Think you have proof that things are the way they are? You know it for a fact? Think again! Proof Physicist Sean Carroll says: I would say that proof is the most widely misunderstood concept in all of science. It has a technical definition (a logical demonstration that certain conclusions follow from certain assumptions) that is strongly at odds with how it is used in casual conversation, which is closer to simply strong evidence for something. There is a mismatch between how scientists talk and what people hear because scientists tend to have the stronger definition in mind. And by that definition, science never proves anything! So when we are asked What is your proof that we evolved from other species? or Can you really prove that climate change is caused by human activity? we tend to hem and haw rather than simply saying Of course we can. The fact that science never really proves anything, but simply creates more and more reliable and comprehensive theories of the world that nevertheless are always subject to update and improvement, is one of the key aspects of why science is so successful. io9/10-scientific-ideas-that-scientists-wish-you-would-stop-1591309822?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Posted on: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 19:01:08 +0000
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