CHRISTIANS, ATHEISTS, PAGANS, BUDDHISTS, EVERYONE - - - "Evolution is a theory", what does that mean to you?

Answer 1

The word "theory" has at least two separate meanings, which causes confusion.

"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."

- Wikipedia.

In common usage the word can also mean simply a hypothesis or a conjecture.

In evolution, scientists' use of the word "theory" conforms to the first definition.

Creationists exploit the ambiguity to claim the second meaning.

Answer 2

Scientific theory means that it is a well tested explanation for natural phenomenon

No amount of proof can turn a theory into a fact because a theory is accepted as fact until evidence shows otherwise.

The scientific method is "Here are the facts, what conclusions can we draw from them?"

Creationist method is "Here is the conclusion, what facts can we use to support it?"

There is a lot of proof.

Talkorigins.org provides lots of explanation.

Here is an excerpt

First, we should clarify what "evolution" means. Like so many other words, it has more than one meaning. Its strict biological definition is "a change in allele frequencies over time." By that definition, evolution is an indisputable fact. Most people seem to associate the word "evolution" mainly with common descent, the theory that all life arose from one common ancestor. Many people believe that there is enough evidence to call this a fact, too. However, common descent is still not the theory of evolution, but just a fraction of it (and a part of several quite different theories as well). The theory of evolution not only says that life evolved, it also includes mechanisms, like mutations, natural selection, and genetic drift, which go a long way towards explaining how life evolved.

Calling the theory of evolution "only a theory" is, strictly speaking, true, but the idea it tries to convey is completely wrong. The argument rests on a confusion between what "theory" means in informal usage and in a scientific context. A theory, in the scientific sense, is "a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena" [Random House American College Dictionary]. The term does not imply tentativeness or lack of certainty. Generally speaking, scientific theories differ from scientific laws only in that laws can be expressed more tersely. Being a theory implies self-consistency, agreement with observations, and usefulness. (Creationism fails to be a theory mainly because of the last point; it makes few or no specific claims about what we would expect to find, so it can't be used for anything. When it does make falsifiable predictions, they prove to be false.)

Lack of proof isn't a weakness, either. On the contrary, claiming infallibility for one's conclusions is a sign of hubris. Nothing in the real world has ever been rigorously proved, or ever will be. Proof, in the mathematical sense, is possible only if you have the luxury of defining the universe you're operating in. In the real world, we must deal with levels of certainty based on observed evidence. The more and better evidence we have for something, the more certainty we assign to it; when there is enough evidence, we label the something a fact, even though it still isn't 100% certain.

What evolution has is what any good scientific claim has--evidence, and lots of it. Evolution is supported by a wide range of observations throughout the fields of genetics, anatomy, ecology, animal behavior, paleontology, and others. If you wish to challenge the theory of evolution, you must address that evidence. You must show that the evidence is either wrong or irrelevant or that it fits another theory better. Of course, to do this, you must know both the theory and the evidence.

Answer 3

I am an atheist.

A theory means it is a well developed idea of how things work, backed by significant evidence that can be objective tested for validity and reliability.

A hypothesis is less well developed. A speculation is little more than a guess.

Answer 4

Someone has been listening to creationist propaganda.

Just like the guy below me, who makes this up out of thin air: "Then they go on to argue that evolution, the ability to explain origins, PROVES the point that God does not exist".

Honesty apparently doesn't matter at all to believers.

Answer 5

Kind of like the Theory of Gravity

Answer 6

I am a Christian, and that phrase is meaningless to me.

The real problem with evolution is not whether it is true or not. The real problem is that empiricists and darwinists pre-suppose that NOTHING can exist that cannot be sensed or proved. Then they go on to argue that evolution, the ability to explain origins, PROVES the point that God does not exist. Both of these philosophies are NOT proved by evolution, but unfortunately, atheism has become so closely associated with evolution that a reasonable examination is now impossible. It is just like saying, well, I can read and understand this book, so that PROVES that there is NO author!

So anyway, now Christians are fighting the wrong battle. They are fighting evolutionary theory when they should be fighting the philosophic assumption that nothing exists that we cannot detect with our senses and empiric investigation. STRING theory, anyone????????

Answer 7

Its a scientific theory, the same as gravity. It doesnt mean that is just some idea somebody came up with, but that its based on evidence and research.

Answer 8

It means that there is a mechanistic hypothesis to explain existing findings, the mechanism made predictions about future findings, and that the later findings confirmed the predictions.

Answer 9

That it has more to back it up than God, the untested hypothesis?

unfortunately for "Sloppy" time travel and teleportation have been demonstrated, OOPS!!
"Damn scientists, everytime you turn around, something new, how is a know it all supposed to keep up with it all?"

Answer 10

According to the National Academy of Sciences, a theory is defined as "a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences and tested hypotheses"

That's what it means to me.