Re: What are "principles" in science?

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

How about looking it up in the OED???  The compact edition hurts my eyes.

Well maybe a thousand years.  It separated from low German when it collided
with the Norse dialects.  Then it absorbed words from French complements of
the Normans, who were often returning Britains who had fled before the
Angles and Saxons.  In addition it retained much Latin complements of the
church.  However apparently something like 75% of the common words still
come from the Germanic dialect.

Now theory is Latin, so it actually does go back thousands of years, but the
dual meaning might not go back that far.  My dictionary lists the scientific
meaning first which means that is the preferred or most common meaning.
(Websters used to list the common meaning last).

Maybe it isn't hyperbole, but just a bit of Reganesque embroidery.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> > Both of these meanings are correct and evidently have been
> > for thousands of years.
>         Aw, c'mon.  The English language ain't that old.  How old is the
> current meaning that you ascribe to the word.
> > =========
> >
> > Constructive suggestions: to replace the word "theory":
> >   -- for definition (a), the words "conjecture" or "speculation"
> >      make fine substitutes.
> >   -- for definition (b), it's hard to find a word that is strong
> >      enough.  With some loss of strength one can speak of the
> >      "laws" or "principles" of evolution, or the "observed facts"
> >      of evolution.