Thread: Evolution is a Fact - Not a Theory

A fact is just an objective chunk of information, it makes no implications in of itself.

A theory is, more or less, the explanation we use to reconcile the facts.

The problem here is that when the average Joe uses the word "theory" (especially in the context of "its just a theory") they are using an informal definition of what the word means. In short, the informal definition is synonymous with "guess", which of course implies little or no substantiation.

But the term "theory" in the context of science is much different than the casual meaning of the word, which is something most people don't understand or are aware of. A scientific theory is an explanation that has been subject to the scientific method. For anyone who knows just how rigorous and incessant that scientific method is, they understand that there is a world of difference between a "theory" and a "scientific theory".

One doesn't have to be substantiated in order for it to qualify as a "theory" (i.e. a guess), but the other has to not only be consistent with the facts (and there are millions of them...kinda hard to fake that), but it also has to survive the scientific method...which is what distinguishes science from philosophy. "It making sense" isn't enough in science, it has to be empirically supported in addition to it simply being logical..since after all, something can be logical but untrue at the same time.

So what you have is an explanation that is consistent with (and has come to make sense of) millions of seemingly disparate and unrelated facts of the world, which in turn bridges the gaps between the different disciplines of science (biology, geology, chemistry, etc).

Most people don't understand that the theory of evolution isn't really just one theory, it’s like the Frankenstein theory. Everything we have learned in science as a whole used to be broken up into separate categories. We had physics, biology, chemistry, geology, anthropology, etc...each one being credible and substantiated fields in themselves. The great thing about evolution is that it has several lines of evidence that are cross-disciplinary... and if you don't know already, that is fucking amazing. Not only does it make sense in the field of biology, but is makes just as much sense in the field of geology and several other facets of science.

The point is that the theory of evolution, simply because of its sheer grandeur, actually has more evidence in its favor than any other single theory because it relies on (and it confirmed by) several different disciplines of science simultaneously...meaning all of that evidence combined is what makes the theory of evolution so solid...even though its still a "theory".

And yes, evolution is a theory, not a fact. People often equivocate fact with "truth" which, like the word "theory", is an informal definition of the word that people use interchangeably (and wrongly) out of habit and/or ignorance.

But remember, a fact is a "what" where as a theory is a "why". They aren't the same question, and no amount of evidence can change this. So don't think that, simply because something is "only" a theory does that mean its ill-substantiated or unjustified. And similarly, don't think that, simply because a theory has a tremendous amount of evidence backing it up, is it ever a fact.

Its a common misunderstanding to think that, in science, there is an "upgrade" from theory to fact for the theories that have a particularly extensive amount of evidence behind them. Not true. People just think that, by refering to a theory as a fact, they assert the "truthfullness" of that theory...but really is just shows they don't have an adequate understanding of the basic principals of science.