Many people assume that a theory falls in the middle of a hierarchy of certainty – above a mere hypothesis but below a law. Scientists do not use the terms that way, however. According to the National Academy of Sciences, a scientific theory is “a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.” No amount of validation changes a theory into a law, which is a descriptive generalization about nature. So when scientists talk about the theory of evolution – or the theory of relativity, or the theory of gravity, or the atomic theory – they are not expressing reservations about its truth.
About me
As an atheist – and former Christian homeschooling parent – I blog (mostly) about the social-political aspects of religious fundamentalism, especially as it impacts the education and socialization of children.
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Recent Posts
- A Boatload of Nonsense from our GOP presidential contenders
- You know folks don’t like you when…
- Cain, The Reluctant Leader?
- Pledging Allegiance to the Cross Spangled Banner
- McRibs will put a spring in your step
- Not that I’m kvetshing, mind you
- Herman Cain: A “real” black man is uneducated and racially pure
- Not everbody’s got the dry humor gene
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