kanenas@hawaii.rr.com wrote: ,
There is plenty of uncertainty in science. We have *many* theories (not facts!) to explain some of the most basic things in nature and occasionally an experiment gives credence to one over the others, thus creating a new advance and a new dogma in that discipline, with nothing more than a few scant bits of evidence. If that's not uncertainty, please enlighten me as to what is.
A theory is not just some wild idea off the top of someone's head. To be credible, there has to be sufficient evidence to justify it. Science is based on observation and analysis. The model improves as the process continues. Sometimes it goes off on the wrong track, but generally science is self correcting, and so gets closer and closer to reality, That is precisely what religion is not, where "facts" are proclaimed, with little or no evidence to support them, and often despite contradictory evidence. There may be somethings that science can't explain, simply because the evidence is not observable. However, that is simply a lack of information and not "proof" of divine intervention. ~~~ I am always amazed how some folks dismiss "a theory" as just a whimsical belief. The above post stating that theories have 'nothing more than a few scant bits of evidence' is distressingly naive on what substantiates a theory. A quick definition of a theory and, for our own edification, a hypothesis; Theory: a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory" Hypothesis: a tentative theory about the natural world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true would explain certain facts or phenomena; "a scientific hypothesis that survives experimental testing becomes a scientific theory"; "he proposed a fresh theory of alkalis that later was accepted in chemical practices" With the logic of the original poster, the 'Theory of Electricity' could easily be dismissed. Why is it still *just* a theory? Because an electron has yet to be directly observed, although we can infer its existence by repeatable experimentation. In the US, a debate rages on about the theory of evolution even though he theory abounds with observable facts. Maybe we should make Darwin's Origin of the Species mandatory reading in high school so our children have a better understanding of what evolution means and how it is observed in our environment. Better yet, more science classes so students have the tools for critical thinking; something regrettably lacking in today's society. Sadly, it appears that the age of Enlightenment and Rational Thought are coming to an end. ~James