Facts and Theories - Are they the same?

                 

Facts and theories are not the same.  Unfortunately, there is often confusion between the two.  So, for example, some confuse the theory of evolution with the fact of evolution.  Another example is possible confusion between the fact of global warming with theories of global warming.

While they are NOT the same, it is important to know what they are, since they are an integral part of science, which observes facts and develops theories about how they occur, including what causes them to occur.

 

Definition

Proof

Evolution

Global warming

Fact

An observable phenomenon

Either valid (true), or invalid (false)  Verification occurs by means of replication, which simply means that the phenomenon is observed by more than one person, or by the same person more than once.

Evolution is a fact that has been observed by many both in nature and in the laboratory.  Organisms change (evolve) when their natural environment changes.

 

Global warming is a fact that has been observed by means of temperature measurements over the planet for many years.

Theory

An explanation for the occurrence of observable facts.  It tells why and how the facts come to exist, as well as how facts go together, including how one can cause another (which helps us make predictions).

Theories provide a basis for predicting what will happen, and they are either confirmed, or disconfirmed preferably by means of controlled experiments, ones that test the predictive power of the theory.

 

A Theory of Evolution offers an explanation for how evolution occurs.

The theory that was offered by Darwin was based on the concept of natural selection, which says that organisms evolve in response to their natural environment based on the survival of those who are not killed by the changing environment (what is often called "the survival of the fittest to procreate").  In other words, those organisms that are killed by the changed environment do not procreate, so their genetic inability to survive is not passed on to the next generation.  On the other hand, those that are not killed by the changed environment do procreate and pass along their genetic ability to survive the changed environment.  So changes in the environment cause the organisms to evolve (change).

There are other theories of evolution that have been proposed, including some based on dna and genetic changes produced by the environment, or random mutations.

 

Theories that explain global warming look at external, natural phenomena, including such things as changes in the sun, climate cycles on earth, and byproducts of human activity (mostly the increased presence of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmospheres holding in heat).

 

NOTE: The validity of observable facts can always be challenged, including the two mentioned above.  Usually, challenges are directed at the method of observation. 

Still, as it currently stands it is a fact that evolution has been observed in nature and in the lab

Similarly there is ample observational research reporting actual temperature measurements that reveal average global temperature increases in the past 30 years.  And the Scientific Method recognizes observational problems and includes ways to minimize them

 To return to read more about the Science and the Scientific Method

 

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