THE PACK Message Boards

I hope we aren't going to take this too far or anything.
I mean you guys should express your opininons and what not. I just don't what anyone disliking the other because this is topic.

You know what I mean.

Just use the term "guess" when you want to refer to someone's pet idea, and not use "theory."
Referring to a wild guess as a "theory" is as accurate as referring to Manchuria, Yunnan, and China as though they were all separate countries.
(the first two are provinces of the latter, fyi)

Well, can't theory mean both things?
Like the big bang theory. There is really no evidence that it is true.
Its what they(meaning scientist) think what happened, but they are not sure. Isn't that the reason why its called a theory.
Oh, and the evolution theory. If you think there is enough evidence to support it, then why is it called a theory?

Do you get what I'm saying? Can't it be used both ways?
Theres really no evidence that supports the big bang theory, so why do they call it a theory.
If there is evidence that supports the evolution theory, then why do they call it a theory.
They both can't be called theorys, or can they.
Will someone please explain.

Anook wrote:Well, can't theory mean both things?
Like the big bang theory. There is really no evidence that it is true.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_mic ... _radiation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble%27s_law

Anook wrote:Well, can't theory mean both things?
Like the big bang theory. There is really no evidence that it is true.
Its what they(meaning scientist) think what happened, but they are not sure. Isn't that the reason why its called a theory.
Oh, and the evolution theory. If you think there is enough evidence to support it, then why is it called a theory?

Do you get what I'm saying? Can't it be used both ways?
Theres really no evidence that supports the big bang theory, so why do they call it a theory.
If there is evidence that supports the evolution theory, then why do they call it a theory.

No. A scientific theory is not a guess, it is used for explaining how scientific facts function in nature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory#Science
The Big Bang Theory is a theory, and not a guess because both physicists and astronomers have studied the rates of red light movement of distant galaxies, and have been able to estimate, according to these rates, that everything in the Universe was in one spot, 13.7 billion years ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_bang
Evolutionary theory is a theory, and not a fact because people have been studying and documenting living, extinct and fossil species, and their changes for the last 200 years. These documented changes, coupled with a thorough reexamination 12,000+ years of agriculture and animal husbandry have lead scientists to say that populations of species change with each generation.
Saying that a theory is another word for a guess is like arguing that Holland and the Netherlands are two different countries.

Ok, so does that mean when we all die, we don't exist anymore?
You don't get to see your family, or friends anymore?

You know, maybe we shouldn't discusse the big bang theory and theory of evolution. I should have never put that in my response. I'm starting to think I should have never responed at all.

Well, if someone has anwsers or opinions to my two questions, then please type back.

Maybe we all could be a little nicer about these responses. It sounds like some of you are starting to get upset.

Science is not a religion anymore than watching Superbowl Sunday every year is not a religion either.
Science has nothing to say about the Afterlife because Science has no way of detecting the Afterlife.
The people who started the idea that science can be dismissed by saying "it's only a theory" were a bunch of oily, disreputable, anti-intellectual politicians who seek to manipulate children's education.

Anook wrote:Ok, so does that mean when we all die, we done't exist anymore?
You don't get to see your family, or friends anymore?

No. It doesn't mean any of that. That's like asking 'what happened before the universe began'. Since all of the information about that was destroyed in the Big Bang, there's no way to falsify any hypothesis about it so scientists don't make any. One can't have theories where one has no data, like what happens to one's consiousness after death.

ok, I feel a whole lot beter now

Anook wrote:ok, I feel a whole lot beter now

Tell that to the stupid people who made the lousy movie "Flatliners"

Oh, I've seen that movie.
It was ok.

and lets not forget the cooks of the flat earth society either

LoyalReaperDragon wrote:and lets not forget the cooks of the flat earth society either

I'm certain that the Flat Earth Society is defunct, given as how its last known leader is presumed dead, and all of the Flat Earth Society webpages are hoaxes.

......................

What's with the obsessive nitpicking about the terminology? Damn. I don't get all huffy over someone mispronouncing my name, such a piddly little thing isn't worth getting all flustered over. Neither is the theory vs. hypothesis thing. I don't see you wholeheartedly insisting that America be referred to as a republic and not a democracy, but it is. Where's the difference? Really. There's better things to waste your energy on. Like strangling your siblings. Er...I mean exercising and staying fit. Yeah. *shifty eyes*

Throw the word theory at an average joe and they'll be thinking of what all the people who didn't have a cow over the non-dictionary use of the word thought. Tell them you have a hypothesis, and they'll blink and say "A what?".

And you know what? It's the average joe that matters in the course of a language's evolution and definitions of its words. Gay and queer never used to mean homosexual. But they do now, because it was used by people for so long the dictionary writers changed the Ra damned definition for it. Like "cool" came to mean something really neat.

My point is let us use whatever term we damn well please. It's not going to kill you, or any of your scientists.

"Don't listen to Set, my precious. They tried to take you from us. But we won't let them..." *pets precious*

Saying something is 'only a theory' is like saying "Oh, it's only a mountain", or "It's only 1,000,000 pounds".

i think for once we should listen to set

Set wrote:

Language is a tool for communcation and understanding.

LoyalReaperDragon wrote:i think for once we should listen to set

I said sit not Set.

i wasnt adressing you when set posted

And you failed to realize I was trying to make a joke.

Well, now that I think about it....
After reading Sets response, I agree with him.
We are all (well, the ones that posted) making a big deal out of nothing.
I don't think anyone is going to change their mind on the meaning of the word theory or how its usd.

I mean, some of you started to sound aggravated because of it.
Just use it the way you want to. It doesn't really matter how everyone else uses it. I should really practice what I preach. I thought you could used the word both ways (you might have already seen my response).
I never really thought about how the term was used until it was brought up here, it never bothered me, so I guess I shouldn't let it bother me now. It also sounds like some of you are starting to get stressed out about it.

I mean, I think its great that your expressing your opinion and you should keep doing that.
I just don't see why we should get upset.

Good response Set