There are perhaps four classes of idea where some kind of discovery, as opposed to invention or definition, is involved:
1. An idea that can be, but has not yet been tested.
2. An idea that has been tested as rigorously as possible and has passed the tests.
3. An idea that has not passed the tests.
4. An idea that cannot be tested.
In theology the test is based on scripture, and in philosophy on logic. The emphasis in both is usually on proof.
In science the test is based on objective reality, on how the world works, and the emphasis is usually on falsification rather than proof because it is really hard to prove anything at all about the world. The first type of idea is strictly called a thesis. String Theory is, at best, a thesis, but was misnamed to make it sound cool. Most ideas end up in the third group as garbage. The last type of idea, one that cannot be tested, is known as ”not even wrong’.
A good scientist will try to falsify her idea before publishing it, and will point out as many ways as possible for other people to do so. Darwin did this. He said that he could be proved wrong if we found just one species, or even a single part of an animal or plant, that can’t be explained by his idea. After 150 years and lots of attempts, no one has been able to find one. For such a counter-intuitive idea to last so long in the face of extreme skepticism by many generations of Christians, amongst others, makes it one of the strongest in science.
We can never say for sure that a scientific theory is true, because we don’t have a handbook for the world. We wouldn’t need science if we did. But as the number of tested theories grows, we can be a little more certain about them, because they give the right answers and all have to work together.
Many of the posts on this topic are about the meaning of words rather than the value of ideas. Modern theologians, and certainly scientists, are often much more pragmatic, so here’s a thought experiment: Suppose that your partner fell seriously ill. Would you seek the aid of scientifically trained doctors and scientific medicine? Of course. Would you pray your heart out? Of course. You would try everything that might work. But would it help to debate the meaning of life and whether we can truly ever know anything? Probably not.
So why do it now?
There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made - Richard Feynman
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