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To: Right Wing Professor
The difference between scientific LAWS and THEORIES is a matter of nomenclature and an accident of history?

Where do you teach? I want to keep my kids away from there.
43 posted on 03/11/2003 4:34:29 PM PST by edger (he)
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To: edger
The difference between scientific LAWS and THEORIES is a matter of nomenclature and an accident of history?

No, the difference between what we call the theory of evolution and scientific laws is a matter of nomenclature. The theory of evolution could more accurately be called the law of evolution.

Where do you teach? I want to keep my kids away from there.

Please do. Intelligence has a strong genetic component.

47 posted on 03/11/2003 4:43:41 PM PST by Right Wing Professor
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To: edger
The difference between scientific LAWS and THEORIES is a matter of nomenclature and an accident of history?

Ever take a "music Theory" class? You gonna tell me music is only a theory?

49 posted on 03/11/2003 4:45:07 PM PST by narby (Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordian)
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To: edger
The difference between scientific LAWS and THEORIES is a matter of nomenclature and an accident of history?

  Well, the difference really is one of nomenclature and history, whatever you may like to think about it. A scientific law is one that hasn't been disproven yet. Heck, we still refer to Newton's Laws as Laws, even though they have been disproven (or superceded, if you prefer, by the more general cases involving really high speeds and/or really small masses).

  Right Wing Professor has referred to the Second Law of Thermodynamics several times - this is probably the firmest law we have in science. But, at the same time as we use it as the basis of most of our work, we don't have any good theoretical underpinning for why it should be true. We accept it because no one has ever proven it false.

  Theories are pretty much in the same boat. Come up with a good model, some evidence for it. If people can't prove you're wrong, it may become accepted, and will be called either a Law or a Theory. You may have some other definition for which is which, but it is not the way these terms are actually used.

Drew Garrett

73 posted on 03/11/2003 5:26:18 PM PST by agarrett
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To: edger
The difference between scientific LAWS and THEORIES is a matter of nomenclature and an accident of history? Where do you teach? I want to keep my kids away from there.

Okay, Einstein, if you're so smart, don't just sit there casting nebulous insults, tell *us* what the differences really are. I could use some entertainment.

307 posted on 03/12/2003 4:29:04 PM PST by Ichneumon
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