DBAsupport.com Forums - Powered by vBulletin

View Poll Results: Is evolution a proven fact?

Voters
8. You may not vote on this poll
  • The concept of evolution has been proven enough.

    4 50.00%
  • While evolution is a likely scenario, it still needs to be proven.

    0 0%
  • Evolution is still only a theory.

    1 12.50%
  • Creationism is the only true answer.

    3 37.50%
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23

Thread: Evolution: theory or fact

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    4,166

    Evolution: theory or fact

    The issue of whether just evolution should be taught, just creationism or both has come up quite a bit recently. What do you think?

    Some worry evolution dispute hurts image

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Colorado Springs
    Posts
    5,253
    Ah, now here's a subject we can all enjoy.

    Can I get anyone to say "evolution is just a theory"?
    David Aldridge,
    "The Oracle Sponge"

    Senior Manager, Business Intelligence Development
    XM Satellite Radio
    Washington, DC

    Oracle ACE

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    4,166
    Originally posted by slimdave
    Ah, now here's a subject we can all enjoy.

    Can I get anyone to say "evolution is just a theory"?
    You just did.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    3,134
    WHAT?
    A non-political thread?

    I lack sufficient education to answer this question.
    I remember when this place was cool.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Colorado Springs
    Posts
    5,253
    Originally posted by Mr.Hanky
    WHAT?
    A non-political thread?

    I lack sufficient education to answer this question.
    Hey, there's no educational requirements on this one at all. All you need to take part in this thread is a strong opinion.

    David Aldridge,
    "The Oracle Sponge"

    Senior Manager, Business Intelligence Development
    XM Satellite Radio
    Washington, DC

    Oracle ACE

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2000
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    4,166
    Originally posted by slimdave
    Hey, there's no educational requirements on this one at all. All you need to take part in this thread is a strong opinion.

    He does have that, no facts to back it up, but he has strong opinions!
    Last edited by gandolf989; 11-12-2004 at 03:17 PM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Geneva Switzerland
    Posts
    3,142
    Originally posted by slimdave
    Can I get anyone to say "evolution is just a theory"?
    YOU BET! Especially if you leave out the "just". (I think you do this just to get me on a hobby-horse again ).

    It gets right up my nose to hear people say "it's just a theory" when they don't want to believe something. Theories are good.
    Facts are facts; theories are theories; don't mix then up.

    Theories are models of reality which explain facts, make predictions (and thus can be useful) and are disprovable (Ã* la Pepper). Relativity and Quantum-Electrodynamics are theories - very good ones, which make predictions that are verified to 10+ decimal places - but we already know that a theory of Quantum Gravity (when it comes along) will superceede them, as these two superceeded Newton's world view.

    Evolution is a theory - it makes predictions (not very strong ones I would say) and is consequently disprovable.

    Creationism does not seem to make disprovable predictions (I wait to be corrected on this) so is something less than a theory.

    Two examples (I paraphrase from memory):

    - Niels Bohr on hearing some proposition:
    "It's bad. It's not even wrong!" (i.e. it wasn't testable).

    - Roger Penrose on Fred Hoyle's steady-state Universe (as opposed to the big-bang):
    "It was a very good theory, it explained facts and made predictions. It turned out to be wrong."

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Colorado Springs
    Posts
    5,253
    Of course when someone dismisses the Theory of Evolution with the phrase "it's just a theory", they display their own ignorance of the nature of a scientific theory, right?

    Lesson One in these scientific text books ought to be on the nature of a scientific theory, and the difference between that and the common usage of the word to mean "guess" or "notion". That'd put these stickers into perspective.
    David Aldridge,
    "The Oracle Sponge"

    Senior Manager, Business Intelligence Development
    XM Satellite Radio
    Washington, DC

    Oracle ACE

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Geneva Switzerland
    Posts
    3,142
    Originally posted by slimdave
    Of course when someone dismisses the Theory of Evolution with the phrase "it's just a theory", they display their own ignorance of the nature of a scientific theory, right?
    SPOT ON!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    3,134
    Originally posted by gandolf989
    He does have that, no facts to back it up, but he has storng opinions!
    At least I can spell STRONG developer boy!
    I remember when this place was cool.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Click Here to Expand Forum to Full Width