RE: Student perceptions re evolution

From: Alexanian, Moorad (alexanian@uncw.edu)
Date: Mon Aug 25 2003 - 15:45:00 EDT

  • Next message: Michael Roberts: "Re: Student perceptions re evolution"

    The difficulty I have with saying that evolutions is a fact is that I do
    not really know what that means. Can we extrapolate to the earliest
    times and suppose that life evolved from the nonliving?

    Moorad

    -----Original Message-----
    From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
    Behalf Of Stephen J. Krogh, P.G.
    Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 3:32 PM
    To: asa@calvin.edu
    Subject: RE: Student perceptions re evolution

    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu]On
    > Behalf Of Jay Willingham
    > Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 1:13 PM
    > To: ASA
    > Subject: Re: Student perceptions re evolution
    >
    >
    > I stand corrected regarding the identity of theory and fact.
    > However in his
    > definition quoted below, he did say evolution was a fact as well as a
    > theory.

    While evolution is both a fact and a theory, fact does not equal theory.
    Similarly, my sister is a wife, a mother, as well as an accountant.
    However,
    wife mother, sister and an accountant are not the same thing.

    > Before I contest that issue, I should wait for a consensus definition
    of
    > "evolution" from the group.
    >
    > Gould quote:
    >
    > "Well, evolution is a theory. It is also a fact. And facts and
    > theories are
    > different things, not rungs in a hierarchy of increasing certainty.
    Facts
    > are the world's data. Theories are structures of ideas that explain
    and
    > interpret facts. Facts do not go away when scientists debate
    > rival theories
    > to explain them."
    >
    > Jay

    IOW, facts "in science", are the observations. Theories explain the
    observation. As Gould states, they are completely different animals, so
    to
    speak. Gravity is also both a theory and fact. Theories of Gravity have
    been
    employed to explain the known observations (facts) of Gravity. When new
    observations (facts) are observed, the explanation (theory) must be
    modified
    to account for the new observation. The Theories are fact driven, not
    the
    other way around.

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