Space/Science — HabitableZone

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A common misconception is the meaning of the word "theory" in science
Larry J — (archived)

A theory in science isn't just a belief or an educated guess. That would be speculation or perhaps a hypothesis.

True scientific theories start as a hypothesis and are subjected to serious scientific scrutiny. For something to be considered a theory, it must not only describe the existing evidence but able to predict what will happen. A theory can be proven false by even a single experiment that generates data that doesn't fit within the theory's predictions. When that happens (and it does happen fairly often), the theory either must be modified to fit the new evidence or scrapped.

There are very few scientific "laws" anymore. A law is something that's considered infallible. After almost 100 years, scientists still talk about the Special and General Theories of Relativity despite being upheld by countless experiments and scientific observations.

In terms of science, creationism or Intelligent Design are no where near being considered theories. Creationism is really little more than the Book of Genesis in a pseudoscience wrapper. Intelligent Design might rise up to the level of speculation but where is the evidence? Almost everything I've seen on ID has been attempts to refute evolution rather than to prove ID. What would it take to prove either theory false? If it isn't falsifiable, it isn't a theory.

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