[NJ_gent]

Your perception of scientific fact seems to be, "if I can't see it, it doesn't exist". That worked really well a thousand years ago. Using isotopic dating of the sedimentary record remains the most reliable means we have to determine the ages of things far older than human history. Carbon dating remains a reasonably accurate method for dating more recent things. By your definitions, history does not exist. My question to you is, from your perspective, do I exist? :-)

[Fester Chugabrew]

Isotopic dating of the sedimentary record: Does it observe/process material already in existence and then require the observer to extrapolate periods of time? If so, then it does not qualify as anything but a tool for storytelling, albeit with a scientific ring to it, because we cannot test or observe whether all matter has behaved the same throughout all time. We do not even know for certain whether time has behaved the same throughout all time. These may be fair assumptions, but are they "provable?"

As for proof of your existence I would not be so obtuse as to deny it in any way, since it can fairly well be proven. The evidence is very good.

[Fester Chugabrew]

Your perception of scientific fact seems to be, "if I can't see it, it doesn't exist".

As far as I know, if your dealing with unobservable phenomena (i.e. what happened "millions of years ago), it ain't science.