is intended to explain or interpret facts." Paraphrased from Barry Gower's Scientific Method: A Historical and Philosophical Introduction, 1997.

[logician]

Originally Posted by Jaiket

It's a minor quibble, but a theory is a multi-factual beastie. It includes observed data (the fact) the explanation, the mechanism, the predictions and so on. The grammatical form of fact, theory and law perhaps lead us to suppose that they are interchangeable but to speak of a theory being a fact is not generally correct.

I have no idea of your scientific education, logician, and I don't want to seem condescending or pedantic. It might be that this is obvious to you but it might help give other people a clearer idea of the concepts involved.

Actually, it is true that theories are not generally considered "facts" in the scientific community, I misrepresented this a little. It is true that many theories have withstood the rigors of time so well they can be considered as "facts", in that the probability is practically nil that they will be disproven.

[Autodidact]

Originally Posted by Sola'lor

I'll need to research the theory of evolution more. All I know about it is what I got from high school and the discovery channel.

Are you interested in learning more?