> OK, let me make a statement that you may think is outrageous at first. :)
> Evolution is both theory and fact.
A theory by definition is something that is not known to be a fact. Saying
one thing is both a fact and a theory is silly. The late Carl Sagan often
said that Evolution is a fact, not a theory. I suspect that many
Evolutionists think such honest expression of their beliefs sounds a little
too religious.
> My favorite example is the theory of plasticity as
> opposed to the fact of plasticity. It is a fact that metals display
> plastic behavior. Many theories have been proposed to try to
> explain this fact.
In regards to Evolution, what part is the "fact"? That all modern life
developed naturally from a common ancestor? Or, that alleles change in
frequency with time? Most any Evolutionist asserts that both of these are
facts. Now, what's the theory? That all modern life developed naturally
from a common ancestor? Or, that alleles change in frequency with time?
It's too bad you used plastic metals for your explanation of something being
both a fact and a theory at the same time instead of Evolution.
In regards to your plastic metals, you say "plasticity" is both a theory and
a fact. In your analogy, "plasticity" is a fact, not a theory. A theory of
why metal has plastic properties is not itself plasticity.
> BTW, don't be too influenced by Cummins :).
Thank you for the compliment.
> The "ability of things
> to evolve naturally, step by step, from simple to complex" is not,
> actually, a prediction of evolution. Believe it or not, it is
> still a point of controversy as to whether evolution (the actual
> process as opposed to a theory) results in a *general* trend
> toward increasing complexity.
Doesn't the fact/theory of ameba-to-man predict (this definition of
evolution is the one that is relevant) that there is an ability of nature to
increase complexity step by step?
It's interesting that you can address the fact vs. the theory of evolution
without identifying what you consider (and what the evolutionist community
considers) the fact to be and what you consider the theory to be.