> -----Original Message----- > From: Michael Dinowitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 1:54 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: RE: Letter to dangerous bible nutz > > That there is a God. It's a theory that science doesn't want to admit as a > theory at the same time as they push theory as fact. >
Science truly has no truck with the "God" question. It is, by definition, a matter of faith, not proof were science it considered proof-based. But please - let's not also rehash "theory" - before we can POSSIBLY have a discussion on this we MUST all understand what science means by "theory". In short: "Hypothesis" is a conjecture made but not proven. It's usually an intelligent conjecture, but conjecture nonetheless. "Law" is a simple statement of fact. Scientific laws govern very specific actions - the "Law of Angular Momentum" is clearly bounded and defined. There's no (or damn little) "wiggle room" in a law. "Theory" is a collection of facts, observations and proven predictions that govern a complex area of inquiry. Theories are verifiable through experimentation (or in some advanced sciences through mathematical proofs). Theories are considered "fact" at the their core buy scientists, but are still highly debatable at the detail level. Scientifically Theories are proven mechanisms for observable events. Consider a lay person studying (for the first time), say, a pencil and a Jetliner. The pencil is like a scientific law - it's simple, encompasses a very narrow area of inquiry and is clearly defined: press it on the paper and you get a line. Pressure, paper quality, etc all enter into it, but they are completely controllable, definable variables in dealing with the pencil. The Jetliner is clearly defined as well: people get on, it flies and people get off. There is no question amongst reasonable people that the jetliner moved the people. However the specifics of the jetliner are much, much more complex. How does it work? We might assume that the wings provide lift and the engines thrust - these may enter into the "Theory of Jetliners" as hypothesis and later become so well explored as to become core parts of the theory, but there are still nearly infinite ways to further explore. Infinite ways to tweak the component idea without changing the core facts involved. That's why there will never be a scientific law (or "fact") of Jetliners - or of evolution (or relativity, or quantum mechanics or planetary development or many other things). These fields are simply too large and complex to state "laws", but the fundamental nature of them is not disputed (in science). "Is there a God" is not testable as a scientific theory. It simply isn't. This isn't a bad thing, of course, but it does present some issues when asked to teach it in science class. Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Special thanks to the CF Community Suite Silver Sponsor - New Atlanta http://www.newatlanta.com Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:140042 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
