If you said to a scientist that you didn't believe in evolution because it was "just a theory", they'd probably be a bit puzzled. After all, say the critics, “evolution is only a theory”. But it isn't "just a theory," implying that it falls short of some more desirable scientific status. Science uses the technical term theory for the large body of evidence Evolution may be only a theory but it's a (insert expletive of your choice here) good theory that explains the natural world very well. [2] The disagreements among these statements, however, have more to do with the meaning of words than the substantial issues and this controversy is discussed below. It includes multiple sources of evidence that build up into a framework of understanding that can change over time to account for new discoveries and new evidence. Evolution. Gravity is a theory. 2) Theory- A theory is something that is the highest honor in all other fields of science. Scientists talk about evolution as a theory, for instance, just as they talk about Einstein’s explanation of gravity as a theory. The theory of evolution by natural selection is the theory that by many converging lines of evidence explains evolution. But don’t bother trying to explain what the word theory means. Evolution has been described as "fact and theory"; "fact, not theory"; "only a theory, not a fact"; "multiple theories, not fact"; and "neither fact, nor theory." You teacher was right and to say, " only a theory " shows that you need to hit the books and learn the hierarchy of scientific concepts. Why is Charles Darwin's theory of evolution still a theory and not a fact? A theory is an idea about how something in nature works that has gone through rigorous testing through observations and experiments designed to prove the idea right or … Fact; law; hypothesis; theory. As far as Macro evolution goes, almost everyone who deal directly with the real evidence for it accepts it, Christian, Jew, Muslim, athiestm or whatever. Evolution is a theory. So evolution is a theory, just like gravity and the germ theory of disease. A law explains what will happen under certain circumstances, while a theory explains how it happens. Don’t pull out the polysyllabic word hypothesis on them, either. For those with a little more elementary scientific knowledge the argument often takes the form "Evolution is only a theory, not a law." The Theory of Evolution is a theory, but guess what? Goes in this order; from least to greatest. Evolution, and most of Biology, cannot be expressed in a concise mathematical equation, so it is referred to as a theory. Just say, “Yes. This version relies on a misconception that science places theories and laws in an hierarchy, with the latter on top of a factual chain. 1 That's right, it all comes down to the multiple meanings of the word theory. The theory of evolution was first proposed by Charles Darwin in the 1800s. A scientific law is not "better" or "more accurate" than a scientific theory. In science, a theory is an explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested and verified by the scientific method. These evolution-rejecting fundamentalists love to say it’s only a theory. Evolution is ‘only a theory,’ says Florida’s new Education chairman August 4, 2019 Rick Snedeker Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! It is a combination of thousands of facts, hypothesis', and is used to explain a general number of things in many different fields under the same umbrella. When scientists use the word theory, it has a different meaning to normal everyday use. 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