The Barbarian
Crabby Old White Guy
- Apr 3, 2003
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Any scientific conclusion based on human reasoning is always doubtful. That's why common descent is called a theory and not a fact. A scientific theory is always held tentatively precisely because there is always reasonable doubt. If there was no reasonable doubt it would be considered a fact and not a mere theory.
People who say "mere theory" do not understand what the word means. In common usage, it has come to mean something like "maybe" or "our best guess." In fact, that is what "hypothesis" means. A theory is an idea that has been confirmed often enough that it is considered unreasonable to deny it. Theories are stronger than scientific laws, because while laws predict things, theories predict and explain things.
Hence, we have Kepler's Laws, which predict planetary motion, but Newton's theory of gravitation, which explains why they move that way. And theories, by way of explanation, bring up new questions that science can pursue.

And my apologies for going along with the hijacking of this thread. It would be great if some creationist would address the points Barry made and give us their responses to those facts.
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