Originally Posted by
DH666
BTW, the theory of evolution is fact:
A scientific law is a description of an observed phenomenon. Kepler's Laws of
Planetary Motion are a good example. Those laws describe the motions of planets.
But they do not explain why they are that way. If all scientists ever did was to
formulate scientific laws, then the universe would be very well-described, but
still unexplained and very mysterious.
A theory is a scientific
explanation of an observed phenomenon. Unlike laws, theories actually explain
why things are the way they are. Theories are what science is for. If, then, a
theory is a scientific explanation of a natural phenomena, ask yourself this:
"What part of that definition excludes a theory from being a fact?" The answer
is nothing! There is no reason a theory cannot be an actual fact as well.
In everyday use, theory means a guess or a hunch, something that maybe needs
proof. In science, a theory is not a guess, not a hunch. It's a
well-substantiated, well-supported, well-documented explanation for our
observations.2 It ties together all the facts about something, providing an
explanation that fits all the observations and can be used to make predictions.
In science, theory is the ultimate goal, the explanation. It's as close to
proven as anything in science can be.