| Chronology | Current Month | Current Thread | Current Date |
| [Year List] [Month List (current year)] | [Date Index] [Thread Index] | [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] | [Date Prev] [Date Next] |
On Oct 22, 2009, at 8:37 PM, marx@phy.ilstu.edu wrote:
Finally, someone who understands what I was trying to say. The
OK. Let's just focus on "believe." One major problem we face as
educators is
the public perception of the word "theory." Most people think it
means a
"guess" and also that there are lots of theories for a given
phenomenon. We
must drive home that there may be competing models, but in the end,
there is
only one theory, which represents our "best explanation based on
supporting
physical evidence." Also, it is as close to "truth" as we get in
science. We
must also differentiate between "knowledge" and "belief." The
former must be
true or it isn't knowledge, whereas the latter can be true or false,
and in
many cases, such matters are often difficult to prove conclusively.
This discussion is also rooted in our inability to educate the
public as to
how science actually works. The general public has the view that
theories are
guesses because they've been told that scientists make hypotheses,
which are
educated guesses, do an experiment, and voila, you have a theory.
Since the
process begins with a guess, the theory must be a guess. "What's your
theory?"
earlier thread on data, facts, and theory discussed this. Not that
scientists are above the fray, but of all people, scientists should be
better prepared to refute the word BELIEF when used in texts or public
statements by the media or politicians. There can be no BELIEF... it
is what it is.
Marty
_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l