Date: 23 Apr 1998 21:47:03 GMT
From: Chris Ho-Stuart <>
Subject: Re: Science Friction
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

Rod Jackson <s32170> wrote:
> (Jason Stokes) writes:
>
> >In article <>, Rod Jackson
> ><s32170> wrote:
> >
> >>I agree with the bill that evolution should be taugh as theory not as
> >>fact. I do think it should be taught. I was very suprised to hear that
> >>there was that biology class they had never spoken about evolution (what
> >>did they discuss?).
> >
> >Since the bill lies about several aspects of evolution, what you are
> >saying is that you agree that it’s acceptable to force science teachers
> >to lie to children to shore up fundamentalist Christian faith.
>
> Well, not having read the bill – what I was saying was and is – that I
> agree evolution should be taught as theory not as fact. If you think it is
> fact then maybe you’d care to extrapolate…

It is absolutely APALLING that anyone would consider enshrining
in legislation the deliberate misuse of terminology.

People have a horribly hard time with this word “theory”. Often it
is used to mean “hypothesis”. When people are being careful with
meanings, and in particular in the context of science as in
“scientific theory” it does NOT MEAN “HYPOTHESIS”.

The very phrasing of the idea is an example of scientific ignorance
combined with incompetance in the use of English.

I have a book called “Theory of Calculus”.

Perhaps we can get a law saying calculus should be taught only as
a theory?

The use of the word “only” in such a law ought to be the focus
of much hilarity and scorn. So it is with the anti-evolution bill.

OF COURSE we should teach calculus as a mathematical theory. If we want
literate users of English, we should perhaps also teach them than the word
“theory” in this context means a unified body of principles underlying
and explaining a large collection of related mathematical techniques.

When we come to the theory of evolution, in what sense is the word
used? Normal scientific usage, of course. Any dictionary or encylopedia
worth its salt should have, in the discussion on the meaning of the word
“theory”, an indication that in science the word means a unifying body
of principles. A dictionary will no doubt also present the common use
of the word as a synonym for “hypothesis” — but I note with some
amusement that the on-line 1913 Webster’s dictionary singles out this
use as “loose and improper”.

Evolution should be taught as what it is. The theoretical foundation
of biology and a classic example of a powerful scientific theory,
which is, by the way, established to about the same degree of
confidence as the atomic theory of matter.

Cheers — Chris

PS. For those who are interested, here are four definitions I happen
to have on file from previous discussions on this point:

HYPOTHESIS: An explanation that accounts for a set of
facts and that can be tested for further investigation

THEORY: systematically organized knowledge applicable in
a relatively wide variety of circumstances, esp. a system
of assumptions, accepted principles, and rules of procedure
devised to analyze, predict, or otherwise explain the
nature or behavior of a specified set of phenomena.

American Heritage Dictionary

the.o.ry \’the–*-re-, ‘thi(-*)r-e-\ n [LL theoria, fr. Gk theo-ria, fr.
theo-rein] 1: the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one
another 2: the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science,
or an art {music ~} 3: a plausible or scientifically acceptable general
principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena {wave ~ of
light} 4a: a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation
4b: SUPPOSITION, CONJECTURE 4c: a body of theorems presenting a concise
systematic view of a subject {~ of equations} 5: abstract thought :
SPECULATION

(an on-line Webster)

Also the 1913 Webster (online) gives the following: note particularly
teh disparaging comments made about using theory when you really mean
hypothesis:

| Theory (Page: 1496)
|
| The”o*ry (?), n.; pl. Theories (#). [F. th ©orie, L. theoria, Gr. a
| beholding, spectacle, contemplation, speculation, fr. a spectator, to
| see, view. See Theater.]
|
| 1. A doctrine, or scheme of things, which terminates in speculation or
| contemplation, without a view to practice; hypothesis; speculation. &hand;
| This word is employed by English writers in a very loose and improper
| sense. It is with them usually convertible into hypothesis, and hypothesis
| is commonly used as another term for conjecture. The terms theory and
| theoretical are properly used in opposition to the terms practice and
| practical. In this sense, they were exclusively employed by the ancients;
| and in this sense, they are almost exclusively employed by the Continental
| philosophers.” Sir W. Hamilton.
|
| 2. An exposition of the general or abstract principles of any science;
| as, the theory of music.
|
| 3. The science, as distinguished from the art; as, the theory and practice
| of medicine.
|
| 4. The philosophical explanation of phenomena, either physical or
| moral; as, Lavoisier’s theory of combustion; Adam Smith’s theory of
| moral sentiments. Atomic theory, Binary theory, etc. See under Atomic,
| Binary, etc. Syn. — Hypothesis, speculation. — Theory, Hypothesis. A
| theory is a scheme of the relations subsisting between the parts of a
| systematic whole; an hypothesis is a tentative conjecture respecting a
| cause of phenomena.

Also quoting my old “Bay Books encyclopedia” (not a great reference,
but one i have handy)

THEORY, the presentation of a set of facts as a connected account
consisting of interdependent statements. The term literally
means a sight-seeing, which is the source of the contrast made
later between theory and practice, the latter indicating the
doing of things. The function of theory is to account for the
observed facts; it must ‘save the appearances’, to use Plato’s
phrase. The object of scientific research is to provide ever
wider and more accurate accounts of the world, i.e. to create
increasingly satisfactory theories. The aim of a theory is to
articulate the facts concerned in a logical order, starting
from general principles and proceeding by deductive steps, on
the model of Euclid’s Elements. In philosophy the term theory is
sometimes used less strictly to refer to some general proposition
defining a concept in some special way.

(From “The New Age Encyclopedia” (1983) Bay Books, Australia.)

Cheers — Chris Ho-Stuart