A hypothesis can easily be proven wrong. That is the whole idea behind the scientific method. The goal is to prove them to be incorrect guesses.
Theories are hypotheses that have not, as of yet, been proven wrong even after repeated testing and observation. They can be considered fact in as much as they they are not proven wrong based on all we know so far. So, like Gel said, they can be considered fact *right now* until better models replace them. Fact does not mean fact for all of eternity. For the purposes of science, theories can be considered factual enough to be a foundation from which to build. A theory is not a guess nor an assumption. Evolution happens. We have seen it. We have tested it. The results are repeatable. That is the fact part. The mechanism behind it, the change in allele frequency in a population over time, is what is not completely understood and is generally debated in science (I am speaking in very broad terms here). I think part of the problem is that people don't understand the scientific method. The method does not attempt to prove anything. In fact, it is designed to disprove. So, theories are really hypotheses that cannot be disproved. Laws are "super theories". They have been tested so much that whatever explanation is left has to be the correct one. Still, they are not unchangeable. You will never prove something 100% in science, because science doesn't work that way. "Like the > Theory of evolution. We can't prove that is how life on earth came to be" Evolution is not an origin theory and has absolutely nothing to do with it. It does not explain how life began. It is simply an explanation of the mechanisms behind the fact that species change over time. I know. I know. TL/DR, but I feel better now ;) On 9/13/2011 8:56 AM, Eric Roberts wrote: > > I would say that the dictionary agrees with me...nowhere does it say that it > is a proven fact...in fact is says that it is an unproven assumption....a > speculation. As I said...a theory would be "hey this is how I think things > work. I can't prove it 100%, but this is how I think it works" Like the > Theory of evolution. We can't prove that is how life on earth came to be, > but we think that it is the most plausible idea. If the THEORY of evolution > were to be scientifically proven, then it would be called the Law of > Evolution. Like the Law of Gravity. When Issac Newton first propped > gravity, it was the Theory of Gravity. After he scientifically tested his > theory and shows that he can reproduce the Theory in multiple > experiments...it became the Law of Gravity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:342506 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
