Can someone straighten this out for me?--Evolution is proven but the theory of evolution isn't?

Question

The theory of evolution being where we came from.

Answer 1

The theory of evolution is proven.  You may be confused by the way scientists use the word "theory" to refer to a well-established fact, whereas in non-scientific usage, "theory" refers to speculation.

Answer 2

OK I will sum it up for you right here even though Gribblin's answer is pretty much all you need.  They are one and the same.  Evolution IS the Theory of Evolution.  Now here is the confusion...people like Steve from your 1st answer come along and make up false information, twsit facts, lie, cheat, steal, etc.....either knowingly or not.

There is ONE Evolution which says life diversified over the eons by genetic mutation via natural selection....all it means is that, as we know for sure, every time a copy is made of DNA a mutation usually takes place and that once in a very great while out of that you get a mutation that creates a trait that helps that creature survive better.  Then that creature is better able to survive over those lacking said trait so it breeds and passes on the trait and so on and so on.

The Theory of Evolution is not a guess, as Theory in scientific terms means it is an observation that was studied, tested , validated, reviewed and validated and has been accept as true by consensus.  Theories will never become laws as they are a higher general principle including laws and facts.

Now those who hate and despise truth and learning have been trying to discredit Evolution but as the evidence kept pouring in..there was no way to do so without looking stupid.  So the anti-Evolution crowd came up with the idea of Micro vs Macro Evolution.  Trouble is they are same exact thing.  There is no micro vs macro...there is only Evolution..the only question is how long you have waited.  The scientific community does not accept micro vs macro, accepts Evolution as prove for 150+ years, and now the only debate on the matter is HOW it works specifically on the genetic level..not IF.

Answer 3

gribbling's answer is the first completely correct one.

I agree with people who say that evolution is both a fact and a theory ... but then they ruin it by implying that the reason it is still a theory is that it has not yet been "proven."

NOTHING IN SCIENCE IS EVER "PROVEN."  EVER.  Some people will say "proven" to mean "demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt" ... but that is not "proven" in the same sense that we mean "proved" in mathematics.

Even something we call a *FACT* is not *proven* to be true ... it is *OBSERVED* to be true!

And a theory is NOT an "unproven fact."   This is another fundamental misconception about the word "theory."   It is not a statement about truth status.   A theory can NEVER "become" a fact.  Ever.  A theory is an *EXPLANATION* for facts.  A theory can be considered stronger and stronger ... but it never 'graduates' to a new level called a "fact."  Science doesn't work that way.

Just remember: "theory" means *EXPLANATION WITH EVIDENCE* ... and everything else will make sense.

So given all that ... yes, the *PROCESS* of evolution is an observed *FACT*.    But that fact needs an explanation ... and that explanation is called the *THEORY OF EVOLUTION*.   This is the explanation for (a) how evolution occurs in nature (natural selection); and (b) how that same process of evolution explains the diversity of all life on the planet (common ancestry that evolved in an ever-branching way).

The Theory of Evolution is considered by pretty much everyone in the scientific community to be one of the strongest scientific theories in the history of science.  Period.   We understand evolution better than we understand gravity! (We know what causes evolution, but we don't yet know what causes the force of gravity.)  

So calling it a theory is the highest complement we can give to an *explanation*.

Theories are *better* than facts.   Because ultimately, science is not just about discovering facts ... it is about coming up with *EXPLANATIONS* for facts.

Answer 4

Evolution is both theory and fact.  More fact than theory as far as science goes.  Other fields of science are more theory than fact.  Much of the science about outer space is still theory.  Science is still learning about it.  Much of the thinking about Mars has changed since we put a robot on the planet.  Every bit of science involved with evolution does nothing but strengthen the theory.  Many of us accept evolution as fact.

Here is a good site that explains what might seem confusing to most people.

Understanding Science and Evolution

http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfb100/evolutio...

Edit:  After reading the preceding answers I have to add this.  Not only can science (not we) prove humans evolved, science can prove how they evolved.  We is misused way too often.  Cause "we" are not all scientist.  And the vast majority of "we" don't understand science let alone evolution.

Answer 5

evolution is pr oven but the theory of how isn't

Answer 6

it's because there are many theories as to where we came from. evolution itself has been proven, but no specific theory has been proven to be right or wrong. you can prove we evolved, but you can't prove which way we evolved.

:3

Answer 7

I'm really glad you asked that question, most people frustrate the c**p out of me with their misunderstanding of evolution.  Look at bacteria, we have all sorts of antibiotic resistant strains, that is simple example of evolution.  The few that had variations that allowed them to survive went on to reproduce.  When people talk about the theory of evolution, they're referring to human beings evolving all the way from primates or even so far back as single cell organisms.  That is still a theory and has not been proven.

Answer 8

In science a "theory" is not a guess - it is an explanation.

But such explanations can *never* be proved 100%, as it is always possible that someone will come along tomorrow and find some new evidence which disproves the theory. This does not mean that theories should be treated as wrong, however: other examples of things in science that are "just a theory" include the atomic structure of matter, plate tectonics, the cellular structure of life, etc.

In science, there are (generally) two kinds of statement - Theories and Laws.

A Law is an *observation*. So the Law of Gravity (for example) states that "all matter is attracted to other matter in a manner proportionate to their masses, and inversely proportionate to their distance". It just notes that this happens, but does not try to explain how it occurs.

Theories, OTOH, provide the explanations. So for gravity, there are a number of possible explanations ("Theories of Gravity"): perhaps all matter emits "gravitons", massless subatomic particles with negative momentum; or perhaps matter somehow "curves" space/time; or perhaps all matter is actually composed of "superstrings" (subatomic, hyperdimensional strings, vibrating and interacting in higher spatial dimensions). Obviously, not all of these can be true (and possibly none of them are) - but they each explain some of the observations of the Law of Gravity.

The term "evolution" just means "change", and as commonly used in biology, it can mean two things:

[1] that populations of organisms will change in their characteristics with time. This is observed FACT - you only need to go as far as antibiotic resistance in bacteria, pesticide resistance in mosquitoes, the fact we need a new 'flu innoculation each year, industrial melanism of the peppered moth, and so on. This could therefore be called the "Law of Evolution", and is 100% proved.

[2] the "Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection" as proposed by Darwin, and refined by others into the "modern neo-Darwinian synthesis". This takes the above observation and explains how it happens. Since it is a theory, it can *never* be proved - but it has so much supporting evidence, that pretty much 100% of the modern scientific community accept it as true.