theory v fact

[Balaam]

what is a theory and what is fact?

theory is a proposed explanation
fact is a truth known by actual experience or observation

many theories are widely accepted but that does not make them fact

in science very little is accepted as fact. too many scientists have been proven wrong for the scientific community to accept theories as more than highly probable

the scientific method breeds this doubt



it is rational to think that scientists would follow this method and be satisfied with the result before publishing, therefore, published science should be valid
this is why when people read articles about global warming, or the possibility of life on mars they believe the hype


consider the history of scientific theories before you trust what you read or see on the discovery channel

everyone remembers newton, you've been taught about him in school and i'm sure you've heard about newton's laws

how many people know that newtonian mechanics is only valid in a certain range of measurement? you see at the atomic level when speeds approach the speed of light... newton's laws just don't apply

let's not be too hard on issac, just because you need quantum and relativistic mechanics at an atomic level. newton may have been able to adjust his theory if he had the tools that einstein had.

everyone knows that einstein had it all figured out, his theories of relativity have been proven time and time again. einstein's theories and concepts should be all be considered fact. well maybe except the static universe, i think most people these days think the universe is expanding, but give albert a break he didn't have the hubble

scientists argue about what they believe, sometimes they think that their answer is the only plausible explanation but that doesn't mean they state it as fact
if they believed it was fact they'd stop experimenting

when science stops doubting their findings they'll stop finding things

now just for the record...
there is no planet vulcan between mercury and the sun
spontaneous generation is not possible
phlogiston is not an element
aether is not the substance which light is transmitted through
phrenology is no longer taught in medical school
and cold fusion was a really cool idea

i'm not a sceptic, i'm just difficult to convince

[Hehe]

They call it a hypothesis when they aren't sure. It's a theory or theorum (don't actually know the difference ) when they believe it to be correct.

Having said that, what are you actually asking?

[Skirata]

They call it a hypothesis when they aren't sure. It's a theory or theorum (don't actually know the difference ) when they believe it to be correct.

Having said that, what are you actually asking?

A hypothesis is what you are testing. A theory is what can be brought out of a hypothesis or hypotheses. A law is something that can be applied to anything and has yet to be disproved because it's a law.

[Balaam]

what are you actually asking?

i made an observation
in a separate thread i disputed the validity of a particular theory or two... ok maybe more
because i didn't accept these theories as fact a debate ensued

i developed a theory
if the debate was about the deference between fact and theory it would allow a more specific discussion and not be distracted by other factors

i have an experiment
i created a thread with examples of newton's and einstein's flawed theories in the OP to spark discussion

i'll make observations
the replies to this thread eg

I always thougth a theory is a fact....ahh noo i didnt think that....lol

being especially careful to note ninja text

if my theory is flawed
i'll adjust my approach and experiment again

[Transcend]

All scientific knowledge is inductive, therefore all scientific knowledge is invalid.

Or something to that effect.

But given scientific findings, we know how the world generally works.

[Skirata]

A theory is a fact until it is disproved.

[Balaam]

A theory is a fact until it is disproved.

ok, so then the earth used to be flat, but now we know it's not, it's round(ish)?

[Skirata]

ok, so then the earth used to be flat, but now we know it's not, it's round(ish)?

Roundish is correct. Earth is not a perfect sphere (nor any revolving and rotating celestial body).

Exactly. That wasn't a theory though. That idea was propagated by religion outside of the scientific method (or was it? I have no idea and I am making a total guess).

[Gamble]

when you start talking about things on a quantum level everything is theroy and unproven because humanity is just not that advanced yet. but if your talking about things like what shape the earth is we know for fact its dimensions. even up to the point where we can say that our moon has a certain tidal affect on the planet, not just sea tides, as the moon orbits earth gravity gives the land mass a slight buldge also. we know this by taking measurments so it becomes fact.

[Alusair]

The earth being flat, the sun revolving around the earth, and the earth being the center of the universe were accepted givens during certain parts of history, but to my knowledge, none were scientifically proven during those times.