<quote from Real Faith & Reason, vol 2>
Scientific Observation, Fact, Law, and Theory
An ungodly thinker said the following:
“If we test a theory under various conditions and controls, over time, it becomes fact. If every scientist has tested the theory of gravity and finds that under every possible condition, objects fall to earth at the same rate, gravity becomes a fact.”
By creating ambiguity, this statement blurs the difference between these four:
- scientific observation
- scientific fact
- scientific law
- scientific theory
The ungodly thinker who wrote the claim above confused himself by not knowing the difference between these four: observation, fact, law, and theory. For clarification, theories of gravity are stories about why and how gravity works, but we can’t observe the stories.
On the other hand, we can test the scientific facts regarding gravity, and we can also test the scientific law of gravity. We can observe objects falling to earth at the same rate. But this observation isn’t a theory of gravity. It’s observation rather than theory. We observe facts regarding gravity and the Law of Gravity.
However, scientists made up all the various theories of gravity. Each one of these theories is consistent with the observed facts. However, they also go beyond what we observe. They try to explain what we observe. Whatever goes beyond observation and experience springs from either made-up stuff or divine revelation. While we shouldn’t have to tell anyone this obvious fact, some thinkers misunderstand this simple reality. They learned irrationality from one source or another and don’t know the difference between a theory and an observed fact.
We can look at various theories of gravity, but they can’t all be right. They could all be wrong since we can’t test the various theories of gravity. Instead, these theories are mere speculative explanations of what scientists observed. We can’t observe scientists’ stories about possible causes for the Law of Gravity, so although these explanations might not conflict with what we observe, lack of conflict doesn’t prove the explanation. Neither does conforming to observation prove the explanation.
Even so, it’s not uncommon for thinkers to confuse scientific laws with scientific theories. As a case in point, we may hear or read of an exchange where someone says, “Evolution is just a theory.” In response, someone who doesn’t know the difference between scientific law and scientific theory will then say, “What about gravity?” Worse yet, they may go further and confuse scientific theory with scientific fact by saying, “Evolution is scientific fact.” Because the education system failed to teach the differences, some confused thinkers are dogmatic and self-assured.
For illustration, imagine a mom who asks her little boy, “How did the peanut butter get on the floor?” The little boy says, “I don’t know.” But the mom can’t find a way to test whether the little boy knew. The little boy’s theory is that he doesn’t know, while the mom has two theories. She thinks either the little boy or his dad got the peanut butter on the floor, and she thinks that the guilty party does know. But no one confesses. No eyewitness comes forward, and the mom’s theories remain theories because she can’t test the theories.
In summary, the mom has two theories, the little boy has a theory, and all three theories match the observations perfectly. The mom can’t find exceptions to any of the theories. Therefore, no matter how we test the observation of the peanut butter, the theories remain theories and don’t become facts.
<end quote>
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