The difference between a belief and a theory is....?

Question

What is the difference? In science that is...

Answer 1

Belief is the psychological state in which an individual is convinced of the truth of a proposition. Like the related concepts truth, knowledge, and wisdom, there is no precise definition of belief on which scholars agree, but rather numerous theories and continued debate about the nature of belief.

In common usage, people often use the word theory to signify a conjecture, an opinion, or a speculation. In this usage, a theory is not necessarily based on facts; in other words, it is not required to be consistent with true descriptions of reality. True descriptions of reality are more reflectively understood as statements that would be true independently of what people think about them.

In science, a theory is a mathematical description, a logical explanation, a verified hypothesis, or a proven model of the manner of interaction of a set of natural phenomena, capable of predicting future occurrences or observations of the same kind, and capable of being tested through experiment or otherwise falsified through empirical observation. It follows from this that for scientists "theory" and "fact" do not necessarily stand in opposition. For example, it is a fact that an apple dropped on earth has been observed to fall towards the center of the planet, and the theory which explains why the apple behaves so is the current theory of gravitation.

Answer 2

In science, a belief could probably better be termed a hypothesis. A hypothesis is where you have reason to be believe something is true based upon research that has been done in the past. Here, the belief or hypothesis is an educated guess or prediction where you have reason to believe something is true but have no scientific evidence to back it up. So you go and conduct experiments to confirm or disprove this belief.
A scientific theory on the other hand is a well proven, respected hypothesis that has been confirmed numerous times experimentally and theoretically. Think Einstein's theory of relativity, or Darwin's theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. A theory has mounds of evidence backing it, but in science nothing can be proved 100%. Science is what is observable, falsifiable, and repeatable. So if you were to drop a piece of chalk or any object then Newton's theory of gravity would be disproven. (granted this would never happen) but any theory has to be able to be disproven.

Answer 3

The difference between a belief and a theory is: a belief confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof: a statement unworthy of belief. Theory a particular conception or view of something to be done or of the method of doing it; a system of rules or principles

Answer 4

A scientific theory is the best explanation for a set of evidence. A good scientific theory is one that is given a lot of chances to be falsified, and still comes out right each time.

A belief is something an individual believes. It may or may not have evidence attached.

Answer 5

A belief is a thought a theory is how some one
shows a possibility of how this belief could happen.

Answer 6

A theory is backed up by at least some evidence. If the evidence is strong enough that the theory becomes of use to the scientific community, we may say that the theory is "established." It is rarely possible to prove a scientific theory; the theory of evolution is an exception: it is provable, and I have done so. (Details on request.)

Answer 7

belief is not proven theory is proven.....read on


A major source of public confusion in the escalating debate between intelligent design and evolution is the question of what a scientific theory actually is.

It is a question that will be at the heart of the Pennsylvania court case beginning today that tests the legality of teaching intelligent design, or ID, in public schools.

ID proponents argue that life is too complex to be explained by evolution. Instead, some being or entity must have designed it all.


SPECIAL REPORT
Evolution & Intelligent Design
PART 1
An Ambiguous Assault on Evolution
This Trojan Horse for Creationism has become very popular. But who is being duped? And what does it all mean for morality?

PART 2
'The Death of Science'
Intelligent design is presented as a legitimate scientific theory and an alternative to Darwinism, but a close look at the arguments shows they don't pass scientific muster. So why are scientists worried?

PART 3: (THIS PAGE)
Belief Posing as Theory
As evolution takes a beating, scientists remind us of the difference between fact, theory and belief.

PART 4:
Anti-evolution Attacks on the Rise
Each time the effort to introduce creationism into classrooms starts up again, so does legislation aimed against evolution. Learn about the rash of recent cases, plus a look at historically pertinent court cases.




Evolution states that all organisms are descended from a single primordial ancestor and that organisms expanded and diversified by acquiring and passing on new traits by means of several mechanisms, one of which is natural selection. Evolution is a theory supported by evidence from such disparate fields as paleontology, geology, genetics, and astronomy.

One of the things that will be decided in the Pennsylvania hearing is whether ID should be regarded as a valid scientific theory, or whether, as its critics maintain, it is just creationism's latest guise.

The question of whether ID is a theory is also central to a spate of antievolution legislation cropping up across the country, some of which argue that students should be exposed to different theories about the origins of life.

What is a theory?

But what exactly is a scientific theory? Is ID a theory? Isn't evolution only a theory? If both ID and evolution are scientific theories, why should one be taught and not the other?

A large part of the confusion stems from the fact that there is a big difference between how the word "theory" is used in science and how it is used in ordinary conversation. A hunch, conjecture or an educated guess can become a hypothesis. But a theory is much more.

In science, a theory is an explanation that binds together various experimentally tested hypotheses to explain some fundamental aspect of nature. For an idea to qualify as a scientific theory, it must be established on the basis of a wide variety of scientific evidence. Its claims must be testable and it must propose experiments that can be replicated by other scientists.

"[Evolution is] a theory in a special philosophical sense of science, but in terms of ordinary laymen's use of language, it's a fact," said Richard Dawkins, a biologist from Oxford University, in a recent radio interview. "Evolution is a fact in the same sense that it's a fact that the Earth is round and not flat, [that] the Earth goes round the Sun. Both those are also theories, but they're theories that have never been disproved and never will be disproved."

It is about as sensible to doubt that evolution occurs as it is to doubt that gravity exists, scientists say.

Evolving Issue

Top 10 Missing Links
Discoveries that have helped build the puzzle of mankind's evolution.

Creation Myths
Legends that helped define civilizations past and present.


Vestigal Organs
Darwin argued that useless limbs and leftover organs are evidence of evolution.




On Earth, release an apple and it will fall towards the planet. This is a fact, and the theory that explains this phenomenon is the current theory of gravity. Similarly, all living organisms share a common ancestry. This is a fact, supported not only by the visible similarities in body structures among organisms, but more powerfully, by evidence from genetics. The theory that best explains these similarities is evolution.

ID, on the other hand, is not a theory. It is a hypothesis, but it is not even a scientific hypothesis because there is no way to experimentally verify its central claim that a Supreme Being intervened in the creation of life on Earth.

Like religion, ID is a belief. And while many people take their religion as fact, science would go nowhere if it operated that way. Many of the great discoveries—from disease cures to advanced technologies and trips to the Moon—would never have been possible without the rigorous scientific process that carefully distinguishes between belief and testable fact.

Double meaning

"Evolution is an organizing principle and when we call it a theory, we mean it's a theory, we don't mean that it's a belief that someone holds," said Alan Leshner, the CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and executive publisher of the journal Science, in a teleconference last week with reporters organized to discuss the Pennsylvania court case.

ID proponents have exploited the dual meanings of the word "theory" to boost ID's status in the eyes of the public, critics say.

"They're trying to cut in line and not go through the normal steps to merit wearing the cloak of science," Leshner said. "They just want to take on the cloak of science because they like the credibility that comes with it."

One way to determine whether ID should be taken seriously as a theory is to examine the central arguments ID proponents use to support their claim. Journalists often neglect to do this and instead make the mistake of giving equal coverage to both sides without exploring the science, said Lawrence Krauss, a physicist at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.

"In science there often aren't two sides," Krauss said. "You know, gravity works."

SPECIAL REPORT: Evolution & Intelligent Design
Court Case Threatens to 'Drag Science into the Supernatural'
Nobel Prize Winners Speak Up to Support Evolution
Top 10 Missing Links in Human Evolution
Poll: Public Divided on Evolution
Evolution's Vestigal Organs
Top 10 Creation Myths

Answer 8

believing is something not knowing for sure.

its thus not "
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual is convinced of the truth of a proposition
"
the kernel of belief is not knowing for sure, not being convinced. alas/.

theory is a model of reality that accepted to be true until falsified.

you can believe in a theory.

a theory usually is underpinned with facts, that is the difference in my opinion.

Answer 9

As you may already be aware, your question has implications beyond science and is food for thought. Good for you.