If evolution is not a theory why did:

[Steven_R]

Well then you'll need to explain your logic. We DO exist. The universe DOES exist. Do you believe the universe and life ALWAYS existed? Time has no beginning or end? This defies physics and delves into supernaturalism. Do you believe in supernaturalism?

If not, you believe in a creation event.... there is no other option.

Nope. The universe (and time) as we know and love it did not exist prior to the Big Bang in any form we can mathematically describe, but it did exist. That doesn't mean there was a creation event in the form of some supernatural force.

As far as a stopping point for time, if the hypothesis of a Heat Death Of The Universe is correct, at some point everything reaches thermal equilibrium, there will be no more chemical or physical interaction, and time essentially stops because there is nothing else to measure. There is nothing else for the universe to do.

 

[Vandalshandle]

Humans prospered and dominates the earth because we invented the can opener, giving us access to all the nutritional stuff god provided for us at Safeway.

 

[idb]

Theory vs Hypothesis
What "theory" means in ordinary speech:
The term "theory" means a very different thing when used in everyday conversation and in science. In our day to day speech, we often use "theory" to mean a guess or unsubstantiated idea about how something works (as in "I have a theory that gremlins are hiding my car keys").

In science, we would call such a guess a hypothesis, not a theory. A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observation. In this case, I am proposing that the explanation for why I can't find my car keys is that gremlins are hiding them.*

The distinction between the words "Theory" and "Hypothesis" is very important because in science "Theory" does not mean "guess". I repeat, "Theory" does not mean "guess".

So, what does the word "theory" mean in science?
According to the National Academies of Sciences, "some scientific explanations are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them. The explanation becomes a scientific theory. In everyday language a theory means a hunch or speculation. Not so in science. In science, the word theory refers to a comprehensive explanation of an important feature of nature supported by facts gathered over time. Theories also allow scientists to make predictions about as yet unobserved phenomena".

People who don't understand this distinction sometimes dismiss ideas saying "it's just a theory" (this is very commonly used to suggest that evolution is just speculation, for example). But, when scientists speak of the theory of gravity or the theory of evolution, they don't mean that these are random untested ideas that someone came up with after too many beers.

The AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), the world's largest scientific society, has this explanation of what scientists mean when they use the word "theory":
" A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world."
Untitled Document

 

[Boss]

Well then you'll need to explain your logic. We DO exist. The universe DOES exist. Do you believe the universe and life ALWAYS existed? Time has no beginning or end? This defies physics and delves into supernaturalism. Do you believe in supernaturalism?

If not, you believe in a creation event.... there is no other option.

Nope. The universe (and time) as we know and love it did not exist prior to the Big Bang in any form we can mathematically describe, but it did exist. That doesn't mean there was a creation event in the form of some supernatural force.

As far as a stopping point for time, if the hypothesis of a Heat Death Of The Universe is correct, at some point everything reaches thermal equilibrium, there will be no more chemical or physical interaction, and time essentially stops because there is nothing else to measure. There is nothing else for the universe to do.

Still... you are describing a universe that began and will end. So how does a universe begin if something didn't begin it? That is a creation event. It doesn't matter if you think a God did it or that it just happened. If you come home to find a birthday cake on your table, logic dictates that someone created it. You don't have to identify the creator to know this, it's simply logic that someone did. The cake didn't just magically appear from thin air. We find a universe in the state of existing.. it had a begin point and will have an end point. If this is true, and logic tells us it is, then something at some point was responsible for creating it.

You also need to be aware of the fact that noted physicists such as Stephen Hawking, no longer believe there was necessarily a "Big Bang" as we've thought for many years. Time is an enigmatic question but your contention that time existed before the universe existed is not supportable by physical science or logic. Time is a measurement of duration of events and the intervals between them. Time could not have existed before a universe existed for events to happen in.

 

[Boss]

Theory vs Hypothesis
What "theory" means in ordinary speech:
The term "theory" means a very different thing when used in everyday conversation and in science. In our day to day speech, we often use "theory" to mean a guess or unsubstantiated idea about how something works (as in "I have a theory that gremlins are hiding my car keys").

In science, we would call such a guess a hypothesis, not a theory. A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observation. In this case, I am proposing that the explanation for why I can't find my car keys is that gremlins are hiding them.*

The distinction between the words "Theory" and "Hypothesis" is very important because in science "Theory" does not mean "guess". I repeat, "Theory" does not mean "guess".

So, what does the word "theory" mean in science?
According to the National Academies of Sciences, "some scientific explanations are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them. The explanation becomes a scientific theory. In everyday language a theory means a hunch or speculation. Not so in science. In science, the word theory refers to a comprehensive explanation of an important feature of nature supported by facts gathered over time. Theories also allow scientists to make predictions about as yet unobserved phenomena".

People who don't understand this distinction sometimes dismiss ideas saying "it's just a theory" (this is very commonly used to suggest that evolution is just speculation, for example). But, when scientists speak of the theory of gravity or the theory of evolution, they don't mean that these are random untested ideas that someone came up with after too many beers.

The AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), the world's largest scientific society, has this explanation of what scientists mean when they use the word "theory":
" A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. Such fact-supported theories are not "guesses" but reliable accounts of the real world."
Untitled Document

I have seen this diatribe many times before. It seems to always be the go-to for "religious worshipers of science" and you seldom ever hear an actual scientist make this argument. A true scientist will tell you that theories are most certainly not conclusions or facts. Any theory has the potential to fail and any failure defeats the theory. Some theories DO have a lot of tried and true evaluation and observation to support them. Even those theories are vulnerable to failure. Science never draws a conclusion... a conclusion is made by man. Science continues to explore possibilities.

Gravity is not a theory. There are theories regarding gravitational force and we don't understand all of the details of those theories even today. But actual gravity is a physical property of the universe. The universe is certainly not theoretical... unless reality is theoretical as well. We could say that everything is a theory... but that seems to be more philosophical than scientific when we get to that point. In terms of actual physics, gravity is a variable and it's force also has a constant value. Thus, it is a LAW and not a theory.