RE: [asa] fact vs. theory

Bernie:

> Thanks for your insight.
>
> " Theories are always subject to modification, if not rejection."
>
> Seems like facts are also sometimes rejected in light of new
> information, correct?

In the sense that observations can be incorrect, yes. At the same time,
an underlying assumption of science is that, in general, our senses do
give us "true" information ("facts") about a real objective external
reality. If I see a chair, I can assume that there really is an object
occupying that space that can be described as a chair. However, we can
be fooled - it may be an illusion. But we usually have ways of making
additional observations to test whether or not what I saw was real or
an illusion.

Keith

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Received on Tue Feb 3 14:32:38 2009