[Borges]

evolution is a theory, not a fact

Isn't Science all theory?

[ThinkDifferent]

Isn't Science all theory?

Bingo. Gravity is also "only a theory", but amazingly it doesn't get a sticker.

[Dead Dog]

No there are also law and hypotheses.

[Valpal1]

Isn't Science all theory?

No, much of science is about things than can be measured, weight, seen, felt, heard etc. Gravity can be measured and it's effects observed, water will wet you, fire will burn. These things can be tested, observed and measured repeatedly, as many times as you like with identical or near identical results. Evolution is observational theory that is untestable, so it remains theory, not fact.

[taxcontrol]

Nope, for example, we have the law of gravity.

Scientific law: a generalized description, usually expressed in mathematical terms, which describes the empirical behavior of matter.

Isaac Newton knew what gravity did (he could describe its behavior), but he could not explain why gravity did it. Even today the topic of what gravity really is, is an active topic for scientific discussion.

We don't prove theories (and hypotheses) true. We just use the observations to convince ourselves (and others) that we have a good idea. Scientists have a lot of confidence in scientific theories, because they know there is a lot of evidence to back them up.

So in short, law is a formula that will consistently describe the outcome, from a given set of conditions at the start of the situation.

Theory is a generalization with some holes, that attempts to explain why or how, something happened or happens.

[Publius6961]

Isn't Science all theory?

No, not the commonly held definition of "theory".

We are talking biology here, not metaphysics...

[Sofa King]

What we really need is a sticker on science textbooks that explains what the word "theory" means in science.

[Vaquero]

http://www.evolution.mbdojo.com/theory.html


excerpt:


Is Evolution a fact or a theory?
The theory of evolution explains how life on earth has changed. In scientific terms, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch" as it does in everyday usage. Scientific theories are explanations of natural phenomena built up logically from testable observations and hypotheses. Biological evolution is the best scientific explanation we have for the enormous range of observations about the living world. Scientists most often use the word "fact" to describe an observation. But scientists can also use fact to mean something that has been tested or observed so many times that there is no longer a compelling reason to keep testing or looking for examples. The occurrence of evolution in this sense is a fact. Scientists no longer question whether descent with modification occurred because the evidence supporting the idea is so strong.

Why isn't evolution called a law?
Laws are generalizations that describe phenomena, whereas theories explain phenomena. For example, the laws of thermodynamics describe what will happen under certain circumstances; thermodynamics theories explain why these events occur. Laws, like facts and theories, can change with better data. But theories do not develop into laws with the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the goal of science.