Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Dimensio

"Do you understand what a theory is? Just because I don't know how to prove or disprove something does not mean it's not a scientific theory.

Er, actually, that does mean that it's not a theory.

Theories cannot be proven. Scientific theories can never be proven. There is a requirement, however, that scientific theories can be disproven."

Ok, how do you disprove evolution? How do you disprove the theory of relativity?

How do you prove that is not possible to disprove the theory of intelligent design?

One of the rules of logic is that you cannot prove a negative.

It's not possible to prove that ID cannot be proven. Therefore even by your own definition you cannot prove that it is not a theory.

A definition of something isn't very useful if it's defined as not something.

Not knowing how to disprove something does not mean that it cannot be disproven. It means you don't know.


603 posted on 09/28/2005 2:00:32 PM PDT by untrained skeptic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 583 | View Replies ]


To: untrained skeptic
Ok, how do you disprove evolution?

Find Precambrian rabbit fossils. Find a transposon that occurs in whales and cows but not hippos.

How do you disprove the theory of relativity?

Find a situation where time dilation does not occur when two objects are travelling at markedly different speeds.

How do you prove that is not possible to disprove the theory of intelligent design?

That's not my job. The burden falls to those caliming that Intelligent Design is a theory to demonstrate that a falsification criteria exists.

It's not possible to prove that ID cannot be proven. Therefore even by your own definition you cannot prove that it is not a theory.

Wrong. A theory must have defined falsification criteria. If you can't define falsification criteria, then it isn't a theory. Saying "you can't prove that none exist!" doesn't work. You have to show that at least one does exist.
616 posted on 09/28/2005 5:36:59 PM PDT by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 603 | View Replies ]

To: untrained skeptic; Dimensio

one disproves a theory by:
1. making predictions of what one expects to see in a given scenario, based on the theory
2. making predictions of what one DOES NOT expect to see in a given scenario, based on the theory.

If one subsequently observes the UNEXPECTED result in the given scenario, the theory is falsified.

one way the ToE would be falsified would be if saltation from one high-order taxa to another was observed, either directly or in the fossil record.

one way relativity would be falsified would be if matter was observed to accelerate from below C to beyond C.

As ID has so far NEVER defined the limits and nature of the designer or its/their powers, IDiots remain free to "move the goalposts" at whim. ID is thus not falsifiable on those grounds alone.

That wasn't a particularly difficult walk, was it?


666 posted on 09/29/2005 10:01:27 AM PDT by King Prout (19sep05 - I want at least 2 Saiga-12 shotguns. If you have leads, let me know)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 603 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson