Yes, I know..and I know you know...I'm not discounting your definitions of scientific theory, you have it down.
On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 8:12 AM, Sam <[email protected]> wrote: > > Gravity is a law, evolution is a theory. Since evolution has been > tested more successfully and it has much more weight than say > Phlogiston does. Not all theories are created equal. > > This from Wiki (I know wiki can be wrong): > Some key phrases: > ... ensuring it is probably a good approximation, if not totally correct. > ... rather than asserting certainty. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_theory > > Essential criteria > The defining characteristic of a scientific theory is that it makes > falsifiable or testable predictions. The relevance and specificity of > those predictions determine how potentially useful the theory is. A > would-be theory that makes no predictions that can be observed is not > a useful theory. Predictions not sufficiently specific to be tested > are similarly not useful. In both cases, the term "theory" is hardly > applicable. > In practice a body of descriptions of knowledge is usually only called > a theory once it has a minimum empirical basis, according to certain > criteria: > > - It is consistent with pre-existing theory, to the extent the > pre-existing theory was experimentally verified, though it will often > show pre-existing theory to be wrong in an exact sense. > > - It is supported by many strands of evidence, rather than a single > foundation, ensuring it is probably a good approximation, if not > totally correct. > > Non-essential criteria > Additionally, a theory is generally only taken seriously if: > > - It is tentative, correctable, and dynamic in allowing for changes as > new facts are discovered, rather than asserting certainty. > > - It is among the most parsimonious explanations, sparing in proposed > entities or explanations—commonly referred to as passing the Occam's > razor test. (Since there is no generally accepted objective definition > of parsimony, this is not a strict criteria, but some theories are > much less economical than others.) > > This is true of such established theories as special and general > relativity, quantum mechanics, plate tectonics, evolution, etc. > Theories considered scientific meet at least most, but ideally all, of > these extra criteria. > > Theories do not have to be perfectly accurate to be scientifically useful. > > - The predictions made by Classical mechanics are known to be > inaccurate, but they are sufficiently good approximations in most > circumstances that they are still very useful and widely used in place > of more accurate but mathematically difficult theories. > > - In chemistry, there are many acid-base theories which, while > providing highly divergent explanations of what "really" makes acids > acids and bases bases, they are very useful for describing the > phenomenology of certain chemical reactions which fall under the > concept of "acid-base reaction". In a sense, the notion of generalized > acid-base reaction is not precisely defined, and therefore theories > about what gives rise to acid-base chemistry are "inexact"; > nonetheless, they are useful scientific theories. > > . > > On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 8:57 AM, GMoney <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Because we seek consistency in thought and argument. > > > > If one scientific theory is suspect simply because it contains the word > > "theory"....then all of them are. > > > > The simple fact is that what separates the evolution theory from other > > theories in science is that it has a religious implication. No one doubts > > gravity because falling apples don't challenge people's comfort stories > > about benevolent ghosts. > > > > On Thu, Sep 15, 2011 at 7:49 AM, Sam <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> > >> Why is it always all or nothing with this group? > >> > >> . > >> > >> On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 11:17 PM, GMoney <[email protected]> wrote: > >> > ....lest you die thinking gravity doesn't exist, simply because it > >> > is not a "proven fact". > >> > > >> > >> > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| 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:342659 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
