Is evolution a fact or a theory?

Question

What do you think?

Answer 1

it is not even science. A typical definition of science is that it is a branch of study concerned with observation and classification of facts, especially with the establishment of verifiable general laws, chiefly by induction and hypothesis. Webster defines science as “systematized knowledge derived from observation, study, and experimentation…”. You can look at various dictionaries and get slightly different definitions but the key words will be “observation,” “experimentation,” “verifiable,” “testable,” and “repeatable.” In other words, if it cannot be observed, repeated, verified or subject to experimentation, then it is not scientific. Evolution has never been observed, repeated, verified nor has an experiment ever been performed regarding it. Thus evolution is not scientific.

Answer 2

It depends exactly what definition of evolution youre using.

Adaptation over time is a fact. Species will adapt to changes in climate and environment given time in order to survive. Read up about the peppered moth, and about how humans are now much taller on average than during the middle ages.

I've never heard of an ape being documented from being an ape to becoming a human, so that type of evolution, a complete species change, is a theory.....actually, i wouldnt even call it that....i'd call it an idea that the lightbulb over that idea was less than 10 watts.

Answer 3

The Theory of Gravitation
The Theory of Evolution

So, is Gravitation a fact or a theory?

A detailed explanation of the word "theory" as used by scientists is provided in the link.

In science, a theory is a mathematical or logical explanation, or a testable 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 theories commonly used to describe and explain this behaviour are Newton's theory of universal gravitation (see also gravitation), and General relativity.

Answer 4

It's a theory. There are some facts that support the theory, but it's a theory. Like the Big Bang is a theory.

Answer 5

Theory.

My online Dictionary defines it very differently than the other guy's dictionary.

1. a coherent group of general propositions used as principles of explanation for a class of phenomena: Einstein's theory of relativity.
2. a proposed explanation whose status is still conjectural, in contrast to well-established propositions that are regarded as reporting matters of actual fact.

"Scientific law" is defined as follows:

A scientific law, or empirical law, or empirical generalisation is a law-like statement that generalises across a set of conditions (e.g. time, countries, temperatures). To be accorded law-like status a wide variety of these conditions should be known, i.e. the law has a well documented history of successful replication and extension to new conditions. Ideally boundary conditions, where the law fails, should also be known.

A scientific law concerns the physical or social world, it therefore must have empirical content and therefore be capable of testing and potentially falsifiable. Analytic statements that are true or false by logic alone are not scientific laws, though may feature as part of scientific theories.

My online dictionary, online encyclopedia could not find a "Law of Evolution"

No results found for Law of Evolution.

Now let's look for "Theory of Evolution".

Yes we got a hit calling it a Theory but not a Law.

19 results for: Theory of Evolution

See links below.

Pastor Art

Answer 6

It's a very well supported theory. Don't get me wrong here... I mean theory in the scientific sense meaning a body of study that is supported by sufficient evidence.

Evolution itself, that is, change in allele frequencies in a population over time is a demonstrable fact. Evolution happens. I would also say that the creation of new species through evolutionary processes has enough evidence in support of it, both biological, and geological, that i am willing to call that a fact as well.

There are still discoveries being made and tested in the field of evolutionary theory... it is fair to say that currently we have enough information to say that evolution itself is a fact... however it's processes are still up for considerable debate.

Answer 7

Even Darwin said that Evolution would be proven true in the future by the billions of yet undiscovered intermediate species (missing links) that would have to exist for evolution to work.
Update 2007: Theres a guy in China with a dremmel tool etching feathers on a lizard fossil and claiming to find the missing link from dinos to birds.
Evolution "Scientists" have committed so many frauds trying to prove evolution. (Piltdown Man, Nebraska Man ect.)They have no credibility with me and I am not all that religious.
For evolution to be true the missing links would have to be the overwhelming majority of the fossil record but instead they are either extremely rare or non existent.

Answer 8

Evolution, the change in allele frequency over time in a population, is a fact. The theory of evolution by natural selection explains this previous fact.
I also think your question is disingenuous and it is not a matter of thought, though much went into the theory, but a matter of evidence.

Answer 9

There is evidence to show that evolution is a fact. However nothing is certain and we couldn't possibly know for sure... at least for a while. Its still a matter of opinion. I believe in evolution because of the supporting evidence. But some don't because they are too enthralled with a book that is far to old and has be rewritten too many times for its words to still be anything like they were in the beginning. Its ignorance, how can someone deny something with evidence simply because those of a religious group condemn it. They feel what they believe is true, there is no evidence to support anything they believe... but they still do. Why shouldn't we accept evolution? It has evidence.... religion does not. [I'm not atheist by the way... i have a religion]

Answer 10

{ EVOLUTION }: 1- An unfolding ; process of development or change . 2 - a thing evolved. 3 - a movement that is part of a series . 4 - in biology , the development of a species , organism , etc. from its` original to its present state .5 - the " theory" that "all " species developed from earlier forms . { FACT } : 1- a thing that has " actually " happened or is really true . 2 - reality ; truth . 4 - something " stated " to be true . { THEORY } : 1 - a " speculative " plan . 2 - a "formulation" of underlying principles of " certain observed phenomena" that has been " verified " to some degree . 3 - the "principles of an art or science , rather than its practice" . 4 - a conjecture or " guess " ...****** Now ; for the learned evolutional theorist I would ask these simple questions . 1st - If evolution is to be taken as fact , then what controls the process of your initial "one cell started it all" fact , which is the basis for your belief , I ask , where did the 1st cell in your theory come from , and what controls your " evolution " process from the 1st cell to start and stop at random all things that are in the universe , and how does this amazing cell know what to do , which way to go, and when the time is right to make the critical determination on all the countless life forms , and all the "matter" in the universe to "evolve" in an orderly manner so as to not confuse any one of the millions` of possibilities to be what they are suppose to be according to " the theory of evolution " ? One final question , if the one cell in the so called "original soup" started it all ,( where did the soup come from )., then how can it still control the "evolution" of all the matter that is billions of light years away from earth ? If it as the evolutionary scientist say , that the earth is only in the millions of years old in age , when there is matter in the universe that is billions of light years away old ?

Answer 11

There is both the fact of evolution, and the theory of evolution. Evolution has been observed in many ways. These observations are facts. The theory of evolution is a theoretical framework that explains all the observed facts, and allows us to predict the outcomes of observations not yet made.

The only people who dispute evolution now are those who feel it contradicts their religious beliefs.