The Theory OR Fact of Evolution?

Question

If it's the THEORY of evolution why does it seem that it is a FACT?
I mean....in all the schools' textbooks, they seem to mention it like a fact. Is there actually any REAL proof that it is real???

Answer 1

Evolution is simply a theory. Because it is supposedly based on science, it is the focus of the textbooks. Unfortunately, God has been thrown out of most school systems these days, so students are unable to learn about Creation. Creation is primarily faith-based; however, there is also evidence which supports creation.

Answer 2

The concept of "fact" only belongs in a courtroom, and even there it's a silly concept.

In science, there is always the possibility that we could learn more about a subject we think we know well, or that we were interpreting the evidence incorrectly. Because of this, we do not use the word "fact". When we have a pretty good idea of something, we call it a theory. Theories can have different strengths though. There are strong theories, which have withstood the tests of science, and there are weak theories, which may be new theories or theories which for some reason or another can't be tested very rigourously.

But all theories are tentative. It doesn't make them wrong though.

Answer 3

Check your textbooks again ... but check it carefully.

Evolution is taught no differently than anything else in science.

For example, when you get to atoms and molecules in chemistry books, read very closely. It is not taught as "fact" that things are made of atoms and molecules ... that is also a "theory" ... the atoms and molecules explain the properties of chemicals that we see.

If you read about the force of gravity in physics class, it is not taught as "fact" that such a force exists ... again that is a "theory" ... the force is a way of explaining all the things we see about the attraction between large masses.

A THEORY (in science) is an *explanatory system*. That's why atoms and molecules are and always will be "theory". That's why the concept of a "force" of gravity is and always will be a "theory." And that is why evolution is and always will be a "theory." That doesn't mean it's not true. That doesn't mean it's a guess. That doesn't mean something that we're not very very sure about. That just means that we recognize it as an *idea* that we invented to *explain* facts ... atoms and forces are not *facts* themselves.

Evolution is no more and no less a THEORY than the atomic theory of matter, or the theory of gravity. Evolution is just an *explanatory system* that explains all the facts we see ... facts about fossils, DNA, genetics, anatomy, embryology, biogeography, bacteriology, virology, imunology, etc. etc. etc.

When you read textbooks, it is very hard to keep saying "theory" on every page. It is taken for granted that *everything* is theory. Anytime you see an explanation for something based on evidence gathered by scientists over the years ... that is THEORY.

There is no reason at all to single out evolution as being somehow different ... to somehow wonder "why is evolution taught as FACT?" Evolution is no more and NO LESS true than than any other theory in science.

Answer 4

Evolution is a SCIENTIFIC theory - not a hunch or guess. It is well supported with inferences, evidence and observations.

Think about it this way, I place a dice face down on a table so that one number is hidden from view. 1,2,5,3,4, are visible What is that missing number? In theory, if I can OBSERVE what the other 5 visible numbers are, and there is EVIDENCE that 6 numbers (1-6) are present, then I can INFER that that hidden number must be 6 - it isn't proof (unless I look) but direct evidence showing what in theory is missing.

Consider evolution, the mechanism has been OBSERVED with the emergence of multiple drug resistant bacteria, they appeared after the antibiotic revolution, and are undergoing evolution - the mechanism? - natural selection. Advantageous individuals survive and reproduce through specific genetic mutations. This is how evolution works.

There is also plenty of reliable EVIDENCE, the pentadactyl limb shared by all mammals and even birds, the existence of living fossils which have undergone little evolution as their environement remained stable and selection pressures were non existent, RNA/DNA sections shared by all organisms on earth, vestigial organs, the remarkable similarities in bone and organ organisation between animals etc.

Therefore we can INFER that the scientific theory of evolution is correct - that is there is sufficient creditable and reliable evidence to show that evolution has taken place throughout geological history, and is continuing to take place right now. (Yes, even humans to an extent, have a look into sickle cell anemia and how this condition gives an advantage in areas of malarial Africa - natural selection occurring in humans.)

Answer 5

Yes, the theory of evolution is *just* a plain old theory, just like the theory of gravity, the germ theory of disease, the cell theory, electromagnetic theory, etc, etc, etc. All the rest of those theories have been working just fine for many, many years, just as the theory of evolution has.

Theories don't rely on proof, they rely on evidence. Evidence implies something can be falsifiable (as was well put by mistopheles), and, therefore, scientific. Proof implies that it cannot be falsifiable, and, as a result, is not scientific. There is a huge fundamental difference.

There is no "proof" of the theory of evolution, only mountains of evidence. I've listed it in a few other recent posts, which I'll just hyperlink for now:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnTPg5L1zlZr0gNNgoi48b_sy6IX?qid=20070705181741AAPT9A6&show=7#profile-info-tft5DGT6aa

EDIT: Chris S--just because some reporters say it is wrong doesn't make it so. What you want (luckily) does not determine what is in science.

EDIT: Shayna I--there is much, much, much, much more proof than fossilized remains. Se the link I posted above.

EDIT: In_The_Light--there is no empirical, scientific evidence that supports the theory of creation. That is the reason it isn't taught in science classes. Saying that the study of the Bible and other religious texts isn't taught in schools is just not true. The school I teach at has a very popular Biblical Literature course.

EDIT: emmanuel o--No, the theory of evolution is not a result of man's carnal desire to deny the existence of God, and I would suspect many of us Christians who truly understand evolution take offense at that statement. It is simply a result of many observations of nature. And humans have evolved in the past 1 million years...we became human (about 30-50 thousand years ago or so). We haven't evolved into another species since then because environmental pressures haven't caused it, or because isolated groups haven't built up enough mutations, etc.

EDIT: atoughlife2--What you are talking about is technology--the ability to build things around which we base (in your example) religion. There are numerous societal structures in nature, from bee and ant societies to prarie dog family groups to chimp troups, and none of them have built these structures. All that these structures are evidence of is that this type of technology is a recent (in evolutionary terms) result of human evolution.

Answer 6

the problem here is semantics and induction.

First of all, don't confuse the scientific definition of theory with the common usage of the word. In science, a theory is a hypothesis that is backed by observed data. Let's put it this way: we call the idea of the universe made up of tiny things called atoms "Atomic theory", but few people try to denounce it as not a fact. Even though time and time again we use the concept of atoms to invent bigger and better things, we still call it atomic theory. That's because scientists would never be so presumptuous as to assert that it is 100% certain that atoms exist.

nothing, I repeat, nothing, is 100% certain. Not even reality itself. For all we know, we're living in the matrix. For all we know, reality is an illusion. For all we know, the sun usually rises every morning, but tomorrow, it might not rise. In philosophy, that's called the problem of induction.

Karl Popper tackled this problem head on, with a concept called falsifiability. Falsifiability means that we can only distinguish something as a scientific statement when it can be falsified, i.e, when it can be proven wrong.

In this case, evolution is most certainly scientific. It can be debunked by bringing forth evidence that directly contradicts it in favor of a new theory.

The theory of ID, or creationism, is a fairy tale. Because the concept of God is not falsifiable. Just ask a proponent of creationism what it would take for them to accept that God doesn't exist, and they will likely refuse to answer you. God, or God-lite (as I call "Intelligent design" theory) is an act of faith, thus not a matter of science, thus has no place in a science textbook.

Answer 7

Theories are made up of facts. It is fact that gene pools change over time. It is fact that speciation occurs. It is fact that species share common ancestor. Since you can't make a law out of other laws, they call it a theory. The Theory of evolution says all these facts, together, are the explanation to the origin of the species.

Answer 8

You can't prove something that isn't repeatable. For example, you can prove that salt is soluable in water. It works every time, the same way--as long as you have the same environment. Evolution takes a LONG time to repeat. :-)

But before you blast evolution as being a theory, science also calls gravity a theory.

Evolution is a theory, because it is a speculation based on the facts that we have found. Maybe someday, a new fact will crush the theory of evolution.

You can prove how old something is using carbon-dating. You can't prove how it got there.

Answer 9

Theoies in science are more important than facts. A theory isn't an idea, it's an explaination. For example, the atomic theory, the gravitaional theory, the theory the earth is round. They all explain. A fact is leaves are green. A theory is they are green because of their chlorofil.

Answer 10

Evolution is a process natural selection and chance mutation. It is NOT a theory in terms of "hypothesis" or "educated guess". In science, the term "theory" refers to a set of related ideas. That it is referred to as the "theory of evolution" does not make the process of evolution any less factual.

Answer 11

There are two type of theories one which is proven and other which is not and evolution falls under proven theory like theory of gravity, theory of electromagnetism, atomic theory, theory of relativity etc. Scientific theories are explanation of the observed facts rather than guess.