Isn evolution just a theory, not a fact?
This isn’t really a good question, because it assumes that a theory cannot be a fact. So to answer this question, a few definitions of terms used in science will be necessary first. A law is a general statement about how nature behaves which has been shown to be valid over a wide variety of experimental conditions, while a theory is an explanation of why laws work (Giancoli 1995). Both can predict the results of future experiments; the difference is that theories explain laws. The definition of a “fact” is fuzzier. The (Oxford Dictionary) lists five different definitions. For this argument I assume a definiton of “something known or shown to be true.” It isn’t a scientific term. Theories, laws, or single data could all be considered facts. Evolution is a theory. It explains a wide range of observed phenomena in the fossil record, in the modern morphology of organisms, in the biochemical makeup of those organisms, etc. It is so widely verified that it is considered by biologists to be a
