Bottom line – evolution is not fact. It’s theory! And, contrary to Prof. Purrington’s remarks, the theory of intelligent design deserves just as much attention as evolution in the classroom. Articles like this make me want to pull my hair out, and I'm not even a scientist. First of all, there's no such thing as the "theory" of intelligent design. To say there is suggests a complete lack of knowledge concerning scientific terms.
A scientific theory is a way of describing a process by examining and testing related events. It becomes a theory only when it gains widespread acceptance.
By its definition, a theory cannot become fact, but it's certainly more than conjecture.
" By its definition, a theory cannot become fact, but it's certainly more than conjecture."
To paraphrase you; claiming the evolution is a fact is a classic case of confusing a theory with what the theory is about.
Facts support a theory. A theory can not itself be a fact.
I have seen countless examples on these threads of people purporting to support their arguments (theories) with facts and yet they don't even understand what a fact is.
A cursory reading of Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" would go a long way to clearing up some of the confusion on the EVO threads re scientific method and its relation to facts (data).