One of the fundamental reasons for the ongoing conflict between the religious
and scientific communities involves differences in terminology and word usage.
Having heard many lay people scoff “evolution is only a theory” or
refer to “the theory of Intelligent Design,” it seems prudent to
discuss differences in usage and understanding, as Creationists are misusing the
understanding of this and other scientific terms by the average individual to
further their own aims.
In science, the word "theory" is not used in the manner understood by most
people, i.e. I have a theory that if I do X, Y will result or perhaps
my theory is that man was created by divine intervention. They equate
the word with “conjecture,” “supposition,” or at worst “guess.” However, phrases
such as these fall under the heading of "hypothesis" or “hunch” for the purpose
of scientific enquiry. In a scientific context, the word theory is
reserved for ideas that have been repeatedly tested experimentally under very
rigorous conditions and confirmed to behave as expected. Quantum
electrodynamics, heliocentrism, and plate tectonics are other examples of
scientific theory; they are areas that have been independently studied and
repeatedly verified over decades or centuries using increasing amounts of hard
data.
CONTROVERSIA
La
eutanasia y el derecho a la privacidad
Paul Kurtz
BUSCANDO UN
MARCIANO DESESPERADAMENTE
Luis R. Gonzalez Manso
PASTILLAS
Los
premios "Anti Nobel" 2004, por Gerardo García-Trío San Martín
Caciques
modernos, trucos antiguos, por Alexandre Taschetto de Castro
Tránsitos:
Jacques Benveniste y John Mack. Adiós a dos fabricantes de ilusiones, por
Alejandro Agostinelli
Los niños (¿mormones?) de Brasil, por Kentaro Mori
ESCRITO EN
SANGRE
Mariana Comolli
RESEÑAS
Libros: "Nunca te enamores de la
médium" (L.R.González Manso)
Sitios Web: "Perspectivas"
(A.J.Borgo)
Skeptical Briefs is the CSICOP quarterly
newsletter published for CSICOP associate members. 