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In common usage, "theories" are problematic. If I say that "in theory" something is so, you immediately know that I'm not all that sure. There is question.
Scientists use the word in an entirely different context. A scientific theory is an attempt to describe, as accurately as possible, a body of fact that exists independently of the theory. Keep this firmly in mind: good theories explain reality; poor theories bend reality to fit the theory.
Because, Evolution is not a "fact" it is technically just a theory. A theory, in the scientific community, is much more than the generalized term it has become in every day conversation. While evolution is extremely well supported it isn't necessarily treated as a fact because it cannot be implicitly proven despite the great evidence in it's favor. Furthermore, to explain just how much weight a theory holds I'll list some examples which are common to most people Gravity, is technically just a theory even if you experience it all your life. Germ theory (the idea that pathogens and microbes cause illness in individuals), is technically just a theory even though germs causing disease have been isolated and proven to cause disease in other organisms. Cell theory, which states that all living organisms are made of cells, is technically just a theory even though you can observe these cells under a microscope. The reason that these very well established 'facts' (to use it in a liberal fashion) are called 'theories' in science is because scientific 'theory' has a different meaning from a 'theory' in everyday life, which is more accurately called a hypothesis or a conjecture. A scientific theory is a hypothesis that has held under the pressure of testing by countless scientists with different methods and can explain a natural phenomenon exceedingly well. It is as close to a 'fact' as it gets in the scientific community.
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Is evolution a law or theory or a hypothesis?
Answer 1A theory. Just as E=Mc2 is the theory of relativity.Answer 2Evolution is both a fact and a theory, although the fact and the theory of evolution are - at least in my book - two different things:The fact of evolution is the observation that lifeforms evolve over time.The theory of evolution is the model that explains how they evolve, and how that applies to our findings in genetics and palaeontology. The theory of evolution incorporates a number of well-tested hypotheses, laws, and facts.
Evolutionists often make the distinction between evolution as a fact and evolutionary theory What does this mean?
Evolution is descent with modification. Or, change over time. And formally as the change in allele frequencies over time in a population of organisms. This is an observed and a observable fact. The theory is; the theory of evolution by natural selection, which explains the fact of evolution. Natural selection is the main mechanism ( there are others ) that drives the adaptive change in organism that can lead to speciation, or just simple evolution.
Why are Charles Darwins' ideas so important?
He proposed a theory that attempts to explain why and the fact of evolution works.It is, so far, the best and most accurate theory that adequately explains why evolution happens.
What is the central force driving evolution?
Reproductive variation is central to evolution. All else in evolutionary theory follows directly or indirectly from the fact that organisms reproduce with variation.
What theory states that the more recent species are changed descendants or earlier species?
The so called "theory" of evolution, though it has essentially been proven to be a fact.
Why is evolution theory not fact?
Evolution is both theory and fact. Moreover, the fundamental theses of the theory (common descent, natural selection) are so well supported by fact that they might as well be called fact.
How is the idea of evolution a threat to scientific progress?
The idea of evolution is that evolution is a fact and the theory of evolution by natural selection explains much about the fact of evolution. Your question is ill posed. A more modern phrase would say your question is malformed. How could the fact of evolution be a threat to anything? How could the theory that is the backbone of biology not be one of the greatest progressions in science? Much confusion between fact and theory. Theory explains fact and encompasses fact and is a higher scientific concept than fact.
Is evolution a theory or hypothesis?
Evolution is an observed and observable fact. The theory of evolution by natural selection explains many things about evolution. The theory generates testable hypothesis, as any good theory does. Remember, theory is the highest concept in science.
Is evolution a law or theory or a hypothesis?
Answer 1A theory. Just as E=Mc2 is the theory of relativity.Answer 2Evolution is both a fact and a theory, although the fact and the theory of evolution are - at least in my book - two different things:The fact of evolution is the observation that lifeforms evolve over time.The theory of evolution is the model that explains how they evolve, and how that applies to our findings in genetics and palaeontology. The theory of evolution incorporates a number of well-tested hypotheses, laws, and facts.
What do you think of the theory of evolution?
It does not mater what anyone thinks about the theory of evolution by natural selection. The theory of evolution by natural selection is the best explanation we have for much of the observed and observable fact of evolution. The theory is internally consistent with the fact of evolution, it is supported by myriad lines of converging evidence and it generates testable predictions in the form of scientific hypothesis. The opinion of no one is needed by the theory of evolution by natural selection and educated people have come to accept the theory.
Who gave the theory of evolution?
There is no " theory of evolution " as evolution is a fact. The theory is; the theory of evolution by natural selection and explains much about the fact of evolution. Charles Robert Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace come up with the theory of evolution by natural selection, though natural selection is a phrase coined by Darwin.
What does it mean when it states that evolution is just a theory?
Evolution is a fact. The theory of evolution by natural selection is what you are trying to talk about. When someone says " evolution is just a theory " they are using the vulgar, common sense of the word theory. They mean guess, hunch and the like. The theory of evolution by natural selection is in the scientific sense of the word theory, which means a body of explanatory work supported by myriad lines of converging evidence that has been tested rigouusly and replicated often. Any good dictionary uses this scientific meaning of theory as the primary meaning of the word.
For what reason is evolution false?
There is no such reason. Evolution, the change in allele frequency over time in a population of organisms, is a fact and as much a fact as the sun rising in the East every day. The theory of evolution explains much about the fact of evolution and is supported by more evidence that the fact that the sun seems to rise in the East is explained by the theory of heliocenterism.
How is Charles Darwin's theory of evolution a theory?
It is a comprehensive explanatory body of well supported by the evidence concepts that go for in explaining the fact of evolution.
What are the doctrines of evolution?
There are no ' doctrines ' of evolution. Evolution, the change in allele frequency over time in a population of organisms, is fact. The theory of evolution by natural selection explains, to a great degree, this fact. The theory is supported by mountains of evidence, from fossils to molecular genetics. Science does not have doctrines.
Why is Evolution taken as fact rather than theory versus Biblical Creation?
evolution can be proven that is why it is a fact, The biblical creation is a belief and not proven.
Should evolution be tought in schools?
Absolutely! This is not even a subject for discussion among educated people. Evolution is a fact and the theory opf evolution by natural selection explains that fact.
