If Evolution is a Theory, why do they teach it as a fact in school?

Answer 1

This book is meant to be analyzed, not merely read and memorized. While reading this book ask yourself, do the facts support the conclusions? Were the experiments carried out properly? Are there other plausible explanations?



This is the first line of the introduction to the first chapter of one of the most popular introductory biology texts used today. Every biology textbook I've ever seen has a similar passage either within the first chapter or in the introduction prior to the table of contents. No respectable science teacher ever introduces a theory as an irrefutable fact. Theories are made to be tested and their flaws exposed. This is a major theme of science. This is what scientists live to do. Our most respected scientists are the ones who turned convention on its head and proved all preceding scientists wrong, not the ones who simply validated existing theories.


That being said, evolution is a fact. Organisms evolve all the time. What the theory of evolution tries to explain is how this phenomenon occurs. The fact that it does occur is not even in dispute. What you can dispute is how life originated on earth, but the fact that organisms evolve over time is irrefutable.

Answer 2

The problem is that the word "evolution" can mean one of two things: The *process* of evolution, or the *theory* of evolution.

The *process* of evolution is a fact. This is defined as the slow change in the inherited traits of an organism over time. This process is a *FACT* ... it can be demonstrated in the lab, observed in nature, manipulated in animals. In fact, humans have been relying on the *process* of evolution for centuries ... it is how we breed everything from cows, to dairy goats, to watermelons, to orchids, to cocker spaniels.

So the *process* of evolution is a fact ... a fact that needs explanation. And this is where the *theory* of evolution comes in.

The *theory* of evolution is (of course) a theory ... but a theory in the *scientific* sense of the word 'theory', meaning an explanation with evidence. This is the theory that explains (a) how that *process* of evolution occurs in nature; and (b) how that *process* explains the origin of species from ealier ancestors.

The theory of evolution is no less a part of science than all the other theories you are learning about in school ... the theory of gravity, the cell theory of biology, the theory of atoms and molecules in chemistry, the germ theory of disease, the plate tectonics theory of geology, the big bang theory of astrophysics, the theory of relativity or quantum theory in physics (if you are an advanced student). Every one of these is accepted with a high degree of confidence by the majority of scientists in the world ... but every one is, and always will be, called a 'theory.' It explains something. It has evidence to support it. Therefore it is a theory.

So always remember, when asking this question, that you need to clarify what you mean by the single word "evolution."

Answer 3

THe basic problem is what scientists call a theory vs what the public thinks the word tehory means. When something in science is called a theory, such as the Theory of Evolution, the Theory of Electromagnetism, the Theory of Special (or General) Relativity, it means that this is the best working explanation for some phenomenon. It is best because it has been supported by observations on repeated experiments, done independently by other scientists. Evolution is accepted because the fossil records, diversity of life versus geographic location and even the mutation of bacteria to drugs best explains the observations. It is further supported by genetics.

And if you think this is impractical, remember the proper scientific term for diseases caused by micro-organisms is Germ Theory. Would you refuse antibiotics for a bacterial infection?

Answer 4

Evolution is a scientific fact, no question about it. It is a fact in the same sense that gravity is taken as a commonsense fact. The theory of evolution is not that it exists, but what is the exact mechanism by which it works. That is what scientists try to discover. It is the same with gravity. We all know that gravity is a fact, but we do not know exactly the minute mechanism behind how it actually works.

Answer 5

You have a diversity of answers. I think the best answer is, as some have said, science is in the business of developing theories, testing those theories and improving those theories as more evidence is collected. The value of a theory is its predictive value. Although evolutionary science continues to evolve (just as physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, material science, etc continue to evolve), it does not mean that evolution is wrong. It only means that we (humankind) are continuing to learn more about it and we improve our understanding as we learn more.

One can say that science is evil but science is responsible for much of what makes up modern life. Is it evil that diseases which used to kill millions of people can be cured? Is it evil that a farm field can feed hundreds of times more people today than it could 200 years ago? Is it evil that this internet technology allows discussion like this one?

I hope this helps

Answer 6

Nothing in science is ever 100% proven (a dictionary definition for "scientific fact" is: "an observation that has been confirmed repeatedly and is accepted as true -although its truth is never final") but you can take the Theory Of Evolution as being as true as the fact that you are sitting there looking at this screen.

Answer 7

Gravity is also a theory.

Do you not believe in gravity because it is only a theory?

You might want to study some science and learn what a theory is. It is not a blind guess in science. Theories are treated as fact. Theories can be changed as new evidence warrents it. Theories can even be replaced as new evidence warrents it.

As for teaching it, from a scientific viewpoint, evolution is the only explantion for how life go to where it is today. Biology without evolution makes no sense.

Answer 8

Apparently the scientific instruction in your school is not up to scratch. "Theory" in the scientific sense refers to a framework or set of models that suffices to explain an observed natural phenomenon. In this case, the "theory" of evolution explains the observed similarities between living things and their division into clear categories of relation. This is in the same manner that Newton's "theory" of gravitation provided an understanding of how the planets were ordered. "Theory" as used in this sense says nothing about the certainty of the claims made - both Newton's theory of gravitation and the theory of evolution are well-justified by many, many lines of evidence.

Answer 9

Evolution is NOT just a theory, there are troves of evidence to prove it as fact.

The people who claim that there is no proof are just deniers.

Answer 10

they do not teach it as a fact heance the name "THE THEORY of Evolution" But it is one of those unprovables that is taken true. another theory "there is no largest prime number" this is taken as fact but it is still yet to be proved. they have found number with a million didgit that is still prime but its still a theory.