RE: hmmm.....

At 05:16 AM 11/1/00 -0800, you wrote:
>taken a THEORY and are trying to pass it as fact. This is as grossly wrong

If you have a BS in chemistry (or any other hard science), then I am surprised that you are referring to the word "theory" in such an ignorant and scientifically illiterate fashion. People who haven't got a clue about science think that "theory" equates to "speculation". It doesn't. A "theory" in the scientific sense is something that has been proposed, tested, argued about, compared to the facts, and over time has been shown to explain the observed facts rather well. The usual ladder of thought looks something like this:

Superstition.
Speculation.
Theory.
Accepted Fact.

There are very few accepted facts. In fact (ha ha), most of chemistry is based on theories rather than facts. Even the structure of the atom, and the existance (or otherwise) of electrons (the whole basis of chemistry) is JUST A THEORY! So are you going to give up on chemistry because it's "just a theory" and has no basis in reality? Didn't think so.

You have to keep in mind the difference between a theory and the facts behind it. For instance, Gravity is a theory (Theory of Gravity), not a fact. Nevertheless, most of us, having dropped a brick, expect to feel pain in our foot soon after. So the Theory of Gravity is based on the fact of gravity. We accept the fact that things fall, masses attract, and we build a theory to try to explain the whys, wherefores, and consequences of this fact.

The Theory of Evolution is based on the FACT of evolution. DNA changes. Living things have been observed (not theory - observation) changing in fundamental ways at the genetic level. Living things have been observed changing in fundamental ways at the genetic level in response to changes in the environment. Living things have also been observed changing in fundamental ways at the genetic level spontaneously. Living things have been observed speciating. Evolution (small 'e') is a fact. All of the processes that Evolution requires have been observed in the real world. The details of how Evolution works, and what contributes to major species changes are a theory. The reason Evolution is the only thing being taught in school is not because it's some kind of Sacred Cow. It's the only thing being taught because Evolution is the only extant scientific theory at the moment that adequately explains observed facts. Want to propose an alternative? Fine. But it has to survive the same gauntlet that every other scientific theory has gone through.

And as to the comment "to accept it as absolute" -- Evolutionary theory has been changing and evolving (yuk yuk) for more than 100 years. It is a work in progress. The ONLY people who refer to it as an absolute are creationists, who set up that straw man (sorry, person) so they can knock it down.

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Dennis Taylor
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