So You Think Evolution is Scientific Fact?

When I was a child in elementary school and middle school I was very interested in science. I attended public schools, several of them as my family moved often. What was taught in science class- creationism or evolution? Actually, neither. When the subject of the origin of the world or life came up, the teachers would tell us there was no way to know for sure how the world came into being. We don't know why the dinosaurs became extinct. Many of us had parents who would teach us that God created life. Some had parents who said "yes, it really is a mystery. We'll probably never know." And a few had parents who told the story of evolution. Our science classes were complete, with the lessons on the difference between fact, theory, and hypothesis. We were taught that much of science is theory or even a hypothesis. All of our lessons were taught in such a way that we knew what was fact and what wasn't. And why. That has all changed. Most schoolchildren now don't know the difference between fact, theory, and hypothesis. They don't know that a scientific fact may not actually be truth. And they are taught that evolution is a fact.

For those who may have been asleep during the lessons on the Scientific Method, here is a recap. A common misperception of science is that science defines "truth". Science does not define truth. It actually defines a way of thought. The steps (simplified) to the scientific method are:

Hypothesis- Take a guess. (The earth is round.)

Observation/Experimentation- (Satellite photos show a round earth. Hired a pilot to fly in a straight line. She came back from the opposite direction and said she flew in a complete circle around the earth.)

Data/Graphs- Write it down, show it.

Theory- Conclusions drawn become theory.(sometimes called fact)

This is a very simplified explanation. The point is that one cannot claim something as a scientific fact without taking steps to prove and disprove the hypothesis.