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/sci/ - Science & Math

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2470884 No.2470884 [Reply] [Original]

Well I Have a question

Is evolution a....
fact,theory,law or hypothesis? Please explain since all seem to match but not really sure.

>> No.2470887

law. punishable by death.

>> No.2470886

theory
/thread

>> No.2470894

It's effectively been proven, but due to major opposition from creationists, it's regarded as a theory.

>> No.2470895

It's a theory.

Something like that can't ever really be defined as a law (even gravity is explained by the "theory" of gravity"), and thus can't be considered a fact.

It's much more than a hypothesis.

>> No.2470896

Theories tie a bunch of facts together. It's a theory in that sense. Hypotheses are created and tested which alter the theory to explain the observed facts and better the theory.

>> No.2470897

>>2470887
Not just death, extinction.

>> No.2470898

law. punishable by extinction.

>> No.2470905

well it is generally referred to as the "theory" of evolution

>> No.2470907
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2470907

>> No.2470926

I have a question. Are lawyers allowed to call DNA evidence into question by pointing out that DNA evidence establishes we are related to chimps?

>> No.2470938

>>2470926
if it helps me out of a parking ticket ill allow it

>> No.2470964

Well, from what we've observed, it is a fact that things evolve. There is simply too much evidence to say otherwise.

There are many hypothesis as to how and why it happens. Most of them have been tied up in one big theory.

So, overall it is a natural law, one punishable by extinction. But when you try to describe its subtle nuances, you can only speak of a theory.

>> No.2470972
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2470972

OH MY GODDAMN.
/sci/ what the fuck are you doing?
You don't know shit about the basest scientific principles.

In SCIENCE, something is only called a theory AFTER there is a great deal of evidence to back it. If there was little evidence for evolution, it would be called the Conjecture of Evolution. But there is a fuckton of evidence, and thus we call it a theory.

Godfuckingdammit.gif

>> No.2470979

it's a strongly believed hypotheses, theory if you believe empirical evidence counts as proof

>> No.2470982

>>2470938
They have DNA evidence of your traffic violations?

>> No.2470992

When used in everyday speach the word evolution can refer to one or both of two things.

First: The facts which demonstrate organisms change(evolve) over time: Fossils, DNA, etc.

Second: The theory which attempts to explain the facts of evolution; that thing Darwin started and other scientists have improved upon.

Scientists will usually say : "The theory of evolution is supported by....", not "evolution is supported by", because they understand the distinction between theories and facts.

>> No.2471004

all but hypothesis, or you could ammend it to say proven hypothesis. Also, by theory I hope you mean scientific theory, which is a law of the universe.

>> No.2471010

>>2470992
theory is fact in science.
Theory of General Relativity?

>> No.2471012

[x] Fact
[x] Theory
[ ] Law
[ ] Hypothesis

>> No.2471014

>>2470992

>Darwin started

lol no.

Darwin didn't start evolutionary thinking. He just correctly identified a major mechanism and argued for evolution more persuasively than others before him.

>> No.2471019

>>2471012
/thread

>> No.2471022

Theories do not become laws.

Laws are observations that are always true.
i.e. the law of gravitation, masses attract each other.
Laws are always true.

Theories are explanation for phenomena.
i.e. Theory of General Relativity explains why things act the way they do in different inertial frames of reference.

The theory of evolution explains how we came from lesser organisms.

>> No.2471071

Lol @ the idorts saying its a fact. PROTIP: There are no facts in science, only data and theories.

>> No.2471075

Here you go OP:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_as_theory_and_fact

>> No.2471087

Evolution itself is a phenomenon, but the mechanisms behind it are described by evolutionary theory.

>> No.2471089

what other famous theories exist that i open use against creationists ?

>> No.2471108

>>2471089

Heliocentric model. Also Evolutionary Psychology: Explain to them that religiosity correlates strongly with low IQ.

>> No.2471131

IS EVOLUTION HAPPENING?
FUCKING YES.

DO WE FULLY KNOW WHY/HOW/BLAH?
NOT QUITE.

The definition of THEORY in science is not exactly same as we use it casually.

OP, you first need to understand what fact, evidence, proof, law, theories etc are used in science lingo then ask questions.

>> No.2472885

>>2470926
yes, but any judge worth their curly wig wouldn't agree with the argument.

It'd be much better to argue that DNA evicence is actually extremely subjective and that there is no standardised way of determining if two samples match beyond looking at them and trying to see similiarities.

>> No.2472903

>>2471010
No. Theory and facts are not the same thing. A fact is a piece of empirical data. A theory is a logical system which explains and predicts facts.

>> No.2472921

A scientific theory is just a perceived relationship between observable phenomenons

A scientific law means that the relation is always true under a given circumstance. A law is not absolute and can be proven wrong.

Evolution is a theory based on

We can observe and know that organisms gradually adapt to their environments over several generations.

Extrapolating that out over very long periods of time we can reason that new species emerge from these adaptations called evolution

>> No.2472925

>>2471108
>Explain to them that religiosity correlates strongly with low IQ.
Ad hominem up in this bitch? Never use this in a civil debate, makes you seem like an asshole.

>> No.2472926

>>2472921

>Evolution is a theory based on our observations of how organisms adapt over time

>> No.2473544

>>2472925
>Implying I'm not an asshole