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Author Topic:   What is Science?
NosyNed
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Posts: 8996
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 9 of 14 (179017)
01-20-2005 5:38 PM
Reply to: Message 8 by JustinC
01-20-2005 5:12 PM


Theories and Facts
So just to rap things up, do you think it's possible for a theory to become a fact if the evidence is so concrete it can be considered intersubjective?
I think this is missing a point. Facts and theories may not be things on different sides of some sort of wall. There is a continuum of certainty about something. By now most would accept the heliocentric theory as a "fact". Pretty much up there with the sun being expected to appear in the east tomorrow.
There is a smooth gradiation. What label you might choose to put on something isn't really worth getting in a knot about. The question is "How sure can I be of this? "
In addtion, there is some semantic convenience in making the definition of a theory to be an over arching explanation of a set of facts. If the explanation is very, very, very sure to be correct does that make it a fact in one way and, because it is an explanation rather than an observation, a theory at the same time.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by JustinC, posted 01-20-2005 5:12 PM JustinC has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by JustinC, posted 01-20-2005 6:31 PM NosyNed has replied

  
NosyNed
Member
Posts: 8996
From: Canada
Joined: 04-04-2003


Message 11 of 14 (179077)
01-20-2005 7:27 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by JustinC
01-20-2005 6:31 PM


Re: Theories and Facts
Which is the root of the problem. Is the Germ Theory of Disease a theory or a fact? According the definitions I was using, I would say it is both. According to you, though, I'd assume you would call it simply a fact.
No, both. I meant to say that with this rhetorical question (that I left the ? of the end of.)
If the explanation is very, very, very sure to be correct does that make it a fact in one way and, because it is an explanation rather than an observation, a theory at the same time.
Just to clarify, do you think an observation is science? And do you think theory and fact are on the same continuum of certainty?
Mmmmmm haven't thought about this before. No, if I take science to be a process.
However, are all observations equal? Are some "scientific" in some way and others not so much?
It may be that we can classify observations too. Some are "intersubjective" and might be a better class of observation than others.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by JustinC, posted 01-20-2005 6:31 PM JustinC has replied

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