2006-12-06 00:35:45 · 6 answers · asked by hot carl sagan: ninja for hire 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
FYI- I posted this ? on the science board too but the responses I'm getting here are much better.
2006-12-06 00:50:21 · update #1
1) The terms in the theory have to be well defined.
2) Assumptions made by the theory have to be made clear
3) The theory has to make a claim that is falsifiable.
That's enough for it to be a valid theory. A separate question is whether the theory is supported by evidence or not.
The theory "The moon is made of green cheese" is a valid theory. The terms are well defined, the assumptions are clear, and it would be relatively easy to test. However, no evidence supports this theory. So, it is considered a false theory.
"God exists" is an invalid theory. The definition of "god" is vague, and there is no evidence that can be put for or against this theory.
"Objects attract each other, and the force of that attraction is dependent on the mass of the objects." is a valid theory. We have fairly good defintiions for what we mean by objects and attracting. We have good explanations of assumptions in this statement. And we can come up with tests to show whether this theory is true or false. Because there is plenty of evidence to support the existence of gravity, this theory is deemed to be a good theory and is considered to be true.
2006-12-06 00:41:43 · answer #1 · answered by nondescript 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A theory is a set of universal statements that explain some aspect of the natural world. A scientific theory is held with a high degree of confidence and is supported by enough physical evidence to make its abandonment unlikely.
2006-12-06 00:45:40 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A theory is a tested hypothesis that can range from not enough data to tell how valid it is to a widely accepted fact. A theory remains a theory until evidence comes out disproving it.
Actual proof in science is nearly unheard of. Gravity is still considered a theory.
2006-12-06 00:41:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A theory in science is a set of hypotheses explaining any given phenomenon hence we have a theory of evolution explaining the mechanisms involved in the process of biological evolution which indisputably occurs so evolution is both a fact and a theory.
2006-12-06 00:45:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
One that has yet to be scientifically proven, but should work based on the facts we already know.
2006-12-06 00:40:07 · answer #5 · answered by Gwydyon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think, so therefore, it might be.
2006-12-06 00:41:33 · answer #6 · answered by Old Cynic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋