I waited far too long to listen to this discussion between Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss. The topic was science education, and the points the two men raise are absolutely fascinating.
There was one point in particular I wanted to focus on, being the point that inspired the title of this post. The two scientists were having a bit of a laugh at the ancient creationist one-liner “It’s just a theory,” and of course Professor Dawkins pointed out that creationists refer to the colloquial definition of the word “theory,” while scientists use it in a very strict sense. What he said next was fascinating. He explained that when creationists and scientists speak of theory, they’re actually speaking two different languages. In the language that scientists use, which is a rigorous, academic language where words have precise meanings, the creationist word “theory” actually means “hypothesis.” In the colloquial language of creationists, the scientists’ word “theory” translates far better as “fact.”
Professor Dawkins then went on to compare the theory of evolution to the theory that the object on stage was in fact a table, and that empirically all one can hope for is to fail to disprove the hypothesis that it is in fact a table. Perhaps the best job of exposing the ridiculousness of the “it’s just a theory” line I’ve ever seen. I haven’t done it justice, please listen to the discussion!
Tags: Creationism, Evolution, lawrence krauss, richard dawkins, science education, stanford
Allusions of Grandeur 
June 14, 2008 at 8:44 am |
[EDIT by soulbiscuit: I’ve had enough of Mr. Parsons’ attempts to sell his unscientific and frankly batty books on my blog. If you want to know more about them, I have a couple of posts, or you can Google his name.
When he’s ready to start actually commenting on posts instead of using my comments sections for free advertising, he’s welcome any time.]
June 15, 2008 at 11:45 am |
OK, that’s it, Mr. Parsons. You have failed to make a single comment relative to the post, and instead have posted cut and paste screeds in an attempt to sell your books. Your post is edited. No more hocking your wares on my blog.