Is Evolution only a theory?

Question

Many scientists state that evolution is indeed a fact, but are they just saying that because they refuse to accept that it's still classified a theory?

Answer 1

Just because there are people who keep screaming that evolution is a fact, that doesn't mean it is.

From what I've seen, I have to agree with T. Wallace: “A major reason why evolutionist arguments can sound so persuasive is because they often combine assertive dogma with intimidating, dismissive ridicule towards anyone who dares to disagree with them. Evolutionists wrongly believe that their views are validated by persuasive presentations invoking scientific terminology and allusions to a presumed monopoly of scientific knowledge and understanding on their part. But they haven’t come close to demonstrating evolutionism to be more than an ever-changing theory with a highly questionable and unscientific basis. (The situation isn’t helped by poor science education generally. Even advanced college biology students often understand little more than the dogma of evolutionary theory, and few have the time [or the guts] to question its scientific validity.)”

Answer 2

In science you have a number of different ways information is expressed:

Facts - these will be actual observations and results. Also called data.
Laws - these come from the facts, and are descriptive statements.
Hypotheses - these are explanatory models that do not have much supporting evidence yet
Theories - these are hypotheses that have accumulated enough evidence to be widely-accepted in the scientific community.

So, as an example:
Fact: objects fall to the ground. The earth orbits around the sun.
Law: (describing these facts) objects attract other objects; this is the "Law of gravity"
Hypothesis: maybe matter emits particles called gravitons that are responsible for this attraction.
Theory: gravitational attraction transmitted by gravitons.

The hypothesis and theory can never be declared to be *proved*, as they are only models; they are explanations with evidence of why people believe them to be accurate.

For evolution:
Fact: populations are observed to change in quality over time. Fossils of more primitive organisms are found in the fossil record earlier than more advanced organisms.
Law: populations of organisms change ("evolve") over time, often increasing in complexity.
Hypothesis: perhaps only the "best" adapted organisms from any population will survive and breed in significant numbers, passing those traits on to their offspring.
Theory: the theory of evolution by natural selection.

This is highly abbreviated (there is no way I could ever include even a fraction of the evidence that supports evolution). But you can see that evolution is a fact (it can be observed both directly and indirectly), and it is a Law. Evolution by natural selection is a theory, but an extremely well-supported one. It is quite possibly the scientific theory with the best evidence around.

Answer 3

A theory, such as the theory of special relativity or the gravitational theory, means that the explanaition and model offered to explain some set of observed phenomenon does so better than any other working hypothesis. To call something a theory in science means that you can use it not only to explain what has been observed, but you can use it to predict things that have ot yet been observed. A successful theory will have predictions borne out by repeatable experiments. A good excample of this is Einstein's prediction of the bending of light from a distant star as the light passes near a massive object like the sun. This was never observed prior to the prediction from his General Theory of Relativity, which is a theory of gravitation. Aurthur Eddington made the observation of a star that appears near to the sun during a solar eclipse in 1919 verifying the prediction.

So to deem something a theory in science is quite a distinction. It says that this explanation is better than anything else, and is supported by experimental and observational data.

Evolution is supported by the fossil records and the observations on the diversity of life - both in the number of species and the breeds within the species. We see it ata a icor-scale in how bacteria are evolving and are becoming drug resistant. Evolution is also supported by dating estimates for the age of the rock strata fossils are found in. Other explanations for the diversity of life and the fossil records usually end up appealing to some divine intercedence which removes the discussion from the realm of science and into the religious or philosophical. That is not science.

Answer 4

Evolution is both scientific theory and fact. Because of the nature of science and living organisms there is always going to be some sort of change. You call it doubt if you want. The fact remains there is NO other theory that comes close to describing how life emerged on Earth.

You obviously don't know any scientist or science. Science theory is nothing like lay theory. No scientist rejects evolution simply because it is theory. In fact the number of scientist that reject evolution can be counted on one hand.

Answer 5

Theory, fact... Who cares? But at the end of the day they have vast amounts of actual, physical, scientific data to help back it up... All things start as theory, they then "evolve" into scientific fact when we know for sure, which we eventually will.

People used to think the world was flat, no one wanted to believe otherwise except those few brave thinkers of the time. The church branded it heresy... But heh, guess what?

Sure there are those nutters out there that want to take the bible literally. 6 day creation, rivers of blood, eye ripping, god made man etc... but heh, leave them to it, whatever floats your boat.

All of science is theory, It is the results of those theories that become fact... So while you lot argue about who's the craziest...
I'll be enjoying my TV, Internet, Microwave, mobile phone, Car, Satellite TV, sunblock, Staying stuck to the earth by gravity and all those other things that "theories" have made fact.

Answer 6

Rookie question. You're only displaying your ignorance when you ask it. There is a difference between the word "theory" as used conversationally and "theory" used scientifically. They're two different words. Just because they're spelled the same doesn't mean they are the same. Oddly, creationists make this mistake all the time. Luckily, scientists don't.

If you continue to make this mistake I suggest you try to keep your livestock in a (ballpoint) pen. Good luck.

Answer 7

Some parts are fact, and some parts are still theory.

But to just outright deny that evolution exists is just plain ignorant.

We have a very diverse fossil record to support evolution as a fact and not just a theory.
Now the creationists are trying to say that it does not take millions of years to fossilize something. They have displays of stupid things they claim are fossilized, but any person who knows the difference knows that there is a big difference between something that is fossilized and something that is mummified.
The creationists are trying very hard to convince people that mummified things are fossils.

Edit 1- Evolution does NOT say we evolved from apes. What it does say is that apes and humans have a common ancestor.
From that ancestor one branch evolved into man and another branch evolved into apes.

To the other people who answered this question: Do not make statements about evolution when you have not even studied it yourself. You only make yourself look foolish.

Answer 8

Adids101 puts it best.

Scientific theory in my mind is closer to fact than a book that was written and compiled over a period of many centuries by may different men from stories and myths that were passed down by word of mouth by a collection of nomadic tribes (ie the Bible).

Creationism is also a theory.
Scientific theory can be proven or refuted by experimentation and/or observation.

Creationism could only be proven if God himself appeared and showed us how he did it.

Faith is not proof.

Answer 9

Given what i know, evolution is still a theory to this date.

Indeed, there are many fossil evidences which support this theory. However, according to what i discover, the gaps between each mutation or stages is too wide apart and many scientists are still having different views on this.

There are many more other factors which had caused much dispute over evolution. Another example is the possibility of successfully producing the first protein in a soup of amino acids. The number of possibilities is 1 out of infinity.

As what i know, evolution is a strongly believed theory, brought up by Charles Darwin.
*pardon any mistake i made. thank you.*

Answer 10

Yes it is a theory, and it is not as contentious as it is made out to be. The only people who feel challenged by it are the religious fundamentalists, because they dont realise that they can believe in the bible for its spritual content and look at science to enrich their lives. And the theory of evolution doesnt support the theories in the religious texts. By and large the 'noise' is being made by Christians. wonder what they have to say about other religious theories of origin of life. Hinduism, Buddhism and other non Judeo-Christian religions have different theories and if they belived in scripture literally they would argue the same, ie Theory of evolution is wrong as well as the the passes in Genesis.

Answer 11

I doubt anyone who made it far enough in school to actually become a scientist really said that. Of course it's a theory, but so is the theory of gravitational attraction, and both are well accepted because they are testable, have a great deal of evidence to back them up, and can be used to predict how things happen, physically and biologically. All good scientists will re-evaluate theories based on new data; but until the invisible man behind "intelligent design" actually shows up and is willing to field questions and cough up some proof, that "theory" will remain in the domain of the ridiculous where it belongs.