A Misconception that should be rooted out

[Crazyhorse1]

Latest stats show too many people confused by the language of science, often in regard to evolution. It seems people don't know the difference between a Law and a Theory.

Most incorrectly believe that a Theory, when proved, becomes a Law. In other words, people have a tendency to think that a Theory is just a hypothesis. Actually, hypotheses, when proved, become either Theories or Laws.

Here's the skinny: In science, a Theory and a Law are equal in weight as regards the probability of being true.

A Law is created when something is proven by the scientific method to be true.

A Theory is created when something explains by the scientific method how something comes or came to be true

The same degree of proof is involved in each. For instance, science regards evolution as true as the notion that water boils at a certain temperature under certain conditions.

A Law is a fact, a Theory is a process that is fact.

When a Creationist argues that evolution is only a Theory, he shows ignorance of what a Theory is. A Theory, by definition, satisfies every condition of fact known to man, just as does a Law (in relation to the Scientific method) . If that were not so, it would no longer be a Theory, just as a Law would not be considered a Law if it did not satisify all conditions of fact.

It is also well to note that both Laws and Theories some time fall when new discoveries are made. The true glory of science, is that, ultimately there are no certainties, and there is always a need to keep exploring. There are Laws that have fallen still called Laws in books, which causes confusion, but it shouldn't. Once a Law or Theory is established, it is often referred to as a Law or a Theory as an item of historical record, even though it's no longer considered an actual Law or Theory.

Such a change of meaning has not occured with the Theory of Evolution. Not only is there not one scrap of scienfic evidence that points away from it, there is also a highly unlikely falling of scientific dominoes in store if it ever does fall.

It would mean that basic laws and theories about virtually every discipline of science are wrong: physics, math, astronomy, biology, geology, logic, etc., which would mean we have made no progress at all (which may be true, though possibly regrettable.) What's worse, the fall of evolution would say absolutely nothing about whether Creationism was right or wrong.

We would know next to nothing about our physical world and would know we knew next to nothing. With all of our tools to explore reality trashed, there would be no science to count on, including Creationism, which claims to be a science, but isn't.

What the heck, I guess.